What I’m Reading: Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis

Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis is a 2025 autobiography by Priscilla Presley detailing her life post Elvis. This memoir picks up from where Priscilla’s first book: Elvis and Me, left off. Priscilla broadly describes leaving Elvis in this memoir so she can pursue an authentic life of her own. However, this book is still an Elvis-centric book, and his post-divorce influence on the only wife he ever had is felt throughout this book’s chapters.

The author admits that her larger-than-life former husband has caused many blessings in her life, as well as some curses. For instance, when Priscilla discusses their child together, Elvis’s only heir, (now deceased) daughter, Lisa Marie, Priscilla analyzes that their daughter inherited her father’s temper and addiction problems. Lisa Marie’s addictive, sometimes volatile personality caused Priscilla pain, but Priscilla never gave up on her daughter and this book details their often tumultuous relationship.

As with her first book, Priscilla Presley is candid in Softly As I Leave You. Despite being a book about Priscilla’s life post Elvis, the book is very much shadowed by her famous ex. Mrs. Presley’s analysis of the man she considers to be the love of her life, as well as their daughter, Lisa, is often the theme or at least in the background of this book. Priscilla does a good job of explaining why her former husband and daughter often behaved in very destructive ways. According to Mrs. Presley, Elvis was a man of his time who expected Priscilla to fit the ideal of a woman of that time (submissive and agreeable). While being submissive and agreeable worked when Priscilla was young and childless, once Priscilla got married and had a child with Elvis, she no longer could tolerate Elvis’s neglect and dalliances.

When Priscilla left Elvis, which was shocking to everyone involved, his addiction spiraled out of control and he became visibly unhealthy. Elvis had some reprieve with the first girlfriend he had after Priscilla, Linda Thompson, but his destructive tendencies grew. And slowly Elvis became worse. Still, though Priscilla was shocked with the rest of the world when Elvis died because she and Elvis always had love for each other until the very end of his days. And Priscilla discusses how Elvis alluded to that, but she realizes in this memoir she could never have gone back to him because she had matured and changed too much post divorce.

While Priscilla’s life is forever tainted by the loss of her true love and only husband, Priscilla remains stoic in this book. Unfortunately, Lisa Marie does not share the fate of stoicism and long life that her mother has. Instead, according to Priscilla, Lisa Marie was a bright girl who adored her daddy, and was forever traumatized by the loss of him. Followingly, Lisa Marie often acted as the entitled heir to the King, lashing out in defiance.

While Priscilla is kind and empathetic in her analysis of her daughter, she does share her upset at some of her daughter’s choices. Mainly her daughter’s marriage to Michael Jackson was very upsetting. Priscilla felt that this marriage was a publicity stunt from Michael’s end to shield him from his bad reputation. Thankfully for Priscilla the marriage soon failed, noting that Michael preferred the company of children to adults. Additionally, after Lisa’s fourth divorce, Lisa Marie estranged herself from her mother because her mother refused to sign a deposition in support of allegations against her son-in-law, Michael Lockwood. Lisa Marie’s intent was to gain custody of the twins and Priscilla refused to sign something she did not believe was right or true.

In addition to the drama Priscilla had with her daughter, Priscilla also had much trouble with her son. In 1987, Priscilla Presley welcomed son Navarone Garcia with her then-partner, music producer Marco Garibaldi. Like Lisa Marie, Navarone had addiction problems, but his were arguably worse. Priscilla says Navarone first came to her for help through his fentanyl withdrawal following her grandson Benjamin Keough’s death in 2020, and she supported him once again when he later relapsed on heroin. Since his recovery from heroin addiction, Priscilla says Navarone has thankfully remained sober.

BOTTOM LINE: This sequel to Elvis and Me is a good read for anyone who wants a behind the scenes look at life with Elvis and the legacy he left behind. This book also delves into Priscilla’s life as an 80s soap opera star and later mother to a drug addict. Priscilla’s love for Elvis and their deceased daughter is felt throughout this book. She goes to great lengths to be candid and thorough in her analysis of her life. Priscilla comes across as stoic, very resilient, and oddly at peace for her dramatic, sometimes tragic life.