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Despite the rave reviews on Austin Butler's performance as Elvis Presley, Elvis director Baz Luhrmann is still receiving flak for some "inaccurate" details in the film.
Though Presley's ex-wife Priscilla Presley thinks the singer would have loved the movie, fans aren't happy that his other ex, Linda Thompson was "erased" from it. It then prompted Thompson to address the "truth" about their story.
Who Is Linda Thompson?
Thompson is a former actress and beauty pageant winner. She was crowned Miss Shelby County in 1969 and Miss Mid-South Fair the following year. In 1972, she became Miss Tennessee Universe, which is under the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants. "I was Miss Tennessee. I was Miss Tennessee Universe in 1972, and Elvis was Elvis," she told Larry King in 2002.
She continued: "And I was invited to go to the Memphian Theater, which he rented out after midnight to screen films... So, I was invited to go to the theater. And Miss Rhode Island, Jeannie LaMay, was my roommate in the Miss USA pageant. She was living in Memphis. And she and I went to the theater and were introduced to him properly."
By 1977, Thompson was already a regular on the TV series, Hee Haw. She went on to star in other shows like Beverly Hills, 90210 and appeared in several movies like The Bodyguard starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner. In the 1980s, she forayed into songwriting, starting out as a lyricist for Kenny Rogers' 1985 single, Our Perfect Song.
She also had collaborations with her ex-husband, David Foster, including I Have Nothing which was used for The Bodyguard. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Song in 1993 and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television the next year.
Before her marriage to Foster (1991-2005), Thompson was married to Olympic gold medal decathlete, Caitlyn Jenner. They tied the knot in 1981 and split five years later after the Keeping Up with the Kardashians alum admitted to her that she identified as a woman. They have two sons together, Brandon and Brody Jenner.
How Long Did Elvis Presley Go Out With Linda Thompson?
Thompson was the final long-term partner of Presley before his mysterious death. The two lived together from 1972 to 1976. She was even the first call of his daughter, Lisa Marie Presley after they found him dead on his bathroom floor.
"He was an incredible human being and I feel incredibly lucky to have got to know him so deeply and it's lasted to this day," the songwriter said of Presley, adding that he had affairs during their relationship. "He loved women. Sometimes too much. And I had to indulge him sometimes. I didn't have to, I chose to, because, above all, we were best friends. We were lovers, kindred spirits, for sure."
She said that she tolerated his infidelity because he was "a young, naive, blindly in love girl," who believed the musician's explanation many times. "We understood each other and you know in that relationship he would come to me… He was always getting caught if he was cheating, always getting caught, and I would call him on it," she recalled.
She continued: "He would sit me down and say, 'Sweetheart, there is nobody in this world I care about like I care about you. You are my woman, you are my girlfriend, you are the one I love, nobody compares to you. Every time I am with some girl it just makes me realize how much I love you and how lucky I am to have you and how we are so well suited we are for each other.'"
What Linda Thompson Feels About Being Excluded From 'Elvis'
For Thompson, "any inclusion or exclusion in any movie ever made can never erase the important role I played in his life and he in mine," she told fans in June 2022. When asked about her thoughts on the biopic, she answered: "No, I haven't seen it yet. The trailer looks very entertaining and Austin Butler appears to do a fantastic depiction. BUT since so many people are left out who were very important and instrumental in Elvis' life – I wouldn't call it a biopic."
She added that she was there by the singer's side through the good and the bad. "I spent four years and a half years of my life living with and deeply caring for Elvis on many levels. I shared a hospital room with him every time he was in hospital. I had my own bed next to his during those times," she shared. "I traveled on every tour with him. I was the only woman to ever do so in this life. I was at every Las Vegas engagement during those years. I literally saved his life on several occasions."
They also "stayed in touch and loved each other until the day he died," noting that they remained on good terms even after their split. "But every true fan already knows that," she said of their "left out" relationship. "Thank you all for your loyalty."
