Priscilla Presley Net Worth

What Is Priscilla Presley’s Net Worth?

Priscilla Presley, a prominent figure in American entertainment and business, has accumulated a net worth of $10 million. This financial standing is a result of her diverse career encompassing acting, entrepreneurship, and writing.

Sources of Priscilla Presley’s Net Worth

Priscilla’s net worth has been built through various avenues, including:

Acting Career

Priscilla Presley gained recognition for her roles in popular films and television series. Most notably, she starred in “The Naked Gun” film trilogy, portraying Jane Spencer, the love interest of Lieutenant Frank Drebin, played by Leslie Nielsen. She also had a recurring role in the television series “Dallas” from 1983 to 1988, contributing to her income and public profile. While specific salary details for these roles are not publicly available, her consistent presence in these productions undoubtedly contributed to her overall earnings.

Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE)

In 1981, Priscilla Presley founded Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE), a pivotal move that significantly impacted her financial trajectory. Following Elvis’s death in 1977, his estate was in a precarious financial state, reportedly worth only $1 million. As trustee of the estate (until Lisa Marie’s 25th birthday in 1990), Priscilla transformed Graceland into a major tourist attraction, opening its doors to the public on June 7, 1982. This strategic decision revitalized the estate’s finances. By the time Lisa Marie inherited the estate in 1993, its value had soared to approximately $100 million. Though Priscilla was never a major beneficiary, her stewardship and business acumen in running EPE until the late 1980s played a crucial role in this turnaround, and she earned a salary for her work at the company. Graceland, now a National Historic Landmark since 2006, attracts over 650,000 visitors annually, generating substantial revenue.

Author and Producer

Priscilla Presley is also an accomplished author. Her memoir, “Elvis and Me: The True Story of the Love Between Priscilla Presley and the King of Rock N’ Roll,” published in 1985, became a New York Times bestseller. The book’s success generated considerable royalties and further enhanced her public recognition. She has also produced several film and television projects, including “Elvis and Me” (1988), “Breakfast with Einstein” (1998), and “Finding Graceland” (1998). More recently, she has been involved in the upcoming Netflix adult animated series “Agent King.” While specific financial details for these projects aren’t public, these ventures have contributed to her income.

Business Ventures

Beyond her involvement with EPE, Priscilla Presley has engaged in various business ventures. These include a line of fragrances and linens. The specific financial performance of these ventures is not publicly available, but they represent additional income streams contributing to her overall net worth.

Key Events Affecting Priscilla Presley’s Net Worth

Several key events have significantly influenced Priscilla Presley’s financial situation:

Elvis Presley’s Death and Estate Management (1977-1993)

Elvis Presley’s death in 1977 marked a critical turning point. Initially, his estate was worth approximately $1 million and faced significant financial challenges. Priscilla’s role as trustee and her decision to open Graceland to the public proved instrumental in revitalizing the estate’s value, growing it to an estimated $100 million by the time Lisa Marie Presley inherited it. Priscilla never owned the estate or its assets outright but she earned a salary for her work as CEO of EPE. This transformation, spearheaded by Priscilla, ensured the preservation of Elvis’s legacy and generated substantial wealth.

Lisa Marie Presley’s Inheritance and Subsequent Actions (1993-2023)

In 1993, Lisa Marie Presley inherited Elvis’s estate, then valued at around $100 million. In 2005, Lisa Marie sold 85% of Elvis Presley Enterprises for a one-time payment of $100 million. She retained 100% ownership of Graceland. Lisa Marie’s financial decisions impacted the long-term trajectory of the family’s wealth.

Lisa Marie Presley’s Death and Estate Dispute (2023)

Lisa Marie Presley’s death in January 2023 triggered a legal dispute over her estate. Lisa Marie had amended her will in 2016 to remove Priscilla as a trustee and replace her with her two eldest children, Benjamin and Riley Keough. Following Benjamin’s death in 2020, Riley became the sole trustee. Priscilla challenged the validity of the amended will, citing discrepancies in the signature and spelling of her name. While the dispute was settled out of court, reports suggest that Priscilla received a portion of Lisa Marie’s $35 million life insurance payout. The exact amount she received remains undisclosed.

Real Estate Holdings

Priscilla Presley has made strategic investments in real estate over the years:

Beverly Hills Home (1977-2020)

For several decades, Priscilla owned a 7,000-square-foot Italian-style villa in Beverly Hills, located behind large gates for privacy. She purchased the home shortly after her divorce from Elvis in 1977. The house, originally built in 1951, features seven bedrooms and eight and a half bathrooms and sits on a one-acre lot. In August 2020, Priscilla listed the property for $16 million. Ultimately, she sold it in December 2020 for $13 million.

