Among those closest to Elvis was his ex-girlfriend Linda Thompson, who stayed in touch with him until the end. Recently, she shared why she left him and described his final days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Linda Thompson\u2019s Early Life<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Born on May 23, 1950, in Memphis, Tennessee, Linda Thompson grew up loving Elvis\u2019s music. By the time she was six, she confidently told her parents, \u201cI\u2019m going to marry Elvis Presley.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a teenager, Linda won several beauty pageants, including Miss Shelby County and Miss Memphis State University. By 1972, she had been crowned Miss Tennessee and placed third in the Miss USA competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meeting Elvis Presley<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
While Linda was busy with beauty contests, Elvis was achieving global fame. In 1972, shortly after his divorce from Priscilla Presley, he met Linda at a private screening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elvis greeted her with, \u201cWell, hello honey!\u201d Linda, unaware he was separated, was excited to meet her idol. After some flirting, the two began dating, and Linda soon moved into Elvis\u2019s Graceland estate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Rollercoaster Romance at Graceland<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Linda and Elvis shared a deep connection. In her memoir A Little Thing Called Life<\/em> (2016), she described their relationship as unique and multifaceted. They acted as lovers, friends, and even parental figures to each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, Linda quickly witnessed Elvis\u2019s downward spiral. In 1973, during their first year together, Elvis made history with Aloha from Hawaii<\/em>, the first globally broadcast concert by a solo artist. Behind the scenes, though, Linda saw his health decline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Elvis began struggling with prescription medication and other health issues. Linda stayed by his side, often checking on him at night to ensure he was breathing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was exhausting,\u201d she admitted. \u201cI loved him more than life, but watching him self-destruct was emotionally draining.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In early 1975, Linda found Elvis gasping for breath and rushed him to the hospital, where doctors diagnosed liver problems unrelated to alcohol. By late 1975, she decided to leave him and focus on her own career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Linda stayed in touch with Elvis even after their breakup. Just days before his death, she called Graceland to check on him. Elvis\u2019s friend assured her that he was fine. Linda\u2019s last words, relayed through Elvis\u2019s friend, were, \u201cTell him I love him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n On August 16, 1977, Linda received a devastating call. Elvis had been found unconscious in his bathroom and later pronounced dead. He was just 42.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Linda Thompson played a crucial role in Elvis\u2019s life. From photos of their time together to her heartfelt stories, she continues to honor The King\u2019s legacy while sharing her personal memories of the man behind the music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Linda Thompson dated Elvis Presley in the 1970s, ending their relationship just one year before The King tragically passed away at age 42. Now, she\u2019s shedding light… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2654,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3055","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/storytimebuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3055","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/storytimebuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/storytimebuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storytimebuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storytimebuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3055"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/storytimebuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3055\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storytimebuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/storytimebuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3055"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storytimebuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3055"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storytimebuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3055"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Caring for Elvis<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The Final Days<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A Lasting Legacy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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