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Elvis Australia : Official Elvis Presley Fan Club


Interview with Anita Wood Part II


By David Adams
Source: Elvis Australia
June 2, 2012

Interview with Anita Wood Part II. Anita talks about the death of Elvis' mother, Priscilla, Elvis' return from Germany, letters from Priscilla and breaking up with Elvis, the name similar to Lisa Marie they would have given their child if they had a girl and if a boy he was to be Elvis Presley Jr, the death of Elvis and much more. Read Part I.

Q: I wanted to get back to when Elvis' mother passed away and he came back to Memphis and he learned of her death and said goodbye to her. If you could go back there for us?

A: Okay. During this time I was in New York again, all summer long up there. So one morning bright and early the phone rang, my mother was with me at the time, and he called me and said, Little. And he told me the sad news that his mother passed away and I want you to come. So that was on a Thursday, that's what I remember. And I also did the Andy Williams Show on Thursday night and they taped it. So as soon as I did the show that night, I had my make-up on, I went directly from the show to the airport and got on a plane and flew down here to Memphis. Lamar met me at the airport, took me to Graceland.

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When we pulled up to Graceland in front of the house, Elvis and his dad were sitting on the front steps and Elvis was just crying it was so sad. And his daddy was crying. And I got out of the car and rained', Little, Little, Little, I've lost her, I lost her, I lost her'. Crying and he said', Come on in, I want you to see her'. And I said', No I don't think I want to go in there'. He said', Yes Little she loved you and I want you to come in there and I want you to see her. You just gotta come in here and see her'. She was in the music room and I didn't know that. And I was just a little bit squeamish about that, never having seen a corpse before or anything. And because I did love her, she was just a really sweet lady. She showed me a great deal of affection.

So he grabbed me and brought me inside with him.

And he walked me back and there were people all around, I don't remember who, I didn't see anybody. And he walked me back to the music room where there was the coffin. It was a white coffin and she was lying in the coffin which had glass over it. I often wondered why the glass was over it. They were afraid Elvis just could not keep his hands off his mom, you know. And she had a pink, one of her little western things she wore. She had that on and he started talking to her in that baby talk again. And I just broke down, it was so sad.

And he said', Little look at her little switties'. He made them raise up the back part of the coffin and you could see her little feet there and she was barefooted and her toes were painted and everything and he was talking about her switties, she was so swollen at this time. The corpse was still swollen and I remember he made me stand there forever just looking at her and talking to her.

And talking about her and including me in all the conversation, ya know.

Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita Book

Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita Book
Once Upon A Time: Elvis and Anita Book.

And I was just so sad. But, really and truly I can say that I could not sympathize with Elvis truly until my daddy died many years later when I called him up and told him', Now I understand what you went through'. You know, until you experience something yourself, you really don't know what someone's going through. I didn't realize how he was suffering so much until I lost my dad of a sudden heart attack at fifty-nine years old. Then when I called Elvis, I wanted him to know I understood cause it was terrible. And I remember that's, I think that's when he started taking the pills from this Dr. Nichopoulos. Tranquilizers, because he was so upset, that he couldn't sleep and he couldn't sit still very long. He was constantly from room to room to room. Person to person to person. Back to the casket and I think that is when he and his father maybe Dr. Nichopoulos gave them some prescription drugs of some sort to calm him down and help him sleep.

Anita Wood and Elvis Presley

Q: I've read for many years Elvis has said', Everything I have is gone, I did everything for you'.

Is that what he said?

A: Probably something very similar to that because he was doing a lot of lamenting over his mom and a lot of talking. And of course, you know, I was listening to some of it and I was crying too. He did say that he had worked -- all this was for his mom and that he was -- he did think it would be difficult to go on because she would not be there to enjoy with him the fame and the fortune that was coming his way.

Because it was for her and for his parents. Mainly for her, he made that statement.

Q: Tell us about Elvis actually going oversea to Germany. Your memories of that.

A: Well that was sad time too. You mean at the bus station down there.

Q: Right.

A: Well, his mom was there and his dad and Patsy and Judy Spreckles and some other fans were there. He hugs me last and his mom next to me. His mom and then me. The last thing he said to me was', Little I love you and I will return and don't forget me'. Okay, I remember that very succinctly. I was trying not to cry because I didn't want him to see me leave crying. It was just hard. My heart was being torn away because he was my first love. Elvis was my first love, Johnny, my true love. But, Elvis was my first and I was in love with him. It was very hard to see him leave and his mom and dad were crying, I was crying. His mom and dad knew that they would be with him again soon. But, they couldn't go over for six weeks. They were apart for six weeks.

