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FILE - Cassandra Peterson appears at the 2016 Knott's Scary Farm Black Carpet Event at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park, Calif., on Sept. 30, 2016, (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

NEW YORK – Cassandra Peterson has entertained Halloween lovers as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, for more than four decades.

Peterson developed the character in the 1980s, after leaving her career as a showgirl — a decision she credits at least in part to Elvis Presley, whom she says essentially saved her life.

“He absolutely changed my life, 100%. I was a showgirl in Las Vegas. I was 17 years old, and he said, ‘This is no place for a 17-year-old girl. You need to get the hell out of here,’” Peterson, now 74, recalls. Presley told her she had a nice voice and could become a s

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