Chapter 6 of Softly, As I Leave You takes readers into one of the most emotionally disturbing and complicated periods of Priscilla Presley’s life. What begins as a story about the challenges of raising Lisa Marie Presley eventually turns into something far darker—a chapter filled with family conflict, suspicion, betrayal, and revelations that Priscilla says she was never fully prepared to face.
According to Priscilla, raising Lisa Marie was anything but easy.
Despite growing up as the daughter of Elvis Presley and being surrounded by extraordinary privilege, Lisa was reportedly shy, insecure, and struggled to find her place socially. School became one of the biggest battles between mother and daughter. Priscilla describes Lisa as intelligent but deeply uninterested in traditional education. She changed schools, failed classes, and even failed an entrance exam after Priscilla considered sending her to a boarding school in Switzerland.
Priscilla believed the problem was not intelligence. Lisa was capable of completing difficult Scientology courses, she said. The real issue was that Lisa simply did not want to live according to the rules that other people expected her to follow.
After Elvis died, Lisa Marie reportedly became deeply attached to Graceland and to the memories of her father. Priscilla felt that because Elvis had died so young, Lisa developed an almost romanticized view of her childhood. At the same time, Priscilla says she became increasingly protective of her daughter, closely monitoring where she went, who she spent time with, and especially which boys entered her life.
And Lisa liked the so-called “bad boys.”
Motorcycles. Leather jackets. Rebellion.
Priscilla admits she worried constantly about her teenage daughter making an impulsive decision that could change her life forever. In one memorable parenting moment, Priscilla decided to teach Lisa a lesson in a dramatic way. When Lisa came downstairs wearing a revealing outfit, Priscilla reportedly returned moments later wearing an equally revealing ensemble herself.
Lisa was horrified.
To make the point even stronger, Priscilla reportedly went outside and pretended to hitchhike.
The message was simple: if Lisa was embarrassed to see her mother dressed that way in public, perhaps she could understand why Priscilla was concerned about her.
But the chapter takes a much more troubling turn when Priscilla discusses her relationship with model Michael Edwards.
Priscilla describes Edwards as incredibly handsome, charismatic, outgoing, and charming. He eventually moved in with Priscilla and Lisa Marie. Yet from the beginning, Priscilla says her parents did not trust him.
There were warning signs.
Priscilla became suspicious of his behavior around other women. She discovered evidence that suggested he had been unfaithful during work trips. He allegedly disappeared for days, returned with apologies, and repeatedly denied wrongdoing.
Then came another shocking moment.
Priscilla recalls attending a party where O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown were present. According to her account, O.J.’s behavior toward Nicole immediately made her uncomfortable. Later that evening, Priscilla says she watched in shock as O.J. allegedly grabbed Michael Edwards by the throat and warned him to stay away from Nicole.
Years later, when Simpson was charged in connection with Nicole Brown Simpson’s death, Priscilla says that disturbing encounter came back to her mind. She believed she had witnessed a frightening glimpse of the intensity behind his personality.
Meanwhile, Edwards’ own behavior was becoming increasingly unpredictable. Priscilla recalls one bizarre incident in which an intoxicated Edwards allegedly appeared naked at a restaurant, using only a napkin to cover himself while walking down a staircase in front of stunned diners, Priscilla’s mother, and Lisa Marie.
But nothing could compare to what happened when Lisa was 14.
Lisa told her mother that Edwards had entered her bedroom while she was supposedly sleeping and pulled back her covers to look at her. Priscilla confronted him. He denied any inappropriate intention, claiming he had simply been checking on Lisa and trying to tuck her in.
Priscilla struggled with what to believe.
Lisa had allegedly said that nothing else had happened. Edwards denied wrongdoing. Even more confusing, Lisa later begged her mother not to force him to leave.
But Priscilla says something inside her told her that allowing Edwards to remain in the house was a risk she could not take.
She chose her daughter.
Edwards was asked to leave.
Years later, however, the situation became even more disturbing.
Edwards published a book in which he described developing powerful feelings toward Lisa Marie while she was still very young. The passages reportedly left Priscilla horrified. She says that reading his words made her sick and caused her to question how much she had failed to see while he was living under the same roof.
Then came the revelation that would reopen the wound decades later.
After Lisa Marie’s death, Priscilla learned through Lisa’s own autobiography that Lisa had allegedly experienced inappropriate touching by Edwards over a period of years.
For Priscilla, the pain was devastating—not only because of what Lisa had reportedly endured, but because there was no longer any opportunity to sit down with her daughter and ask the questions that had haunted her for so long.
There would be no final conversation.
No clarification.
No closure.
Chapter 6 is ultimately not just about the difficulties of raising the daughter of Elvis Presley. It is about a mother trying to navigate fame, grief, teenage rebellion, dangerous relationships, and decisions that carried consequences she could not fully understand at the time.
The most heartbreaking part is that Priscilla says she tried to protect Lisa Marie—but years later, she discovered that the full truth may have been far more painful than she ever imagined.
And in the end, the questions that remained were the ones she could no longer ask.