Wife of Elvis Presley’s Cousin Said the Singer Always Slept With a Gun by His Bed
More than four decades after Elvis Presley‘s death, many of his fans are still fascinated by several aspects of his life and those in King’s inner circle have been revealing things about him that not many people knew.
The wife of Elvis’ cousin Billy Smith is now spilling that the Jailhouse Rock star always slept with a gun at his bedside. Here’s what Jo Smith said about that and more about King’s gun collection.
Presley owned dozens of guns
It’s well known that aside from his music and other hobbies, one of Presley’s interests were guns.
He reportedly owned 32 handguns, as well as one shotgun, and one machine gun during his life. It’s believed that his favorite gun was the Colt . 45 pistol. He even selected a special Colt World War II commemorative pistol to present to President Richard M. Nixon when they met in the Oval Office on Dec. 21, 1970.
Presley did receive death threats and during a concert in the ’70s when the FBI deemed a credible threat had been made, the singer performed with a loaded Derringer in his boot and a . 45 pistol in his waistband.
He also owned a 25 Caliber Semi-Automatic Pistol and carried for a time in his boot when he performed in Las Vegas. The weapon ended up falling out in the middle of one performance and slide across the floor. Afterward, Presley got rid of that gun, claiming it was too small for him. The weapon was later sold at a Graceland auction.
The King always had a gun in his bedroom
Threats made against his life was another reason the King of Rock and Roll always had a gun with him in the bedroom of his Graceland property. Presley purchased the famous estate on March 19, 1957. Ten years later, he married Priscilla and the couple welcomed their daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, in 1968. But they weren’t the only people who lived at the Graceland mansion.
Jo Smith, who was married to Presley’s cousin Billy Smith, also resided there and remembered how the star always had a firearm by his bed.
“He always kept one [gun] on his nightstand,” she recalled, adding that he would joke and reach for the handgun if someone disagreed with him about something.
Presley’s death at Graceland
Many fans around the world were shocked and saddened when news broke that Presley had died.
On Aug. 16, 1977, his fiancée Ginger Alden discovered him unresponsive on the floor of his bathroom. Attempts to revive Presley were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead at 3:30 p.m. He was 42.
His funeral was held at Graceland on Aug. 18. He is buried alongside his mother in the Meditation Garden.
An average of 500,000 visitors a year Graceland and can pay their respects at his gravesite.
