Elvis Presley had a gentle, almost playful way of expressing affection, and in 1966, that tenderness took the form of horses. Wanting to give something meaningful to the women he cared about, Elvis decided they should ride together, share quiet mornings and open land far from the noise of fame. For Priscilla, he chose a sleek black Quarter Horse named Domino. For Sandy Kawelo, he selected a soft cream-colored horse called Sheba. It was his way of creating moments, not gifts meant to impress, but experiences meant to be shared.
There was another reason behind the gesture. Years earlier, Elvis had been shaken by an accident during a film when a horse bolted with him still on its back. Since then, riding had lingered in his mind as something unfinished. By bringing horses into his life again, he was gently coaxing himself back into the saddle. He imagined riding alongside them, rediscovering a sense of calm and confidence that fame rarely allowed him.
Elvis knew very little about buying horses, and he didn’t pretend otherwise. Instead, he leaned on friendship. He brought along Jerry Schilling, trusting him to help guide the search. The process was filled with laughter, trial and error, and a sense of childlike excitement. They walked barns, asked questions, and joked their way through the experience until the right horses finally appeared, each one seeming to find its person naturally.
Priscilla took to riding with ease. She moved with quiet grace, sometimes riding bareback, completely at home atop Domino. Watching her, Elvis felt a mix of admiration and peace. Yet it was during these visits that another presence caught his attention. A palomino Quarter Horse stood apart, golden in the light, calm and strong. Elvis felt the connection instantly. Without hesitation, he bought the horse and named him Rising Sun.
That bond grew quickly and deeply. Elvis treated Rising Sun with exceptional care, visiting often and making sure he was well tended. He even named the barn House of the Rising Sun, a quiet tribute to the horse that had helped him reclaim something lost. Rising Sun became his favorite, not because of beauty alone, but because the horse represented trust, healing, and companionship. In that shared stillness between man and animal, Elvis found a rare peace that stayed with him long after the ride ended.

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WHEN “NO SHOW JONES” SHOWED UP FOR THE FINAL BATTLE Knoxville, April 2013. A single spotlight cut through the darkness, illuminating a frail figure perched on a lonely stool. George Jones—the man they infamously called “No Show Jones” for the hundreds of concerts he’d missed in his wild past—was actually here tonight. But no one in that deafening crowd knew the terrifying price he was paying just to sit there. They screamed for the “Greatest Voice in Country History,” blind to the invisible war raging beneath his jacket. Every single breath was a violent negotiation with the Grim Reaper. His lungs, once capable of shaking the rafters with deep emotion, were collapsing, fueled now only by sheer, ironclad will. Doctors had warned him: “Stepping on that stage right now is suicide.” But George, his eyes dim yet burning with a strange fire, waved them away. He owed his people one last goodbye. When the haunting opening chords of “He Stopped Loving Her Today” began, the arena fell into a church-like silence. Suddenly, it wasn’t just a song anymore. George wasn’t singing about a fictional man who died of a broken heart… he was singing his own eulogy. Witnesses swear that on the final verse, his voice didn’t tremble. It soared—steel-hard and haunting—a final roar of the alpha wolf before the end. He smiled, a look of strange relief on his face, as if he were whispering directly into the ear of Death itself: “Wait. I’m done singing. Now… I’m ready to go.” Just days later, “The Possum” closed his eyes forever. But that night? That night, he didn’t run. He spent his very last drop of life force to prove one thing: When it mattered most, George Jones didn’t miss the show.