Idyllic ranch where the King found some peace

PRISCILLA Presley's memories of her late husband have veered between the heartfelt and the horrifying in the near half century since the death of Elvis aged 42 in 1977. But one particular phase in the relationship, at least in her telling, reads like a scene from one of the King's numerous Westerns.

- Rob Crossan

His nearest and dearest believed he had found peace among his beloved horses at a ranch he had bought ten miles from his home at Graceland.

The fresh insight is revealed in the Sofia Coppola movie Priscilla, starring Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla and Jacob Elordi as Elvis, which hits the big screen next month.

It is adapted from her 1988 memoir Elvis and Me, in which she writes: "Sometimes he would ride alone. I remember one day I happened to look out of the window.

"It was twilight. The sky was aglow in misty blue and radiant pink. There was Elvis walking Rising Sun, his Golden Palomino.

"I saw them as silhouettes against the darkening sky. Elvis was walking slowly... his breath was easy, his body relaxed.

"At that moment I was convinced that my husband had actually found peace." This rare episode of serenity took place just over the state line that separates.

Tennessee from Mississippi, at what became known as the Circle G Ranch.

Elvis bought the huge, remote property in 1967 and, for a short while, the peace and solitude it afforded helped counter his increasing dependence on drugs and the mood swings he suffered.

Elvis bought the ranch on impulse after spending a night there with Alan Fortas, a senior member of his inner circle which was dubbed the Memphis Mafia.

The ranch then belonged to local aircraft salesman Jack Adams.

Next morning Elvis told Fortas: "Alan, that was the best night's sleep I ever had in my life. Let's go buy this goddamn place." Situated on the banks of the glossy veneer of Horn Lake, the 200-acre sprawl of undulating hills and wide open vistas looked to be the perfect solution, especially as Elvis seemed intent on buying more horses than could possibly be housed in the stables at Graceland.