Priscilla Presley Announces New Memoir — See the Cover! (Exclusive)

Priscilla Presley is unveiling a new chapter in her life in her forthcoming memoir Softly, As I Leave You: Life after Elvis.

Priscilla, 79 — who was married to music icon Elvis Presley from 1967 -1973 — is sharing another key piece of her story in her new book published with Grand Central Publishing, which will cover her journey following her separation from the high-profile musician, who died in 1977.

The new memoir, which is co-written by Mary Jane Ross, is centered on the “deeply personal story” of what she “lost and what she found” as she discovered who she was apart from her first love. This included a “touching and tender dynamic” with her ex following their divorce, according to a synopsis.

“This book covers eight decades of my life,” Priscilla said in a statement shared exclusively with PEOPLE. “Writing it has been a learning experience on many levels. I have reflected deeply both on myself and on those I love. I have always loved and admired Elvis, but the more than four decades of living without him have taught me how rare and extraordinary he was as a human being.” 

The book will also discuss how she reinvented herself after his death as a single mother raising their “talented” and “often headstrong” daughter Lisa Marie Presley — and then again as the mother of Navarone Garcia, whom she welcomed with music producer Marco Garibaldi in 1987.

“During her 10 years with Elvis, it became painfully apparent that she had no idea who she was outside Elvis’s world,” a synopsis for the book read. “The only way to find herself was to leave that world and seek a new life of her own, because leaving was the only way to survive, for herself and for her daughter.”

Aside from her role as a mother, the memoir will also explore how she “gradually found her footing as a designer, legislative advocate and actress,” known for her roles in Dallas and the Naked Gun movies. Her role as a businesswoman, helping to bolster the success of Elvis’ home Graceland along with the “development of Elvis Presley Enterprises” will also be highlighted.

But the story won’t just cover the positive moments, but also delve into the darker parts of the past few decades of her life, including the “unexpected, shattering loss of three immediate family members,” and how she dealt with that pain. 

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“She shares her journey with a quiet dignity that will comfort and reassure anyone who has suffered – and survived – seemingly unbearable loss,” the synopsis read. “A passionate, compassionate and inspiring story of finding your place in the world, Softly, As I Leave You, is a sweet Southern melody that will take the reader with Priscilla on her long road home.”

“Reliving the trauma in my life has also been challenging,” the author says. “I live with grief, and I have learned that it never goes away. I will never outlive it, but I move through it one day at a time. I carry every one of the people I have lost with me. I feel their presence, and I believe that my journey will eventually bring us back to one another.”

Softly, As I Leave You: Life after Elvis will be published on Sept. 23 and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.

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