At Nixa event, Priscilla Presley sought to 'set the record straight' about life with Elvis

Priscilla Presley recently stopped in Nixa to share stories about her life before and after Elvis and to highlight poignant memories they created together.

She opened up to the packed crowd Jan. 22 at the Aetos Center for the Performing Arts, which is part of Nixa Public Schools. The center, on the Nixa High School campus, will mark its one-year anniversary Feb. 17.

In an interview after the event, the 78-year-old said the tour has provided a chance to "set the record straight." She weighed in on recent movies depicting her life with Elvis — including one starring a Springfield native — and offered insight on how she has navigated the grief of lost loved ones.

"I like setting the record straight. There are so many stories out there that aren't true, there are so many that have been added onto that aren't true," she said. "I am telling it like it is. I tell what my life was. I tell that we continued, even though we were divorced, we still had a wonderful care and love for each other."

Presley said she hopes by sharing her memories and the couple's home movies, people will better understand her life and the decisions she made.

"The audience seems to appreciate it and take it in and understand a lot better — and understand Elvis a lot better, too," she said.

Her appearance in Nixa, part of the "An Evening with Priscilla Presley" tour, was sandwiched between stops in New York and Kentucky. The tour resumes in March with dates in Connecticut, Florida and Michigan.

At the shows, Presley said audience members often explain how they became a fan of Elvis or how sharing a love of Elvis movies and music created a bond with their parents or children.

She said the crowds are warm, curious and multi-generational. "There are a lot of young people that go and I want to captivate them and keep his legacy going."

Presley was 14 and living in Germany in 1959 when she first met Elvis, who was a decade older. They were married in May 1967, when she was 20.

"He was a man's man. He was sensitive. He loved having a good time," she said. "He loved people, although his close entourage that was with him, he didn't step outside of. He felt more secure being around people he knew for a long time," she said. "He was generous, loving, giving, close to his parents, close to his family."

The couple divorced in October 1973 but Presley said in addition to sharing daughter Lisa Marie, who died in early 2023, she and Elvis remained friends until his death in August 1977.

"So many people ask me about my life, my life with Elvis, different pieces of my life, even being successful and leaving him and why," she said. "It is really a love story that I want to share with people. Elvis and I had a really nice relationship, it was just that the lifestyle obviously didn't suit me."

'The two movies are very different'

Two prominent movies depicting the life of Elvis, and parts of his marriage to Priscilla, have been released recently.

The 2022 movie "Elvis" directed by Baz Luhrmann focused heavily on the singer's relationship with manager Colonel Tom Parker. It was nominated for multiple Academy Awards and Priscilla has praised actor Austin Butler's portrayal of her ex-husband.

Released last year and directed by Sofia Coppola, the movie "Priscilla" — which stars Springfield native Cailee Spaeny — follows her friendship, romance, marriage and complicated life with Elvis.

"The two movies are very different," Presley said. "If you know Baz, he is going to go to the extreme. He is going to make it fun for everyone with his interpretation of Elvis — which the story line was actually good. I thought he did a great job, in a Baz Luhrmann way."

Spaeny, who met with Priscilla, was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.

"Cailee, I have to say ... she got it done beautifully. When I first saw the film, I was very nervous," said Presley, who has acted in numerous films, including the Naked Gun series. "I didn't go hang on the set or watch the filming in any way but she portrayed me as I am."

Presley said Spaeny asked for insight that could help guide her approach to the role.

"I said just be sensitive please, just be sensitive and I think she did a really good job in that of being sensitive to his wants, his needs, his life and with myself, as well," she said. "I liked the movie. Listen, I saw it and cried at the ending."

Priscilla Presley 'proud of opening Graceland'

Presley said she spoke to Elvis just days before his death.

"When I got the call from Joe Esposito that Elvis was in the hospital and not well at all, that I needed to come there, that it was serious, I got ready and ... they sent a plane for me," she said. "I went to Graceland right away."

She said the loss was "shocking and it is still hard to believe."

In 2020, their grandson Benjamin Keough died by suicide. Their only daughter, Lisa Marie, died a year ago.

At the event, and in the interview that followed, she opened up about suffering such unspeakable loss and how she was able to get through. To the audience, she hoped it offered encouragement.

"It is a journey, there is no doubt. It is not something you get over ... it takes time and everyone is different," she said, adding that she draws strength from other family members.

She added: "Loss, we all experience it. We all have our different ways of moving on, to accept it. I just say you have to be around people who are enthusiastic and are up and can help you through it."

Presley was cofounder of Elvis Presley Enterprises, the company that turned Graceland, Elvis' Memphis home, into a museum and major tourist destination.

Looking back, she said preserving that space and opening it to the public has been an important part of her life.

"I am very proud of opening Graceland because we still have people from all over the world and we have the younger generation knowing who Elvis Presley was and what he gave to all of us with his music and his shows and just being who he was."

Asked about her legacy, Presley said: "I think my legacy will be a little bit of everything ... (I) enjoyed life, took advantage of opportunities that were given to me."

Presley event largest national show at Aetos

Opened in February 2023, the Aetos Center for the Performing Arts was originally proposed to give the high school and other schools a suitable venue for large-scale student performances.

Aetos, the Greek word for the eagle, is the home base for student band, choir and theater performances.

The $16 million project, the cornerstone of a 2019 bond issue, broke ground in spring 2021. It was envisioned as a way to serve student and the community.

Its size also made it possible to host national touring productions in Nixa, offering new entertainment options and spurring economic development.

Zac Rantz, chief communication officer for the district, said the Presley event was top-selling national show in the first year.

There were 1,018 tickets sold to people from 13 states. The second most popular was a Christmas show with Jeremy Camp and NewSong.

In 2023, the venue sold 5,467 tickets to people from 17 states plus Canada. According to a national metric, the center generated $225,000 — or $38 on top of ticket prices — for the local community last year.

Mike Super will bring a magic show to the venue in mid-February and American Idol runner-up David Archuleta will appear in April.

Nixa school board member Heather Zoromski grew up listening to Elvis music with her mom, who took her to visit Graceland as a teenager.

Still a fan, Zoromski said she made plans to attend the Priscilla Presley event along with a neighbor whose father was in the U.S. Army with Elvis. "She actually had some Polaroids of her dad and Elvis in the army that she was able to show Priscilla, which was super cool."

Zoromski said she enjoyed hearing the behind-the-scenes stories.

"The whole time she was talking I just kept thinking, 'I couldn't imagine being married to Elvis.' It was fascinating, her personal stories and her home videos," she said. "And then getting to meet her backstage. She was so incredibly kind and spent time with everybody."

She said the Aetos center has provided much-needed space for students and brought new people to Nixa.

High school and college students volunteer at the venue to support the national shows, which gives them firsthand experience in different roles and insight into career paths.

"To bring in these national acts has brought in a tremendous amount of economic dollars to the community in people staying, regionally and locally in hotels, eating in our restaurants in Nixa," she said. "The national acts provide workforce development opportunities and training opportunities for our students."

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Priscilla Presley 'set the record straight' about life, Elvis at event