Musician Navarone Garcia may have grown away from the limelight, but he had always borne the burden of having a famous lineage.
Navarone Anthony Garibaldi Garcia was born on March 1, 1987, to parents Priscilla Presley and Marco Garibaldi. Yes, you read that right. He is the son of actress Priscilla Presley, ex-wife of the King of Rock’ n’ Roll, Elvis Presley.
Priscilla and Elvis first met in 1959 – she was 14, while he was 24 – then tied the knot in 1967. They had a daughter named Lisa Marie a year later and divorced shortly after that in 1972. Priscilla met Garcia’s father, Garibaldi, in the late 1980s.
While it had already been a decade since Priscilla and her ex-husband’s divorce, her name remained impactful and influential. According to Navarone, he would get in trouble more than everybody else simply because whenever his classmates’ parents found out who his mom was, they would find a reason to talk to her. And that always left him feeling uncomfortable.
He got away and stayed away from his family for many years until his public appearance with them last January 2023. He was brought back to the spotlight after attending the memorial of his half-sister, Lisa Marie, at Graceland.
Lisa died at the age of 54 due to cardiac arrest. But this time around, he decided to finally tell his story. As he said, many knew about him, but they didn’t really know him. There is a difference.
Growing Up
RELATED: Getting to Know Valentina Paloma Pinault
Aside from receiving unwanted attention, Navarone had to endure being raised by a disciplinarian father. It didn’t work between the two of them and only led to a distant relationship.
And so, at 18, he decided to move away from Los Angeles, where his family was, to Santa Cruz, which was a six-hour drive. To him, it was a fresh start and an escape.
In 2008, he got busted after a reporter from the National Enquirer discovered that he was growing marijuana at his home. The news landed on the front page, and everyone knew who his family was again.
Four years later, he returned to LA and pursued music with the band Them Guns. He thought it was simply going into the family business: write a song, then tour. But he realized that it took so much more than that, and granted, he already had the privilege of his mom’s help and her connections.
However, Priscilla Presley’s son clarified one thing: Unlike popular opinion, the privilege stops there. He wasn’t ‘raised extravagantly with Elvis’ estate and money.’
Discovering the Lies
RELATED: Annette Bening Stands in Solidarity with Transgender Son Stephen Ira Beatty
When Navarone was just a few months old, his mom Priscilla received a call from one of his father’s exes warning that her husband was not the person she thought he was. At the time, she didn’t know what to do with the information and told the caller never to call back.
But it turned out that she was right. Priscilla Presley’s husband, Marco Garibaldi, wasn’t the wealthy Italian he said he was. Navarone discovered the lie after reaching out to a teenager from Brazil who claimed to be his cousin years before.
The truth was his dad – who was out of the picture already at the time as the couple separated in 2006 – actually came from Brazil to the US and changed his name from Garcia to Garibaldi to get a shot in Hollywood. That was because he heard that he wouldn’t earn success in the industry with a Hispanic name.
He confronted his father about what he had discovered but was only told to lose his number. That was the last time they ever spoke to each other. Despite the loss, Navarone was able to connect with his extended family in Brazil. “I lost one family member, but I gained 20-plus. I have zero regrets,” he said in his interview with PEOPLE.
His Own Darkness
RELATED: All About Shania Twain’s Son Eja Lange
Unfortunately, Navarone had to cut his trip short. That side of the family didn’t know he was battling drug problems.
It all started during his teen years. First, it was heroin, then somewhere along the road, he became addicted to fentanyl. It was a ‘whole different beast’ – the synthetic opioid was 50 times stronger than heroin – and he confessed that he would need it every 45 minutes.
He decided to finally get himself clean when the pandemic hit so he could see his then-girlfriend (now wife), Elisa. He went to his mom’s house to start the detoxing process. Recalling what had happened then, he said that he was in pretty bad shape and he spent days hunkering down in a fetal position. However, as time passed by, he slowly felt a lot better.
Moving Forward
Many things happened in Navarone Garcia’s life, and now he is focused on moving forward.
First, he plans to take his mom to Brazil to remind her how nice it is. After the death of her daughter Lisa Marie and her grandson Benjamin two years before, she definitely needs company, support, and a change in environment.
Second, he hopes to go on an international tour with Them Guns and become a successful musician. Last February, the band released their new song, “Acid Plane.”
