‘Elvis Presley changed my life’ – King’s lover switched careers after one night with him

Elvis Presley had affairs and dated many women throughout his life and career. Among the droves of girls he connected with while he was a bachelor, Elvis bumped into a young actress while he was hanging out in a Las Vegas bar.

The fateful meeting happened in 1968 when he was at the height of his career and had recently married Priscilla Presley. But the young girl at the bar – known at the time as Cassandra Peterson – enchanted Elvis. She would eventually come to be known as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.

Speaking to Closer, she looked back on how Elvis changed her life forever: “We did hang out one whole evening, a whole night, the next morning.” Elvira, who was just 17-years-old at the time, explained she believed Elvis “took a shine to her” because she was the only Las Vegas showgirl there that was not in her 30s.

But their night together was not completely sordid, she revealed. When asked about what they did in his room that night, Elvira replied: “Mostly talked, believe it or not. There was some kissing going on.”

She added: “But Elvis was watched very closely since they [his entourage] were aware that I was [very young].” Eventually, their discussions turned to her career, and Elvis had some strong opinions about where she should go next.

Elvira said: “He couldn’t have been more wonderful and I really do credit him with changing my life. I, at the time, thought I had reached the pinnacle of show business, becoming a Las Vegas showgirl.

“Elvis convinced me that this was no town for a young girl to be in, by herself, and that it would not lead to bigger and better things.” She revealed Elvis gave her “the best advice in the world” by telling her to change her career entirely. He recommended that she turn her life to singing – and he was completely right.

Shortly thereafter, Cassandra Peterson took on the persona of Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, and built a strong career as a spooky singer.

She even got her own feature film – Elvira, Mistress of the Dark – which hit cinemas in 1988. She has since continued to play her gothic goddess in cameos and TV shows even in recent years, at 71-years-old.

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