Elvis Presley and Linda Thompson dated for four years in the early 1970s. She was his constant companion and one of the great loves of his life. In a new interview celebrating Elvis Week at Graceland, Linda shared further details regarding their relationship, including that the king of rock and roll regularly smelled like one common drugstore item.
Linda Thompson spilled intimate secrets about the king of rock and roll during Elvis week
In an interview with Memphis Commercial Appeal, Linda Thompson discussed her relationship with Elvis Presley. They dated from 1972 through 1976.
She shared a little-known intimate detail regarding Elvis. Linda claims he always smelled like Neutrogena soap.
“He smelled of Neutrogena soap,” she exclaimed. “He always had this little essence of the clean, fresh smell of Neutrogena. Their sales are going to go up, aren’t they?”
As for life at Graceland, Linda believes that the home will always encapsulate Elvis’ spirit. “His energy is very much there and his essence,” Thompson said in a fan-captured video from the event.
She continued that Graceland “was truly home for him. He absolutely loved it.”
Linda Thompson also shared the secret to making Elvis Presley’s infamous peanut butter and banana sandwich
During the panel discussion, Linda Thompson shared the secret of making Elvis Presley’s infamous favorite snack, a peanut butter and banana sandwich. This treat, which has become part of Elvis folklore, is quite simple to prepare.
“You mash the banana. It has to be ripe,” she began.
Then, Linda revealed the secret to getting the right consistency to the beloved Elvis treat. “You mix the peanut butter in with the banana and spread it on white bread, preferably Wonder bread.”
She continued, “Then you melt a stick of butter. You saturate the bread in it and fry it like a toasted cheese sandwich.”
However, Linda surprised Elvis’ fans by saying she never saw him eat a whole sandwich. He only wanted a couple of bites.
“He would ask me, ‘Honey would you go downstairs and make me bacon and eggs?’” Linda explained. She revealed that the first time she made Elvis this meal, she made three eggs and four slices of bacon.
She said she brought the tray upstairs to the bedroom, and Elvis quickly asked, “What is this?” Linda responded, “It’s your bacon and eggs.”
Elvis looked at the tray and responded, “Honey, I’m rich. When I was poor, we didn’t have a lot of food to eat. I want you to return downstairs and make six eggs and half a pound of bacon.”
Linda Thompson revealed that she was ‘lucky’ to be ‘loved’ by Elvis Presley
Although their relationship ended in 1976, Linda Thompson says that her memories with Elvis Presley were some of the happiest of her life. She called herself “lucky.”
“How lucky I was to have loved Elvis and been loved by him,” Linda says. She called the king of rock and roll someone “who lived for the day.”
She says one of the greatest lessons Elvis taught her was that one should enjoy the present. “We should grasp and rejoice in it,” she said.
Linda concluded, “Elvis was such an incredible teacher of life. The kind of person you should aspire to be.”
Linda Thompson continues to share her memories of Elvis Presley with his devoted fans. This was her first appearance at Elvis Week at Graceland.