Q: Tell us how often you kept in touch while he was in Germany?

A: In Germany?

Q: Yeah, did you write letters and stuff?

A: Yeah we did, we did, we did. He called real often on the phone to my mom's house, and I stayed a lot in Jackson during that time. Called on the telephone, weird hours. It would be very late when he would call because the time change was so different. He wrote me three letters that were very special to me and to anybody that would read them. He swore he loved me, how we would get married, how there was so no one else, how I need to stay true to him and remain and wait for him. How he was afraid I would not. I don't know why Elvis thought so little of himself. He was so jealous. I don't know why. I can't imagine why.

It just reminded me of something that happened once. We kept in touch and in fact he wanted me to come to Germany and had gone and got my passport and all the shots ready to go because grandma was over there and his dad was over there and Lamar was over there. So anyway, I was gonna go and right before I went he called and said that Colonel Parker had stopped that. That he thought that if I went over there, they would have us engaged or getting married and at this time in his life, in the Army, Colonel Parker said he does not need to have that kind of publicity. So it would be best if I did not go. So I did not go.

Then, of course, he met Priscilla after that, but I still dated him some when he came back.

Even though he had met her over there then.

Q: How was the reunion when he got back?

A: Oh my goodness. Well, I had read a little bit about Priscilla in the papers and he assured me that this was a child. A fourteen-year-old child that was the daughter of an Army Officer. And I said to him because I had read in the papers. And so that last letter he wrote me was a little cruel. I had been a little cruel to him and he was afraid that maybe I had found someone else or did not feel the same toward him, which was not true. I was just upset with him and I did not maybe talk to him for a while. But the letters were very special.

Anyway, you want to know what now? I got just off track.

Q: When did you first see Elvis when he came back home after the Army?

A: Okay, well I was over at Patsy Presley's house and he called over there and told them to come out, that he wanted to see them, but he knew I was there, and he said', Tell Little to wait'. And the reason being is because he told them that when we see each other', There'll be nobody else in the room, but just us. And I don't want my family to get their feelings hurt, so you wait Little and then you can come out later. I want them to come first and you come later'. It didn't work out that way. They went out there, but immediately he'd call me, he didn't wait. Then I went on out there and he was standing right there in the doorway of the music room where the piano was. And I walked in the front door and he was just standing there and ya know. He said, Little. And I just ran over there to him and we just embraced for a long time and I was glad to see him. I guess he was glad to see me. We just embraced for a while. Quite a while.

Q: In a way, it was like you never felt apart?

A: Well yeah, there'd been a period of time. Yeah, it was just like it was before. We were just really glad to see each other. It was just really a good time, happy time.

Q: What was your happiest time during this period when Elvis came back?

A: The happiest time was before he came back when he was at Fort Hood. That was the happiest time. When he came back? Just seeing him was a very happy time. We just spent time together, ya know. We still made some more movies, I went to California with him and visited him out there several times, met Joe. Charlie Hodge, from the Army. Army buddies. They stayed there all the time.

Q: Tell us about the guys around Elvis and the camaraderie?

A: There were always people around Elvis, guys. Okay, that's one reason why I could never have married Elvis when you really get down to it because you were not alone very often. There were very few times in our life that we were totally alone for very long at a time. They were always there. They lived with him, they took care of him, they did everything he said and they were always there. And they were always going to be there. Also, there were lots of fans that were going to be there, women that were gonna be there. They were there, to begin with, they were gonna be there in the end. I mean I had a little problem when Priscilla wanted to divorce Elvis because she should've known that there was going to be people in his life.

There were people there, they were gonna always be there. And like he tried to assure me, it meant nothing to him, but it was a very important part of his life and they were there.

Q: Have you found letters from Priscilla?

A: I found one letter when I was in California, one of the times when I was out there. And it was pressed in a book in the library outside of his bedroom. Joe remembers that I'm sure he was there. But anyway, when he came home from the set that day, that's when I asked him about the letter. And in the letter, it said 'Please call my dad. I want to come over there and if you call my dad, I know he will let me come, he will listen to you. I miss you'. So when he came in, I said', What is this letter, who is this, this Priscilla, you said she was just a child?' He got so mad because I found the letter. He took me and he shoved me up against the closet.

