From 1972-6, Linda Thompson lived at Graceland as Elvis Presley’s girlfriend. The former Miss Tennessee model often looks back fondly at her time with the King of Rock and Roll with personal photos posted on her Instagram.
And in the latest set of her riding motorbikes with the star, who died in 1977, the 73-year-old has praised his character, slamming his depiction in some movies and books.
She captioned her latest Instagram post: “Rolling into the week like… So grateful to the many legions of fans who captured images of Elvis and me during my 4 1/2 years of living at Graceland with him. What memories!!
“Contrary to the way he may be depicted by various movies, books, and other people’s accounts, Elvis was a fun-loving, HAPPY, gorgeous, sensitive, tender, sentimental, generous, ‘complicated in his simplicity’…wonderful HUMAN being.
“He deserves to be remembered as someone who truly tried to give his best to those he loved, and to the world.”
Linda’s almost 5 year relationship with Elvis was “erased” from Baz Luhrmann’s biopic which skipped over her relationship with him at the end of the movie.
Upon the film’s release last year, she wrote on social media: “So many people are left out who were very important and instrumental in Elvis’ life – I wouldn’t call it a biopic. I spent four years and a half years of my life living with and deeply caring for Elvis on many levels. I shared a hospital room with him every time he was in hospital. I had my own bed next to his during those times. I travelled on every tour with him. I was the only woman to ever do so in this life. I was at every Las Vegas engagement during those years. I literally saved his life on several occasions.”
It’s possible that The King’s old flame could also be referring to Sophia Coppola’s upcoming Priscilla movie, which Elvis’ daughter Lisa Marie Presley slammed the script of, before her death in January.
In Lisa Marie’s emails to Coppola published by Variety, she wrote to the director: “My father only comes across as a predator and manipulative. As his daughter, I don’t read this and see any of my father in this character.
“I don’t read this and see my mother’s perspective of my father. I read this and see your shockingly vengeful and contemptuous perspective and I don’t understand why?
“I will be forced to be in a position where I will have to openly say how I feel about the film and go against you, my mother and this film publicly.”