MEMPHIS, Tenn.— Lisa Marie Presley, a singer, songwriter and the daughter of Elvis Presley, was remembered throughout a funeral service Sunday as a loving mom and an “previous soul” who endured tragedy however persevered as a devoted protector of her father’s legacy as a rock ‘n’ roll pioneer and pop icon.
Greater than a thousand individuals gathered on the entrance garden of Graceland on a grey, chilly Memphis morning to mourn the demise and keep in mind the lifetime of Lisa Marie Presley, who died Jan, 12 after she was taken to a hospital in California.
Some mourners held flowers as they waited for the service to start underneath the tall timber on the garden of Graceland, the house in Memphis the place Lisa Marie lived as a toddler together with her father. The mansion, which Lisa Marie Presley owned, has been was a museum and vacationer attraction that tons of of 1000’s of followers go to annually to have a good time the life and music of Elvis, who died in 1977 at age 42.
The property in south Memphis was a spot of unhappiness and somber reminiscences on Sunday. The service started with the singing of “Wonderful Grace” by Jason Clark & The Tennessee Mass Choir.
“We wish to categorical our heartfelt gratitude for the love, compassion and assist you could have proven our household throughout this troublesome time,” stated a message from the Presley household written on this system for the service. “We are going to at all times be grateful.”
Amongst those that spoke through the service have been Lisa Marie’s mom, actor Priscilla Presley; Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York; Jerry Schilling, a detailed pal of Elvis; and former Memphis Mayor A C Wharton, who referred to as Lisa Marie’s dad and mom Memphis’ royal couple and a “conduit to the throne, the keeper of the flame.”
In a mushy voice, Priscilla Presley learn a poem from one in all Lisa Marie’s three daughters, Harper Vivienne Ann Lockwood, entitled “The Outdated Soul,” during which she calls her mom “an icon, a task mannequin, a superhero to many individuals everywhere in the world.”
“In 1968, she entered our world, born drained, fragile, but robust. She was delicate, however was stuffed with life,” Priscilla Presley learn. “She at all times knew she wouldn’t be right here too lengthy. Childhood passes by, with a glimpse of her inexperienced eye. She then grew a household of her personal.”
After studying the poem, Priscilla Presley stated: “Our coronary heart is damaged. Lisa, all of us love you.”
Music punctuated the service. Billy Corgan, lead singer of The Smashing Pumpkins, performed acoustic guitar and sang “To Sheila;” Alanis Morissette sang “Relaxation;” Axl Rose, of Weapons N’ Roses, performed piano and sang “November Rain;” and The Blackwood Brothers Quartet carried out two songs.
After the service, mourners walked by Graceland’s Meditation Backyard, the place she was laid to relaxation in an above-ground grave subsequent to her son Benjamin Keough, who died in 2020, and alongside her grandparents and nice grandmother.
Wreaths and bouquets of crimson, white, yellow and pink flowers lined the stroll as much as the gravesite and the tomb itself. Followers, some teary-eyed, walked slowly by the tomb, pausing to pay their respects.
Jordan Clark, 25, traveled from Cell, Alabama, to attend the service. She referred to as the ceremony particular and heartwarming. Clark stated Lisa Marie “went by loads” in her life and equated the service to the time when Elvis died, when “individuals got here from throughout.”
“She was born into the general public, born into fame. That’s laborious for some individuals,” Clark stated. “She dealt with it like a champ. I believe.”
Lisa Marie was 9 when her father died. She was staying at Graceland on the time and would recall him kissing her goodnight hours earlier than he died. When she subsequent noticed him, the next day, he was mendacity face down within the rest room.
After her father died, she grew to become the only real inheritor of the Elvis Presley Belief, which — together with Elvis Presley Enterprises — managed Graceland and different property till she bought her majority curiosity in 2005. She retained possession of the mansion itself, the 13 acres round it and gadgets inside the house.
A consultant from Elvis Presley Enterprises has informed The Related Press that the mansion is in a belief that can go to the advantage of her kids. Together with Harper, she is survived by two different daughters — Riley Keough and Finley Aaron Love Lockwood.
Riley Keough, an actor, didn’t communicate on the service. Her husband, Ben Smith-Petersen, learn an announcement during which she remembers Lisa Marie taking her for ice cream, bringing her tea units from Cracker Barrel, and leaving notes in her lunchbox.
“Thanks for giving me energy, my coronary heart, my empathy, my braveness, my humorousness, my manners, my mood, my wildness, my tenacity,” Riley Keough stated within the assertion. “I’m a product of your coronary heart.”