Century City Penthouse (2021-Present)

In January 2021, Priscilla Presley acquired a penthouse apartment in Century City, California, for just under $5 million. The exact address of the penthouse is not publicly available. This purchase reflects her continued investment in real estate.

Los Angeles Home for parents (1976-2019)

In 1976, Presley paid $170,000 for a home for her parents in Los Angeles. She sold this property in 2019 for $3.9 million.

Alleged Financial Difficulties

In February 2024, a lawsuit filed by a former business associate alleged that Priscilla Presley was facing financial difficulties. The associate claimed she was hired in 2022 to assist Priscilla, who purportedly had $700,000 in unpaid tax debt and lacked a reliable source of future income, putting her on the brink of financial insolvency. The lawsuit suggested the associate was brought in to “prevent Priscilla’s financial ruin and public embarrassment.” Priscilla’s legal team responded by alleging that the former associate and another party were “attempting to misappropriate Ms. Presley’s assets and were engaging in other wrongdoing” during their collaboration. The validity of these claims remains contested.

Early Life and Career Beginnings

Priscilla Ann Wagner was born on May 24, 1945, in Brooklyn, New York. Her father, James Wagner, a Navy pilot, died in a plane crash when she was just six months old. In 1948, her mother, Ann, married Air Force officer Paul Beaulieu, and Priscilla adopted his last name. The family moved frequently due to Paul’s military career, living in Connecticut, New Mexico, Maine, and Texas. In 1956, they relocated to Germany, where Priscilla met Elvis Presley, who was serving in the Army.

Relationship with Elvis Presley

Priscilla’s relationship with Elvis Presley began in September 1959, when she was 14 and he was 24. They met at a party at his home in Bad Nauheim, Germany. Despite her parents’ initial reservations, Elvis won them over. After Elvis left Germany in March 1960, they maintained contact by phone until Priscilla was able to visit him in Los Angeles in 1962. In March 1963, Priscilla moved to Memphis, Tennessee, where she lived with Elvis’s father and stepmother while finishing high school at the Immaculate Conception High School. Priscilla and Elvis married on May 1, 1967, in Las Vegas, and their daughter, Lisa Marie, was born on February 1, 1968. The Presleys separated in February 1972 and divorced on October 9, 1973. As part of the divorce settlement, Priscilla received a $725,000 cash payment, child support, spousal support, 50% of the proceeds from the sale of their home in Beverly Hills, and 5% of the royalties from Elvis’s publishing companies.

Career After Elvis

Following her divorce from Elvis, Priscilla pursued various career paths. In 1973, she co-founded the Bis & Beau clothing boutique in Los Angeles with friend/stylist Olivia Bis. The shop, popular among celebrities such as Cher, Barbra Streisand, and Natalie Wood, closed in 1976. In 1977, after Elvis’s death, Priscilla took on the role of executor for Lisa Marie’s inheritance. Recognizing the financial burden Graceland placed on the estate, she transformed it into a tourist attraction with the help of CEO Jack Soden, opening it to the public on June 7, 1982. Priscilla served as president and chairwoman of Elvis Presley Enterprises, growing the estate to over $100 million by the time Lisa Marie inherited it in 1993.

Priscilla also pursued an acting career, appearing in the television series “Dallas” (1983-1988) and “The Naked Gun” film trilogy. Additionally, she joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s board of directors in 2000. Her business ventures include a line of fragrances and linens, and she has produced several film and television projects, including “Elvis and Me” (1988), “Breakfast with Einstein” (1998), “Finding Graceland” (1998), and the upcoming Netflix adult animated series “Agent King.”

Personal Relationships

After her divorce, Priscilla was in a relationship with Mike Stone until 1975 and with model Michael Edwards from 1978 to 1985. She ended the relationship with Edwards due to his inappropriate behavior towards her daughter, Lisa Marie. Priscilla was then in a 22-year relationship with screenwriter/computer programmer Marco Garibaldi, with whom she had a son, Navarone, born on March 1, 1987. The couple separated in 2006. She later dated TV executive Nigel Lythgoe from 2006 to 2009. She has also been linked to lawyer Robert Kardashian and photographer Terry O’Neill. Through Lisa Marie, Priscilla has four grandchildren, including actress Riley Keough. Her grandson, Benjamin Keough, died by suicide in July 2020. Priscilla Presley became a great-grandmother through Riley in 2022.