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On top of being the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley released some of the world’s most heartbreaking songs of all time. On January 27, 1956, the star released the emotional rollercoaster that was Heartbreak Hotel. Just a few months later, on April 21, 1956, it reached number one in the American charts, becoming his first-ever number-one single. But the song held much more meaning for the star, as it was later covered by the woman who he perhaps loved the most in the world.
In 1962, Ann-Margret released her second studio album, On The Way Up, which included a powerful cover of Elvis’ track Heartbreak Hotel.
This was a monumental privilege for Ann-Margret, as she was an up-and-coming actor and singer who was still trying to make a name for herself.
Her album received middling reviews and only hit number 82 on the Billboard Hot 100 list. But she wasn’t going to make a real splash in the entertainment business until one year later.
In 1963, Ann-Margret was cast in Elvis’ latest movie: Viva Las Vegas. And before long, the pair of stars became infatuated with one another.
When Ann-Margret first met Elvis in July 1963, she knew it was going to be a big deal. She wrote about the monumental moment in her memoir, saying: “Except for a piano, the MGM soundstage where Elvis and I met was empty. In the background, a few of his guys hung around observing their boss, a ritual I would soon come to expect. Under the watchful gaze of director George Sidney, a studio photographer snapped shots of what the film company executives figured would be a historic moment.”
After a quick introduction, Ann-Margret reached her hand out. “He shook it gently,” she recalled. “‘I’ve heard a lot about you,’ we said at the same time, which made us laugh and broke the ice.”
As Elvis and Ann-Margret spent more time together, it became instantly obvious why she was urged to cover Heartbreak Hotel.
Elvis’ close friends the Memphis Mafia called her “the female Elvis” because she was so talented, charismatic and enchanting.
But Elvis couldn’t take his eyes off her.
After a matter of days of working together, Elvis and Ann-Margret’s professional relationship blossomed into an affair.
And shortly after that, their physical connection exploded into a full-blown love affair. They became obsessed with one another. While filming in Las Vegas, they spent almost all of their time together. Before they knew it, they had spent a year being with one another, and Ann-Margret called him her soulmate.
Meanwhile, Priscilla Presley (who was Beaulieu at the time, as she was not yet married to Elvis) was back in the King’s home, Graceland, waiting for him to return.
Years later, when Ann-Margret was asked about Priscilla and what she may have thought the affair, she simply replied: “She wasn’t there.”
But their relationship couldn’t survive.
After just over a year of being together, Elvis and Ann-Margret were split up.
Priscilla found out about the affair and screamed at Elvis in anger before launching a vase at the wall. She demanded he bring the affair to an end – or else.
Ann-Margret remembered: “There were other factors in Elvis’s life that forced him apart from me, and I understood them. Elvis had always been honest with me, but still, it was a confusing situation. We continued to see each other periodically, until we had dated for almost a year. Then everything halted. We knew the relationship had to end, that Elvis had to fulfil his commitment.”
Even after Elvis and Ann-Margret split, they had a strong friendship that remained for years to come. When the King died on August 16, 1977, she was the only person from his days in Hollywood to attend his enormous funeral, which was held at Graceland.