He was so mad at me, just livid because I had found the letter.

And then I left that night on an airplane back to Memphis. I went straight to Graceland with grandma. I know when I walked in the door the phone was ringing and it was him. I didn't want to talk to him. But he kept calling and I remember when he got me on the phone', Little, please don't tell anybody about this. This girl, again, she's just a child. She's just a fourteen-year-old child it means absolutely nothing. She just wants to visit, it means nothing. And if you told anybody, I'd get in a lot of trouble, she's so young'. He just begged me', Little, Little, Little'. So I said', I won't tell anybody', and I never did, I never did tell anybody.

I said', I won't tell anybody, that's fine'.

So even after that, we dated some, I dropped down the letter, not after I left that was the end of that. After I found the letter, he just wanted to tell me that', It didn't really mean anything'. But I thought she was a very pretty, pretty young lady. She was probably crazy about him too, fourteen-years-old, I don't know if she could be in love; she probably was. I don't know at fourteen-years-old. And I just couldn't imagine, well anyway. Coming over to the United States, it just didn't sound right to me.

Anyway, that's what happened, that's how I found out about her.

Anita Wood and Elvis Presley

Q: You said that you overheard Elvis and his father talking in the kitchen?

A: You want to know about when I left, is that what you wanna know? Okay, this was about in 1962, early 1962. I had been there, this was late in the evening when I had gone upstairs and Elvis was in the kitchen and Elvis' father was sitting at the bar there with him. And when I was coming down the back stairs into the kitchen, I heard Elvis say', I'm having the hardest time making up my mind between the two. Well you don't know a lot of things that went on, but I do know she had come over; she visited'. He'd talked his way out of that one, ya know, with me. And I knew she was in his life, but I also knew she was young. Very young, but when I heard him say that I'm having a hard time making up my mind between the two, I knew exactly what he was talking out. And I had a lot of pride. In those days women had a lot of pride. Now they don't have a lot of pride anymore. But, I did have a lot of pride and so I just marched my little self right down the stairs.

And Elvis took me into the dining room and his dad was sitting at the table. And we sat down at the table and I said', I'm gonna make that decision for you, I heard what you said and I'm leaving'. And I remember that I started crying, it was a very difficult decision to make. I must say that was probably the most difficult decision that I've ever made in my life. I have to say that. After having dated someone like Elvis for five years, and as close as we were for this to end. And when I left, I knew there would be no going back. I would never have come back, never. So anyway, I said', I'm leaving', and I called Andy, my brother to come pick me up and we sat there and talked a little bit longer, nobody could eat, that was food, but nobody could eat. And I remember Mr. Presley said', Well if you must leave Anita, ya know, maybe you'll meet again. There are people that sometimes separate and they get back together, and you'll get back together again'. I said', I don't know, I'm not planning on it'. And I was crying and Elvis was crying. And he just said', I pray to God that I'm doing the right thing by letting you go'. And I said', You can't keep me from going, I'm going'. I mean I was really upset, I was mad, I was hurt and he wasn't going to have to make that decision.

So my brother came and we got some things that I had there and we left, and I never went back again as his girlfriend. I went back later after he died to see Grandma and Mr. Presley, but we talked later and we were still friends, I saw him later. But, that was the end of that; I would've never gone back. If you have a problem between me and somebody else, hey, that's it. I don't care. But it was still difficult because I loved him. Everyone was saying, it didn't matter if it was Elvis Presley or Joe Blow, ya know. I loved this person. If he was having problems making up his mind between me and another person, that was too difficult for me to take.

Q: Let's talk a little bit about grandma? Do you know how she got the moniker Dodger?

A: I think she dodged something at one time, I can't remember, ya know. We just always call her that and I think I remember them telling me the story, but I really can't remember it.

Q: Can you tell us the relationship between Elvis and his grandmother?

A : Elvis loved his grandmother and I loved his grandmother. I stayed with her when he was traveling and when he was in California. I would go and stay with her. She told me many tales, old tales. She would sit up there and dip her snuff and watch that T.V. She loved soap operas. And I would stay in the room with her and spend the night in the bed with her and talk for ages.

I remember one time, I was out there and I had a chest cold and Mr. Presley said', Look you see this stuff right here, you rub this on your chest and you will feel so much better'. Something called heat. And man I rubbed it on my chest, I had a chest cold. Listen it was so hot I cannot begin to tell you how hot it was. He thought that was so funny. He just laughed too. It was a joke, but I mean he was just like Elvis too, funny in a way. They thought they were helping me, but it burned me to death.

