Nearly 50 years have passed since Elvis Presley died, but for Priscilla Presley, his story has never simply belonged to the past.

Millions remember the famous photographs: Elvis and Priscilla together at Graceland, their glamorous 1967 wedding and the arrival of their daughter, Lisa Marie.

But there is another chapter of their relationship that is sometimes overshadowed by the marriage itself.

Their relationship didn’t simply end when their marriage did.

Priscilla and Elvis separated in 1972, and their divorce was finalized in 1973.

Yet Priscilla has explained over the years that she didn’t leave because she had stopped loving him. She wanted to discover who she was outside the extraordinary world that surrounded Elvis.

Even after the divorce, the connection remained.

The former couple continued raising Lisa Marie together and stayed in contact. Priscilla has recalled that Elvis would call her and talk about things that were troubling him.

Perhaps the most striking image came on the day their divorce became official.

Instead of emerging from the courthouse looking like bitter enemies, Elvis and Priscilla walked out together holding hands.

For Priscilla, divorce hadn’t erased the years they shared or the affection that remained between them.

Years later, she described Elvis as the love of her life and explained that their friendship and concern for each other survived the breakup.

Then everything changed on August 16, 1977.

Elvis died at only 42.

Priscilla was suddenly left carrying memories of a relationship that had begun when she was extraordinarily young and had unfolded under a level of fame few people could understand.

Decades later, she is still asked about him.

And perhaps that is why their story continues to fascinate so many people.

It wasn’t simply the story of a marriage that ended.

It was the story of two people who separated, yet never completely disappeared from each other’s lives.

Nearly half a century after Elvis’ death, Priscilla remains one of the few people who knew the man behind the image the rest of the world called The King.