Da Thompson dated Elvis Presley in the 1970s, but their romance ended just a year before the King’s death, aged just 42.
Now she has opened up about her relationship with Elvis and what really made her leave.
I love music for the fact that it’s so personalised. One person might say that this song is the best song ever made, while another person might say that song isn’t even close to being the best.
Are there people who may not have heard the song at all?
In the millions and millions of songs created throughout history, there is something different, for better or worse. But when it comes to who is the king in this field, there is only one answer: Elvis Presley.
Elvis Presley is the king
The king of rock gave the world something new with his music. He was one of the greatest artists we have ever seen and was as talented as he was charismatic.
Elvis Presley with girlfriend Linda Thompson at the Hilton Hotel in Cincinnati, Ohio (Photo: Tom Wargacki/WireImage)
In addition to being a major musical star – with songs like Jailhouse Rock, In The Ghetto, Hound Dog and Love Me Tender – Elvis Presley starred in a number of films that helped elevate his career. These include King Creole (1958), Viva Las Vegas (1964), Trouble with Girls (1969) and other classic films.
Elvis tragically passed away in August 1977, leaving the world to mourn the musical phenomenon.
One of the people closest to him was his former girlfriend Linda Thompson. She kept in touch with him until the very end. Now she has revealed why she left Elvis – and what happened in the last days of his life.
When Linda Thompson was born on 23 May 1950, Elvis Presley was already winning talent contests at Humes High School in Memphis, Tennessee. It was 22 years before they met for the first time,
but even as a child, she fell in love with the King’s music.
Linda Thompson – childhood
Linda Thompson was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, just like Elvis Presley. When the legendary singer released the song Heartbreak Hotel, which became his first #1 song, Linda wasn’t just in love with him.
She already knew that one day she would meet and marry him.
When I was six years old, sitting at the breakfast table, I told my parents: ‘I’m going to marry Elvis Presley,’ Thompson recalls.
As a teenager, Linda entered several beauty pageants while attending Kingsbury High School. In 1969, she won the title of Miss Shelby County and the following year, Miss Mid-South Fair.’
She didn’t stop there and won many more pageants in the following years. She went on to become Miss Liberty Bowl, Miss Okra, and Memphis State’s Queen of Golf. In addition, while attending Memphis State University as an English major, Linda Thompson became a member of the MSU Homecoming Court.
In 1970, Linda became Miss Memphis State University and placed third in the Miss Tennessee pageant. Two years later, she was named Miss Tennessee and placed third in the Miss USA pageant.
Dating Elvis Presley
While Linda Thompson was busy in beauty pageants, Elvis Presley was achieving worldwide fame and notoriety. In 1970, he released his 12th studio album That’s the Way It Is – at the time he was married to Priscilla Presley.
Two years earlier, they had a daughter, Lisa Marie Presley. But by 1970, their marriage had broken up.
In 1972, Elvis and Priscilla divorced. But it wasn’t long before Elvis found a new man to whom he gave all his love.
At a private show, shortly after splitting from his ex-wife, he met Linda Thompson. Last year at the Elvis Festival in Las Vegas, Linda recounted how Elvis approached her at the show.
He began by saying, ‘Well, hello, darling!’ she said.
‘I thought he was still married, so I had no idea,’ she said, as reported by the Express. ‘I was just happy to meet my idol.’
After the film started, Elvis lowered himself down and sat next to her. She thought he was still married, but soon realised he wasn’t.
The move to Graceland
‘He started pulling the old yawn, put his arm round the seat,’ Linda recalls.
He said: ‘I’ve been living apart since the end of the year. We’re getting a divorce. She met someone else and is moving on.’ I said: ‘Oh, I’m sorry to hear that, but you should have married a southern girl.’ And he never forgot that.’
Linda Thompson and Elvis Presley began dating soon after, and over the next four years Linda experienced a whole wave of emotions before leaving him.
‘I’ve always been a fan of his, but I didn’t think he would transcend time and space and become as iconic, almost a religion, as he is now,’ Linda told Closer publication.
Linda moved into Elvis’ Graceland estate. However, it wasn’t long before she witnessed Elvis’ “self-destructive” downward spiral firsthand.
In 1973, the first year they met, Linda witnessed Elvis Presley write himself into history. After two benefit concerts for the Cancer Foundation, Elvis’ TV special “Aloha from Hawaii” became the first solo concert to be broadcast worldwide.