With all the recent drama and tragedy around the Presley family following Lisa Marie’s death at age 54 last month, Priscilla’s second child, Navarone Garibaldi Garcia, has been forgotten — but now he’s speaking out.
Garcia, 35, is Lisa Marie’s half-brother, and is himself a musician, with a band called Them Guns.
Priscilla, 77, had Garcia in 1987 after her 1973 divorce from Elvis, with producer Marco Garibaldi.
Similar to Lisa Marie and her father, Elvis, Garcia revealed that he also struggled with drug addiction. According to People, he became addicted to heroin and fentanyl in his teen years.
“I was under the impression I was doing heroin, but then it’d turn out to be fentanyl,” he told the outlet. “That was a whole different beast. I became so addicted that I’d need it every 45 minutes.”
He got clean in 2020, in part so that he could visit his Swedish now-wife, Elisa, in her homeland.
Similarly, Lisa Marie, who died at age 54 of cardiac arrest on Jan. 12, struggled with addiction. TMZ alleged that she was back on opioids at the time of her death.
“It’s still so surreal,” Garcia said about her death. The two weren’t close, but he attended her memorial service at Graceland, and claimed he’s close with Lisa Marie’s eldest daughter, Riley Keough.
The day after his sister’s death, Garcia posted a photo of the two of them together on Instagram, with a heartfelt tribute written next to it.
“Big sister … i hope you are now at peace and happy with your Dad and your son by your side. I know the past couple years weren’t easy for you, and I wish things had been different between us,” he wrote. “Regardless, you are my sister and I’m sending love and prayers for your journey home. I still can’t believe this, I’m lost for words. Love you sis. Beijos.”
Priscilla Presley was with Garcia’s father for about 20 years, spanning from the ’80s to 2006, although they never tied the knot. Garcia revealed that his mother didn’t play Elvis’ music in the house during his childhood.
“I think my dad had a bit of a complex about it,” Garcia said. “It wasn’t until after he left that my mom started playing his music again freely.”
He wasn’t in the spotlight as much as his sister, and it’s a “misconception” that he was raised “extravagantly, with Elvis’ estate and money,” Garcia said.
He added that he’s been estranged from his father since 2017. Navarone also claimed his dad changed his last name from Garcia to Garibaldi after being told he wouldn’t make it in Hollywood with a Hispanic last name.
Despite not being related by blood to the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Garcia said he was impacted by the Presley family’s fame.
“I got in trouble more than everybody else, because kids’ parents would find out who my mom was and they’d want a reason to talk to her,” he said. “I wasn’t very comfortable with it.”