When you've got the Presley name in your family tree, it's pretty much impossible to stay out of the spotlight. However, that's what 36-year-old Navarone Garibaldi Garcia did for most of his life until he was seen attending the funeral of his late sister, Lisa Marie Presley, in January. After decades of being Priscilla Presley's "forgotten" son, Garcia finally stepped out of the shadows.
In a recent interview with People, he talked about his struggles growing up as the son of Elvis Presley's ex-wife and how he's making a name for himself in the entertainment industry. "A lot of people know about me," he told the magazine. "But they don't know me."
Born in 1987 — a whopping 21 years after Elvis and Priscilla Presley gave birth to their daughter, Lisa Marie — Garcia was the product of his mom's relationship with music producer Marco Garibaldi. His parents split for good in 2006. And while he may have been linked to the Presley name, he says he by no means reaped the benefits of it.
"It's a misconception that I was raised extravagantly with Elvis' estate and money. ... That wasn't the case," he said, adding that any notoriety usually led to conflict. "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. I wasn't very comfortable with it."
So, who is Priscilla Presley's son — and what is he doing now? Let's take a closer look.
He's the Lead Singer in a Band
While he may not have any genetic connection to Elvis, Garcia has his own brand of musical prowess. He's the lead singer of a band called Them Guns, described as "a synth rock band with dance evoking progressive sound." Garcia had been in a band previously in high school before falling in with Them Guns in 2012.
"I thought, 'OK, I'm going into the family business. I'll write a song, and then we'll start touring it,'" he told People. "I didn't realize it takes way more than that."
According to the band's bio, Garcia met Them Guns keyboardist and drummer Kyle Hamood in a pool while vacationing in Hawaii as kids. Twenty years and one additional bass player later (Chuck Holiday), the band has gone on to produce one album, multiple singles, and tour major cities across the world. Their newest single, "Acid Plane," was released in February.
Of course, he's not the only Presley kin to make it big in the music scene. His late half-sister, Lisa Marie, had released three albums; and her daughter (Elvis' granddaughter), Riley Keough, made her musical debut playing rock star Daisy Jones in Daisy Jones & the Six.
He's a Recovering Addict
In light of the death of his half-sister — who had spoken out about her own struggles with opioid abuse — Garcia revealed that he also had a history with drugs. He began using heroin as a teen and later realized that what he was actually taking was fentanyl, which is 50 times stronger.
"That was a whole different beast," he told People. "I became so addicted that I'd need it every 45 minutes."
That pattern continued until 2020, when he realized he needed to get clean if he wanted to visit his now-wife, Elisa Achilli, while she was living in her home country of Switzerland. "When COVID happened, I wanted to go there and see her for more than three or four days," he said. "I didn't want to have to bring a pound of fentanyl with me anywhere I went. I buckled down and said, 'Let's see how bad this can get.'"
After spending a month detoxing at his mom's house in "the fetal position all day," he finally got clean from hard drugs. While he still smokes marijuana and drinks alcohol, he says "the whole world got a lot better" once he quit — and his bandmates definitely noticed.
"It's a night-and-day difference," Hamood told People. "It's like we have the old Navarone back."
He's Married
Seeing as how Elisa motivated him to get clean, it's no surprise that Garcia is now married to her. The couple tied the knot at the Schloss Hünigen Hotel in Konolfingen, Switzerland, in February 2022.
"I never thought I would find a counterpart that is so understanding and supportive," Garcia told People. "She makes everything we do effortless, and I can't imagine life without her."
The outdoor ceremony was attended by family and friends — including Priscilla Presley, who was "overjoyed" for her son. Achilli only had good things to say about her new hubby: "Navarone is truly the most genuine, sweet and sensitive man I have ever known and I'm so lucky that after four years of long-distance, we can start our life together as husband and wife."
He's Not Close With His Dad
While he's very close with his mother, Garcia's relationship with his father is a bit more complicated. "The disciplinarian role didn't work between us, but the friend role did," he told People. "He wanted someone to go out drinking with."
But that relationship was severed after Garcia discovered that his father — whom he believed was from a wealthy Italian family — was actually Brazilian. A Brazilian teenager contacted Garcia and claimed they were cousins, and he learned that his father changed his name from Garcia to Garibaldi so he could make it in Hollywood.
When he asked his father about the name change, he told Garcia to "lose his number." They haven't spoken since.
"I lost one family member, but I gained 20-plus," he said. "I have zero regrets."
