Elvis Presley's Last Lover Settles the Score in Tell-All Interview

Elvis had a knack for attracting women, but few managed to captivate his heart. Indeed, only two had Elvis decided to spend the rest of his life with, and Ginger was closest to him right before his death. When the media realized that they were an item, they quickly noticed how much she physically resembled Presley's former wife, Priscilla Presley (formerly Beaulieu). In fact, Alden first met Elvis when she was only five years old, but it would be years before they would meet again.

Elvis invited Ginger Alden's older sister out after she was named Miss Tennesse, yet it was young Ginger who caught his eye. Her infectious laugh and positivity attracted him, as well as her way of speaking honestly, fearlessly talking back to him when necessary. Despite the rumors following his untimely death, biographer Alana Nash asserts that Ginger was, in fact, a reluctant girlfriend. Alden was apparently turned off by his substance abuse and had feelings still for an old lover. But her mother, Jo LeVern, nudged her in his direction.

The King of Rock and Roll was two decades older than Ginger, a local Memphis beauty queen, but she didn't need years of wisdom to spot how unique he was. "I know this sounds funny but when Elvis entered the room, I thought trumpets would sound. He looked so handsome. He quickly sat in a chair and started talking with each of us. It turned out to be a truly wonderful evening as he took us on a tour of Graceland." He showered her with gifts and promised to pay her mother's mortgage.

Ginger blamed the fake people around Elvis for his unhappiness in a 1980 interview. A circle of friends and employees constantly led him to believe in a false reality, she said, because they never defied him, talked back to him, or treated him like an equal. She gave an example of this treatment during an interview of his that she happened to be present for. As if on cue, the moment Elvis laughed, the whole room burst out in laughter, yet it stopped when he did. "I just thought that was really sad," Ginger recalled.

Elvis was absolutely in love with Ginger, proposing to her only a couple of short months after they met. Some of his friends were less than happy about this engagement, to say the least. One friend told a reporter that he had heard Elvis openly state that he intended to never marry again. Shortly after that, the King was blasted in the media for turning into "a grotesque caricature of his sleek, energetic former self," as described by Tony Scherman.