Priscilla Presley was spotted in Los Angeles this week and fans couldn’t help but notice how downcast she appeared.
Dressed in a floral blouse and with her signature fiery red hair swept back into a ponytail, Elvis Presley’s ex-wife walked through the upscale Bel-Air neighborhood looking visibly worn, her facial expression betraying the emotional and legal turmoil that has marked the last two years of her life.
From the untimely passing of her only daughter to bitter legal battles with her granddaughter over control of the Presley family estate, and former business associates, her pain has reportedly become deeply etched into her features.
Priscilla Presley appeared visibly worn and downcast in Los Angeles following years of legal battles and emotional turmoil
The 80-year-old’s daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, passed away in January 2023 at just 54.
The only child of Elvis Presley, Lisa Marie had long been in the public eye and bore the weight of a complex family legacy.
Her passing was later attributed to complications stemming from a bariatric surgery she had undergone years earlier.
The Los Angeles County medical examiner revealed that she suffered from a small bowel obstruction, a rare but recognized risk associated with the procedure.
Image credits: BACKGRID
The incident shocked fans and devastated those closest to her—none more so than her mother.
For Priscilla, the loss was more than just personal—it was generational. She had outlived her former husband, the King of Rock and Roll, and also their only child.
Tragedy gave way to conflict, and Priscilla found herself at odds with her granddaughter Riley Keough over the management of the Presley family estate.
The dispute centered around Lisa Marie’s will, which had named Riley as the sole trustee of the estate—a revision she made in 2016 specifically to remove her mother from the role.
Priscilla challenged the validity of the amendment, citing issues with the signature. The two parties would eventually reach a confidential settlement in May 2023, four months after Lisa’s departure, but the damage to their family ties was already done.
Priscilla is currently waging a legal battle against former financial associates she accuses of elder abuse
Fate would grant Priscilla little time to recover, as in 2024 she was thrust into yet another legal conflict. This time, involving alleged financial exploitation by individuals she once considered trusted business partners.
According to court documents, the group allegedly set up a series of shell companies in her name, keeping her as a minority stakeholder, and siphoning off 80 percent of the profits for themselves.
“These individuals forced her into a form of indentured servitude in a meticulously planned and abhorrent scheme,” the filing read.
Kruse, whom Priscilla met in 2021 through her work auctioning Elvis memorabilia, is portrayed as the brain behind the operation, and was accused of isolating the 80-year-old from previous financial advisors for her benefit.
For Priscilla, the current legal conflict is not only about control over her finances, but also her image and legacy
Elvis with his wife Priscilla and daughter Lisa Marie, 1969 pic.twitter.com/zvfOz0XmSX
— Classic Rock In Pics (@crockpics) October 18, 2023
The complaint then details how funds from the 2023 Sofia Coppola biopic Priscilla were misappropriated, and how the group sabotaged a deal that could have earned Priscilla a stake in a cosmetics company.
Priscilla further alleges that the group infiltrated not only her own financial accounts but also those of her son, Navarone Garibaldi. According to the lawsuit, they added themselves to her bank accounts, conducted unauthorized fund transfers, and executed sham insider transactions to siphon off money.
Kruse, on the other hand, issued a countersuit in February 2024 and insisted that she saved Priscilla from the brink of financial collapse.
In court documents, she claimed the actress was $700,000 in tax debt and just “60 days away from financial ruin” when she stepped in. She said she spent significant time and money stabilizing Presley’s affairs.
Priscilla, represented by celebrity attorney Marty Singer, is seeking over $1 million in damages and has asked the court to nullify all agreements made with the defendants.
“We fully anticipate that my client will be vindicated and obtain a judgment against them,” Singer said in a statement.
“Don’t forget the surgeries.” Netizens couldn’t help but focus on how much the actress had changes over the years
