On This Date (August 16, 1977) Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley
January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977

Elvis Presley was born in a two-room shotgun house built by his father in East Tupelo, MS on January 8, 1935. He had an identical twin brother named Jessie Garon Presley. Elvis arrived about 30 minutes later. And though he never met his brother, his life and ours would no doubt have been a hell of a lot different if he had. 42 years later, Elvis’ fiancee, Ginger Alden found his lifeless body. You probably know the rest.

On This Date (January 8, 1935) Jessie Garon Presley / Elvis’ Twin Brother; Died At Birth

Jessie Garon Presley
January 8, 1935 – January 8, 1935

On January 8, 1935, Gladys Presley went into a very difficult labor as any expectant mother of twins would. At around 4:00 am, the first of two identical twins arrived stillborn. Having known that twins were on the way, the first was given the name Jessie Garon Presley. About a half hour later, a healthy Elvis Aron Presley was born. Lord knows how our world would be different if Jessie had survived. What IS known is that both Gladys and Elvis were deeply effected by the loss of the twin. Gladys often spoke about how disappointed she was to not have had two boys. Elvis would feel guilt through most of his life, likely due to his mother’s frequent reminders. She would tell Elvis that he was born with the added strength of his unborn twin and that God had chosen him to survive, so he should live up to that. Other times she claimed that when something good happened to Elvis, it was because of his “Jessie” side, and conversely, when things went bad, it was his “Elvis” side. (Note: some sources cite the spelling as “Jesse.”  I chose “Jessie” as it appears on his tombstone.)