But I loved her; she was a very country, down to earth woman.

In Texas, he wanted sauerkraut and prattle peas, and colonial brunsel rolls, and fried bacon so crisp, ya know, that you can just crackle it. And she cooked it that way for him every time he wanted it That's the way she fixed it. I remember doin' that night after night after night. And he liked country fried potatoes and you slice the potatoes real thin and you cook 'em very crisp. And she would do that, just the way he liked it. And he would eat it every night. He never got tired of it. I'm a lot like that; maybe that's where I got it from because I don't get tired of food. It's good all time. But he would eat that all the time.

And whatever he wanted, she did for him.

Q: Anita, what are your memories about Elvis when Mr. Presley decided to marry Dee?

A: You don't want to know. Do you really wanna know?

Q: I wanna know.

A: Okay, when Elvis came back from Germany he told me that his father had met this woman and his father was gonna bring her over there and this lady was already married with three boys and Elvis said when she came to the house in Germany, she came to visit him, too see him. But he didn't want to see her. She started talking to Mr. Presley. And Elvis told me that one time when she was there with Mr. Presley in the bedroom, that he peeped through the keyhole. And he told me 'I have hated her ever since then', and I'm sorry if this may be offensive today and I'm sorry. He did not like that situation, was extremely against it. But it happened anyway. He had nothing to do with that. I remember when they brought her to Graceland, And we were at the swimming pool and Elvis was just ahh--- 'Daddy are you sure you want to do this? Do you want to do this? Why do you want to do this?' I remember when they moved back into the garage apartment in the mansion. I remember eventually the two of them moved into Mr. and Mrs. Presleys old bedroom. That wasn't very good either. Elvis didn't like that a bit. Ya know, he just wasn't comfortable with it.

That's just what he told me. He didn't like the union. He wasn't happy with it. And I'm sorry if it's offensive and I'm sorry if people don't like this, but this is the truth.

Q: Over the course of the years after you and Elvis parted, how many times did you get to talk to him?

A: Okay, let's see. I saw him at work after that when he caught me in the hall up there after I left him. And I could never get away from him, he had me cornered talking to me. My goodness, my knee's got weak, but I just, ya know, cause I still cared. But I'd still made up my mind that it was over. I saw him then and talked to him and then later after I got married, and I got married in 64, Johnny Brewer, my husband is a professional football player, and he first saw me when I had a date with Elvis at the Memphian Theatre and he said, they were at the gate. He and some fellow football players and Elvis said', You'll come on over to the Memphian Theatre'. And they were in the lobby when we drove up and he said', Boy you walked up with your little nose up in the air and just pushed right on up into that place'. I said', Are you crazy?' When you're with Elvis you never look to the right or the left. He looked straight ahead. I never saw him, but he saw me. That's the first place he ever saw me. But anyway, what did you ask me? What did you want to know?

Q: Did you get see--?

A: Oh yes, after I got married in 1964 and Elvis had married by this time and had his daughter Lisa Marie. By the way, when Elvis and I were dating and talking about having a family, guess what our little girl was going to be named?

Q : I don't know what?

A: Alisa Marie. Guess what my middle name is? Anita Marie. I mean that was just always that was the name, Alisa Marie. And if it was a boy it was going to be Elvis Aron Presley Junior.

Anyway, I thought that was a little coincidence there.

In Las Vegas Johnny was there before and I came with one of my lady friends the next day with my children and I was walking into the lobby and I ran into some of the guys, it might've been Joe and Charlie or Alan. Some of the guys that were there and they saw me and I saw them. I was so glad to see them. And they said', Why don't you come to the show tonight? Elvis wants you to come to the show tonight'. And the tickets were on sale at the door or whatever, ya know'.Okay great'. So I went back upstairs and I asked Johnny if it would be all right if I went to see the show. I ran into some of the guys downstairs and he said sure'.I went to see it last night before you got here. So go ahead and enjoy yourself'.

