Elvis’ Grandma Warned Him He Wasn’t Spending Enough Time With His Wife or Daughter

In the 1970s, Elvis Presley’s grandma, Dodger, began to worry about the state of her grandson’s marriage. She had known Priscilla Presley for years and had grown close to her. While she loved her grandson deeply, she could tell that his behavior was hurting his wife. He spent long stretches away from home and didn’t want his wife or young daughter to join him on the road. When Priscilla told Dodger she was leaving Elvis, she tearfully said that she had warned him about this.

Elvis Presley’s grandma said she warned him not to spend too much time away from his family

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Elvis began touring again for the first time in years. He also played residencies in Las Vegas that kept him away for at least a month at a time. Even when he wasn’t performing, though, he stayed away from home. He lingered in Las Vegas and took vacations with his entourage. This wore on Priscilla, and eventually, she asked for a divorce.

Dodger found it difficult to accept the news. She had known Priscilla for years.

“‘You’re like my own,’ Dodger said,” Priscilla recalled in her book Elvis and Me. “It’s not going to be the same here without you. Poor little things. I feel so sorry for both of you.'”

In their conversation, Dodger said she had warned Elvis about spending so much time away from his family.

“Grandma wept as she tried to understand why two people who love each other should part,” Priscilla wrote. “‘I tried to tell him to spend more time with you — you and that baby.'”

Though the constant distance had led to the divorce, Priscilla told Dodger that it was not Elvis’ fault. She still loved him and always would.

Elvis Presley’s grandma wanted Priscilla to continue to visit

Though Priscilla wanted a divorce, she knew Elvis would remain a part of her life. Dodger still wanted Priscilla to visit her, too.

“I found Dodger in her room — now downstairs — and sat at her feet as she rocked in her chair,” Priscilla wrote. “‘Oh no,’ she said, ‘don’t tell me that, Honey. You don’t mean it.’ Then, realizing I did mean it, she hastened to ask, ‘You’re gonna call me, aren’t you, and keep in touch?'”

Priscilla said she had no plans to cut Dodger out of her life because of the divorce. 

“Yes, Dodger. I’ll always be there for you. I’ll come back and visit. We’ll talk just like we always have, and nothing will ever change.”

All throughout the conversation, Dodger expressed hope that Priscilla and Elvis would get back together. They didn’t, but Priscilla kept her promise that she would remain a part of the Presleys’ lives.

Priscilla initially found Dodger’s attention suffocating

When Priscilla first moved into Graceland many years before, she befriended Dodger. Elvis was often away filming movies, so Priscilla visited the older woman’s room to talk. She enjoyed these conversations and loved Dodger, but she began to feel trapped because of her.

Priscilla began to go out with Patsy Presley, Elvis’ cousin. Patsy was close to Priscilla’s age, and the two got along well. For Priscilla, the rules of Graceland felt stifling, and she enjoyed getting out of the house with a peer. Soon, though, Dodger began to complain that Priscilla was spending too much time away.

“[I] went to [Patsy] every chance I got,” Priscilla wrote. “But then Grandma complained that she was being neglected. She reminded me that Elvis’ old girlfriends used to stay with her every single night he was gone. Torn, I couldn’t wait for Elvis’ return.”