Linda Thompson Learned Elvis Presley Was Dead In A Phone Call From His Daughter

For actress and songwriter Linda Thompson, the day Elvis Presley died is one she’ll never forget. The 66-year-old, who dated Presley for four and a half years, wrote about the singer’s 1977 death in her new memoir, A Little Thing Called Life.

In an except shared exclusively with People, Thompson said she found out Presley ― with whom she’d split eight months prior ― had died via his daughter, Lisa Marie. The then-9-year-old called Thompson on the phone, reportedly telling her “My daddy’s dead!” before adding, “He smothered in the carpet!”

According to Thompson, Lisa Marie said Thompson was the first person she called to alert that her father was dead.

Thompson later went on to marry Caitlyn Jenner in 1981, and together the two had sons Brody and Brandon Jenner.

In a Huffington Post blog published earlier this year, Thompson shared another excerpt from her memoir about what it was like being married to the Olympian.

To read more of Thompson’s exclusive with People, head here.