So this lady friend that I came with, she and I went, and they had us a reserved seat right there in the front. I never will forget it, man he looked so fine up on stage. He was singing right to me. I mean he just looked to me, he talked to me, he sang to me. I was just ooh-my goodness!! After it was over, one of the guys came; I can't remember who came and said 'Elvis wants to see you'. So I said 'Well come on let's go back stage'. So the girl and I went backstage, they brought us back there and we just embraced together. We were so glad to see each other. And he said', Come on in this room, let go in and talk'. So we went in there where there was just a little bed and a chair, just a little private area and closed the door. And all those other guys and Mr. Presley were in there talking and all these people. A bunch of big important people.

Anyway, we went in this little room and sat down and I guess we talked for about an hour. It was a long time. And during his conversation, I remember him saying', I wonder a little if we made the right decision those years ago when we decided to split?' And I said', Well, of course, we made the right decision, because if we hadn't, I wouldn't have my children and you wouldn't have your daughter and that's very important, that was meant to be, that we have these children'. And he told me how much he had missed me. We just talked for a long time about a lot of things you really don't need to know now! And we just visited for a long time and it was very comforting and good and reassuring that, ya know, he still remembered me, I think he still cared as I did for him. Once you care for someone, really care for someone; you always care for them in a way. You know, you never forget that person. If true and loyal. I went back and told Johnny. He said You were in there so long.

Then later when my daddy died, I called him in Las Vegas. My friend got him on the phone, I didn't know how to get in touch with him, I had no idea, but she did. She was married to Jerry Lee Lewis at the time, so maybe that's how she got it. I don't have any idea.

Anyway, she called him on the phone and I remember he came to the phone and he talked so slow. It seemed like Ricky answered the phone maybe. He talked so slow and he didn't sound like himself and I told him what had happened and I wanted him to know that now I can sympathize with him. When I was there when his mom passed away that I understand, and how sad it was for him and he said', Little, get a pen and pencil. I want you to write this poem down. Verbatim. Take a deep breath'. So I took a deep breath. He was in the bedroom, I guess at this time. So anyway, this poem is called', Where does love go when it leaves you?' And I had to write it down, which I have it written down at home on a piece of scratch paper. I think it was on the reverse side of a check or something. And I had to write it down verbatim'.Now read it back to me Little'. And I read it back to him. He said 'Don't ever forget it'. So we talked for a while longer. It's so sad because he doesn't sound like himself much. A little bit, but slow and draggy and not like his effervescent self. The way I remembered him. We just talked for a while and I still have the poem at home.

That might have been the last time I talked to him.

Q: Was 'Funny How Time Slips Away' a special song for you and Elvis?

A: That's a good song'.Funny How Time Slips Away' was a good song.

Q: Cliff told me that he was playing records and played the song over and over and he says', You know why I'm playing it, Cliff'. He said', My heart still burns for Anita'.

A: Oh my goodness. Please don't tell me that. You're going to make me sad. I remember you telling me.

But even back then it made me sad.

Q: You're supposed to be happy.

A: Well. Yes, but just what happened and how it might've been different. What happened, in the end, was very sad, you know. I don't know. Well, that was good to know.

Q: Would you talk about when Elvis got his draft notice?

A: Okay. I can remember the day that Elvis received the draft notice in the mail. And he brought it into us, and Ms. Presley and Mr. Presley and myself. And they were devastated. That's all I can say. They just could not believe that he was gonna have to leave them. And go in the service and do his part, you know. I mean, he didn't mind going and serving, but he really didn't wanna leave his family. I mean, nobody wants to. And his mother was so worried about what would happen to him, and him being away from them.

Q: Did Elvis talk to you about how concerned he was about his mom?

A: Well, you know, I don't think he really knew to what extent she suffered. Because moms have a way of keeping that away from their sons. Or children, period. They don't want them to worry that much. So she would cry and worry after he left on the train. We would go back to Graceland, and she would go to her room. And she would cry and she would worry for a while that evening. So she didn't want him to see -- she put on a brave front. As I tried to do a lot of times when we were separated, you know. But she being a mother, didn't want him to worry. So, you know, I don't think he really understood.

I mean, I know he knew that she missed him. But not to the point that she did.

Q: Did Elvis talk to you much about his childhood?

A: A little bit. Just how close he and his mother were, because his daddy, you know, was gone a lot. And that he was close to her because the dad wasn't there a lot of the time. And they just had a real special relationship because of that reason. She was always there for him, took care of him.

Q: Everybody wants to know, what was Elvis like?

A: He was a good kisser and all that? I get that question all the time.

Q: His heart, and the way he was with other people.

