Priscilla Presley Bonded With Elvis’ Lover Ann-Margret at His Funeral After Years of Hating Her

In 1977, Priscilla Presley came face to face with Ann-Margret Olsson at Elvis Presley’s funeral. Olsson had long been a problem in Elvis and Priscilla’s relationship. Newspapers had reported on their affair, causing Priscilla to scream about how much she hated the other woman. At the funeral, though, they were able to find common ground. Priscilla shared why she felt a genuine connection with Olsson. 

Priscilla Presley felt a connection with Ann-Margret Olsson at Elvis’ funeral

Thousands of mourners came to Graceland to pay their respects to Elvis during his funeral. Priscilla watched, moved by the way her ex-husband had touched all these lives.

“I sat in Grandma’s room most of that afternoon as thousands of mourners from all over the world passed by, paying their last respects,” she wrote in her book Elvis and Me. “Many wept; some men and women even fainted. Others lingered at the casket, refusing to believe it was him. He was truly loved, admired, and respected.” 

One of the mourners was Olsson, who had had an affair with Elvis. She attended the service and went up to Priscilla to pay her respects. Despite Priscilla’s past dislike of Olsson, she appreciated the moment they shared together. 

“Ann-Margret attended with her husband, Roger Smith,” Priscilla wrote. “Ann expressed her sympathy so sincerely I felt a genuine bond with her.”

Priscilla Presley had railed against Ann-Margret Olsson in the past

The shared moment between Priscilla and Olsson was especially significant considering Priscilla’s past hatred of her. Priscilla had dealt with rumors of an affair between Elvis and Olsson since they starred in Viva Las Vegas together. Her final straw came when newspapers began reporting that Elvis had proposed to Olsson.

“Suddenly all the months of unbearable silence broke and I screamed, ‘What’s going on here? I’m tired of these secrets. Telephone calls. Notes. Newspapers!'”

Priscilla had tried to suppress her concerns, but they finally spilled over.

“I picked up a flower vase and hurled it across the room, shattering it against the wall,” she wrote. “‘I hate her!’ I shouted. ‘Why doesn’t she keep her a** in Sweden where she belongs?'”

Elvis always denied these allegations, but he also told her that he wanted a partner who could deal with rumors of affairs. As a result, Priscilla tried to push down her feelings of animosity toward Olsson.

Elvis’ death devastated Olsson

Olsson and Elvis both got married to other people, but they remained in touch for years. She loved him deeply, even describing him as a soul mate. After she heard about his death, she was reportedly inconsolable. 

“I will never recover from Elvis’s death,” she wrote in her memoir Ann-Margret: My Story. “He is a part of me, of my happiness and sorrow, and that will never go away … It’s rare to have such a friend as Elvis, rare to have such a soul mate.”

While she remained married to Smith until his death in 2017, she continues to look back fondly on her time with Elvis.