Here is a rarely seen interview with Ginger Alden, discussing her relationship with Elvis and the circumstances surrounding his death. He was also at the hospital when his father suffered a heart attack and when his daughter, Lisa Marie, was born. Alden, a former model and actress, had dated Elvis for two months before he proposed to her. West did a widely syndicated interview with Bob Greene. Like the time he accompanied Elvis to California for the filming of Jailhouse Rock. Klein shook his head and recalled, It was awesome. So we had to get something no one else had. "We didn't have years together but it was quality time spent for sure when she visited Elvis and me at Graceland as a young child in 77 and was able to join us on some tours and visit with me at my family home," Alden said. Elvis road manager, Joe Esposito (who has not written a Elvis book), summed up the mania this way: Thereve been books written about Elvis by close friends he never knew he had.. 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How Do You Get Rid Of Hiccups In 5 Seconds. The job escalated each time Elvis Presley checked in. The police were called in. For Thomas--whose coverage of Elvis death included getting into the mausoleum, where the body was first entombed--covering the story began with a visit to Graceland. Elvis Presleys grandson Benjamin Keough buried in Graceland alongside King of Rock and Roll. Three men captured in a stakeout near Elvis tomb were accused of attempting to steal Elvis body and hold it for ransom. Elvis, who spoke of his twin throughout his life, grew up an only child in a poor family. The cameraman gave him an insiders hookup. The sense of loss was echoed across the country. British Press said: KING ELVIS DEAD AT 42 AND ALONE. Vernon (Presley, Elvis father) was especially touched., Soul man James Brown had already made an appearance. When Priscilla and Elvis met, Priscilla was 14-years-old, and The King would have been 24-years-old. "I remember Lisa coming into Elvis's bedroom one evening, sitting on his bed and as she stared at the television, he tapped me silently behind her," she wrote. Also called in was Dr. Jerry Francisco, the Shelby County medical examiner. 29 at 2147 Elvis Presley Boulevard. Thats how Bob Kendall described the largest funeral ever held--anywhere--for a private citizen. By her own admission, she had never been much of anywhere. The official verdict was death by heart failure. The press descended like a flood. Ronald Leyser was a director of commercials and was married to Ginger Alden from 1991 until his death. The two were engaged until his untimely death in 1977. She couldn't. "When I first saw him, I thought he had fallen out of his black chair and buried his face in the carpet, as if he had fallen out of his chair," Miss . As his time in the Army came to a close, Priscilla wanted to do so, but Elvis told her, Someday we will, Priscilla, but not now. Just days after his death, Elvis Presley was buried in a cemetery in Memphis, Tenn. Ginger Alden, his fiance at the time, found him on his bathroom floor where he had been for hours. But when Elliott and Esposito walked into the hospitals administrative library, set aside for the press, Esposito, said Elliott, choked up and said, I cant do it. The RCA plant in Indianapolis worked 24 hours a day. Instant Elvis exploitation. It turned out hed told his boss hed see him in a few days. Long Live the King. They were hawked for $1 at the cemetery where Elvis was laid to rest. He was so busy that he didnt have time to respond to the reporters who kept leaving messages with the funeral home office. Her father was an Army recruiter and her mother worked for the Internal Revenue Service. The moments of uncertainty began about 2:20 p.m. and passed like hours, Miss Alden said. the Little Dipper, the Fender Bender and the parks 11 other rides. Linda and Elvis broke up in late 1976 because she wanted a more normal life, but the two remained friends until he died less than a year later. Clad only in blue top and yellow pyjama bottom. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. Elvis Presley's ex-lover Ann-Margret attended the funeral proceedings and spent some time with his father, Vernon Presley. Did Ginger Alden keep her engagement ring? Im going to the bathroom to read. Those were the words Elvis Presley said to his fiancee, Ginger Alden, early in the morning of August 16, 1977, at his Memphis mansion, Graceland. Elvis Presley tragically died in his home, Graceland, on August 16, 1977. Presley became close to both parents and formed an especially close bond with his mother. Something made me want to go, he revealed. One of the many mourners was Ann-Margret, a Swedish-American actress who was once one of Elvis Presleys former lovers. But I do regret that Elvis is dead--Ill always regret that. But while millions swooned over his records and lined up to see his movies, only a few women intimately knew the real man behind the legend. Or with Priscilla. George Klein, a friend since the eighth grade (We had all the exact same classes, all through Humes High School) ducked interview requests for a year following the death, because I had to get things in perspective. Well, there was a single exception: This CBS newscaster got me as I was on my way to the funeral., Klein has since become an accessible Elvis source--one who speaks reverently and carefully about his friend. EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Limited Or Anthology Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actress In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie, EMMY NOMINATIONS 2022: Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Or Anthology Series Or Movie. You were loved and will be deeply missed". She eventually detailed her and Elvis' relationship in a memoir published in 2014 called Elvis and Ginger: Elvis Presley's Fiance and Last Love Finally Tells Her Story. Marion Keiske Who Discovered Elvis Presley? The Elvis tour that never happened. The Soviet PRAVDA ran a full-page; ELVIS IS DEAD. Ginger Alden waited nearly 40 years to tell her side of the story about her relationship with Elvis Presley. