“Vernon Presley sat calmly with his son at Graceland only a few days before he passed away. They conversed about life, memories, and everything in between for almost six hours. At times they spoke, and at other times they just sat in friendly quiet. The silence was finally broken by Vernon. “I have to go home and find something to eat, son,” he added quietly.
Elvis looked at him with a gentle warmth in his eyes. “I know, Daddy,” he replied. “But I want you to know, I really like this.” Vernon smiled, unaware that those simple words would linger in his heart forever.
When the news came, Vernon’s world collapsed. Questions piled up, unanswered and haunting: How long had Elvis been lying there before anyone found him? Why hadn’t anyone at Graceland noticed his absence or wondered if he was all right? He remembered hearing that his son had been up playing racquetball at four or five in the morning. After that… nothing but silence.
The moment everything changed arrived over the phone. Earlier, Joe Esposito, one of Elvis’s closest confidants, had been in the office with Vernon. Now the phone rang again, and Vernon’s secretary, Patsy, answered with a trembling voice. “It’s Joe,” she said, her tone strained.
Vernon’s hands went cold as he took the call. On the other end, Joe’s voice cracked. “Mr. Presley… come quick. Elvis isn’t breathing.”
That moment broke the heart of the father who had seen his son go from being a poor kid in Tupelo to being the King of Rock and Roll. None of the history, wealth, or renown mattered. The only thing left was the indescribable fact that Elvis was no longer with them and that Vernon would never again hear his son murmur, “Daddy, I really like this.”