A: Okay. Elvis -- to me he was just a great guy. I mean, when I met him like I say, he was very handsome. Very polite. Very much a gentleman, always. Very humorous. Great sense of humor. Decent young man. I think he was deeply religious. You know we went to church once. Only once. But the reason we didn't go more often was because when we went to church he caused such a commotion that we didn't wanna do that. I mean, we went in the balcony one time. It was on Easter. And we went to the Church of God, Assembly of God. And we went up into the balcony and entered after the service had started. And we had to leave before it was over. And people just wanted to look at him and not listen to the sermon.

And of course, Elvis felt very bad about that. So we didn't go.

We went to a lot of gospel singings. I remember going to many of them, sitting backstage all night long. In Memphis and Nashville. You know, he just loved to sing religious songs. We talked about the fact that Elvis told me that he was saved. Because I was. He told me that he was a Christian. I think later in his life, I don't know what happened with the books and the other kind of religions and everything. But when I knew him, he told me -- he assured me that he did know Jesus as his savior and that he was a Christian because I certainly was. And I was of the Baptist faith. But he was of the Assembly of God. And of course his minister -- we met him, he came to visit him some. And I think he did preach at his mother's funeral.

But he was basically a good person. He was kindhearted. But now let me tell you something. He also had a temper. And we all do. And if someone hurt him, he did not like to get over it. He didn't like, you know, he remembered it. You didn't do Elvis bad twice. If you hurt him, you didn't hurt him again. And another thing was, he was always afraid that people were liking him because of who he was and what he could do for them. And that would be difficult to live with that, don't you think? You know, thinking people really didn't like him because he's this big star and everything. I think that's one reason we got along so good together because I really wasn't impressed. I wasn't a big fan of his when I met him. And I didn't just fall at his feet, you know. I would -- but I learned to know him. And I fell in love with him. Elvis the man, not Elvis the star.

And we had a lot in common because we were both from the South. We had a lot of morals of the same beliefs. And like I say, he was always a gentleman. And I was brought up to be treated as a lady, and he did. But like I said, he was generous to a fault at times. He really would help anybody. A lot of people wanted to take advantage of him from time to time. But he always would help people if he could. He was very generous. Good hearted. Funny, funny. I cannot begin to tell you how funny he was. Delightful to be around. And the minute he'd walk in a room he just lit it up, you know. And it's hard for me to imagine, after all, these years, that people can still be so enamored with him and so taken with him. But when I think back to how he was when I dated him, then I can imagine it. Because he was effervescent. I mean, he was special.

And I thought it was just because he was my boyfriend, you know. Just because I happened to fall in love with him, and he with me. I remember the first time he told me he loved me. It was on the porch of Miss Patty's'.I think I'm falling in love with you a little'. That was real special too. But he was just a down home guy to me. Now later on, after I left his life, I don't know what happened to him. Seems like he kinda maybe changed a little bit. Probably never forgot his roots, but I don't know. I'd have loved to have been with him more, but, you know. Maybe not. You can change anything, but -- because Elvis had a mind of his own. It was difficult to change it once he made his mind up, you know. But he had a lot of loyal guys that loved him too. And they stuck with him to the end and would've done anything. Because they had a lot of money back then. Because the guys really loved him. And I don't know how he got people to love him. It was just his personality. He drew people to him. And they all cared for him a great deal. He was special.

Q: Where were you when you found out Elvis passed away?

A: In my home. I was living in Vicksburg, Mississippi. And a newspaper called me. And wanted to know my reaction. Can you believe my reaction? I was so surprised. And -- what did they expect?

I mean, it was terrible. I couldn't believe it.

It was a great loss. Not only to me, to lose someone that I cared so much for at one time in my life. But to everybody. To the world. His talent. And so young, you know. And it just took me forever to get back to reality after this person told me that. I just couldn't believe it. But they just called wanting to get a response. And that's how I found out about it. On the telephone. From a stranger. It was sad. Sad day.

Q: I think that covers it. Did you think it was his dad?

A: Oh yeah, when they first told me that Elvis had died, I said', Oh no. That's not Elvis. That's his dad. His dad died'. I said', No'. You know. They had a hard time convincing me that it was really him. Cause he was just so young and vital and alive. And I didn't think he was sick. Very sick, you know.

And anyway, it was shocking. Sad time. For me and for all of his fans everywhere, and family.

Q: I appreciate you being here.

A: How sweet. Thanks.

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