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. ), Ginger Alden didnt want to move to Graceland. > have to wonder about a few things. And the Commercial Appeals Jim Kingsley interviewed Vernon Presley, who thanked the worlds fans for their tributes. Ginger was living with Elvis Presley when he died on August 16, 1977. But he reads everything he finds about Lisa Marie, now 19. Elviss last resting place was to be the family vault with space for six. Other reporters were the enemy--and they were ruthless without using bullets.. Only three people were. Ginger Alden, his fiance at the time, found him on his bathroom floor where he had been for hours. The two first got together in the late 70s,. . 1. Who was Elvis engaged to when he died? Do Men Still Wear Button Holes At Weddings? Fans stopped their lives in order to make a pilgrimage to Memphis. Ginger Alden was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1956. After returning to Graceland he went to his racquet ball court and played until about six a.m. Tuesday, August 16th. Elvis Presley, was still wearing her 11 1/2-carat diamond engagement ring as she recalled the final hours of the singer's life. Jake Hess and the Statesmen sang Known Only to Him James Blackwood and the Stamps sang, How Great Thou Art and gave a melodious rendition of Sweet, Sweet Spirit an His Hand in Mine Bill Baise of the Stamps sang When Its My Turn and, Richard Nixon asked Americans fly their flags at half-mast. All Rights reserved. Did Ginger Alden Attend Elvis Funeral. They turned left on Union and raced to Baptist Memorial Hospitals emergency room entrance, just four-tenths of a mile east of the original Sun Records studio at 706 Union now a vacant and padlocked yellow, one-story building where Elvis first recorded. She was just 21 years old, and Elvis was smitten. Alden was reportedly the last person to see him alive, and she still has fond memories of her short time with The King. Meanwhile, over at the Commercial Appeal, Lawrence Buser managed to land an interview with Elvis final fiancee, Ginger Alden (who was also interviewed by the National Enquirer). Ten years ago, he was the funeral director for Memphis Funeral Home. 6, a Modular Rev Ambulance an orange and white boxlike structure affixed to a GMC chassis turned on the siren and headed south. "It's not always easy knowing all/what to say in moments sometimes but here goes," she wrote on Facebook. Did JOHN WAYNE and Elvis ever meet? 3. The Denver Posts editorial declared: SUDDENLY WE FEEL OLDER. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time Yes, they did. Nichopoulos--speaking by phone from his Memphis office--declined to talk, explaining, Ive got a bad taste in my mouth from being misquoted.). West said he had no regrets about having written the book. Alden did not discuss the day Elvis died, but did say that contrary to what has been written about his final days . Theres something so damn special there . It happened in the early morning hours when a driver (later charged with manslaughter and drunken driving) charged into a crowd of mourners. There are portions of that talk that Ive never printed--and I never will.. Maurice Elliott used to be assistant administrator at Memphis Baptist Hospital and, as such, oversaw public relations duties. To that time, the only Elvis-related feature that the Commercial Appeals Thomas had ever done was about a determined fan who had mailed herself to Graceland in a large box. Behind the Graceland Gates at Lisa Marie's Memorial: We Watched Her Go Through Her Struggles. . Ginger Alden was barely out of her teens when she first met Elvis Presley. Alden notably didn't spend much time at Graceland, and did not want to move there. He sent it over in his limo. Two days later, his family, friends, and thousands of his most loyal fans gathered to say their goodbyes. Elvis Presley's last love is paying her respects to his daughter Lisa Marie Presley. Despite not touching the upstairs areas, Lisa Marie and her family will often stay at the Graceland mansion and have even celebrated holidays at the home. He had planned to announce their engagement publicly on his upcoming tour in Memphis; sadly, he died before this could happen. Elvis wouldve kicked my rear end if I hadnt., Elvis death brought together the members of Elvis inner circle--known as the Memphis Mafia. Said Hodge: We all just sort of assumed certain duties. Ronald Leyser was 61 years old at the time of his death. So had actor George Hamilton. On Monday, August 15th, Elvis arose late, as was his custom. His arteries and veins were terribly corroded. ELVIS--TEN YEARS AFTER, THE LEGEND GROWS--Newsweek. This means their age difference is 10 years, though because of their birth dates it is more like 10 years and four months. The tentative ruling was heart failure, but the autopsy was expected to continue for at least a week. After they met, the two would go on to have a romance for over a year. She has an estimated net worth of between $500k and $5 million as . Talking about his wife, Ginger Alden is 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) tall and has a body weight of around 71 Kg (156 lbs).7. GInger described how, after only a few months, Elvis proposed: "He said: 'Ginger, I've been searching for love so long, and never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would find it in my own backyard. So, of course, I asked him Why? And he looked at me and said, Well, man, its the king. Just like I should know., That is: It was as if the whole city of Memphis got together and worked to produce Elvis final show.. But a decade ago, prior to all the talking, Elvis was a veritable mystery man. Now the district manager for the state of Tennessee for Guardian Plans Inc., a division of Service Corp. International, Kendall oversees agents who sell prearranged funerals. The day before he was to go on tour, the week that the controversial book Elvis What Happened?, which purported to detail his private life, appeared the month that he again had a record on the charts, Elvis dropped dead in his Graceland mansion and instantly passed from elusive legend to myth. Along with its last photo of Elvis, the Enquirer snared the last photo of Elvis alive, which happened to be snapped by a fans $20.95 Instamatic outside Graceland at 12:28 a.m. on Aug. 16. 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