Priscilla Presley Shares Stories About Elvis at 102nd Birthday Celebration for the Hawaii Theatre

Priscilla Presley made a special appearance at the Hawaii Theatre’s 102nd birthday celebration. On Friday, Sept. 6, the actress, 79, hosted An Evening with Priscilla Presley at the Honolulu-based performing arts center to honor the venue’s history and her late husband Elvis Presley, whom she was married to from 1967 until 1972. Priscilla wore a white knit blouse and a coordinated lei for the event, where she spoke about the singer as a husband and father — and what it was like being wed to one of the biggest celebrities.

According to the event’s website, the evening included Priscilla sharing home videos featuring her and Elvis’ life at Graceland, vacations and the pair’s daughter, Lisa Marie Presley. A question-and-answer segment was also expected to cap off the event. Priscilla made the evening extra special by personally greeting guests and posing for pictures with them. Among the attendees was Ginny Tiu, who appeared in the 1962 film Girls! Girls! Girls! with the “Hound Dog” singer.

Ahead of the event, Priscilla spoke about why Elvis loved Hawaii so much. “He would always go there to relax, first chill out, and then he felt much better in confronting what he had to do and finish up, like shows in Vegas and other places as well,” she said, per local news outlet KHON2. “I mean, he when he performed. I mean, he gave it his all,” Priscilla continued. “So after that month, let’s say, of him performing, he just needed to chill out and just not think of anything and and relax and, and, you know, appreciate life.”

Elvis filmed three of his movies in the Aloha State: Blue Hawaii (1961), Girls! Girls! Girls! and Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1966). According to Architectural Digest, the musician included a tropical flair reminiscent of Hawaii in the decoration of some of the rooms at his Graceland estate in Tennessee.

In August, Priscilla honored Elvis on the 47th anniversary of his death. The singer died of a heart attack at Graceland in 1977 at the age of 42. “47 years and not a day goes by that I don’t think of you,” she wrote on Instagram, alongside a photo of Elvis.