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Elvis Presley's ex-wife Priscilla paid tribute to the Grammy winner's nurse, Marian J. Cocke, following her death. According to a report by People, Cocke died earlier this week at the age of 98.
Priscilla Presley is an American businesswoman and actress. Born on May 24, 1945, she is 79 years old and is the co-founder and former chairperson of Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE). She has also played leading roles in projects such as the Naked Gun trilogy, and a television series, titled Dallas.
On March 6, Priscilla Presley took to Instagram to share a photo of herself, along with Cocke and her late daughter Lisa Marie Presley. She mourned the death of Elvis' former nurse, and captioned it, writing:
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"Marian you will be greatly missed. Your spirit touched many people and especially Elvis. You were the person that he always counted on. Thank you for always taking care of him."
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Marian Cocke described her time with Elvis Presley in her 1979 book, titled I Called Him Babe: Elvis Presley's Nurse Remembers. In the book, she reveals that the King of Rock and Roll was first admitted under her care in 1975. At that time, she was the nursing supervisor at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis.
Marian J. Cocke claimed that she was "never an Elvis fan" before meeting Elvis Presley for the first time
In an interview conducted during the mid-2000s (and posted on YouTube by Collecting King Elvis Interviews and Memorabilia on November 20, 2023), Marian Cocke revealed that she "was never an Elvis fan" before meeting him. The three-time Grammy winner's arrival at the Baptist Memorial Hospital was arranged by his doctor, George “Dr. Nick” Nichopoulos.
Presley was accompanied by his then-girlfriend Linda Thompson, his road manager Joe Esposito, his father Vernon, and his head of security Dick Grab when the nurse first met him. Presley left after spending three weeks under Cocke's care and was not seen by her until he was admitted again in August.
“When he came back the second time, he wanted me to stay the night,” she recalled in the interview. “I stayed in the room across the hall. If he wanted anything, he’d come in and shake my shoulders. And most of the time it was, ‘I can’t sleep, would you get up and talk to me?’ And I’d get up, put my robe on and sit in the sitting room with him,” Cocke said.
After Presley's second discharge, Dr. Nichopoulos appointed Cocke as his nurse at Graceland. Her responsibilities reportedly included monitoring Presley's blood pressure and administering his medications on time.
After a two-and-a-half year period, the Can't Help Falling In Love hitmaker was forced to let go of his nurse because of her mother's terminal illness. Although she refused to accept money from Presley, the singer left a "beautiful white Pontiac" for her.
“He was too giving. That was a major fault he had. He cared more about giving and helping over people than he did himself,” she opined.
As per a report from New York Post, Cocke and Presley shared a hug the last time they met each other.
“Miss Cocke, I just want you to know the doors of this house will always be open for you,” Presley reportedly told her.
Elvis Presley died in 1977 at the age of 42.
