Lisa Marie Presley’s mother, Priscilla Presley, spoke briefly during the Sunday morning service. He read a few words prepared by one of Lisa Marie’s children and thanked the family for their support in the wake of her daughter’s death.
“We are heartbroken Lisa, we all love you,” Priscilla said.
Lisa Marie’s daughter, Riley Keon, prepared speeches that were read by her husband, Ben Smith-Petersen.
“Thank you for being my mother in this life. I am forever grateful to have spent 33 years with you. I am sure that I have chosen the best mother in this world for me, and I have known it for as long as I remember you. “, he read from the speech entitled “Letter to my mother”.
In speeches, Kyo recalled listening to Aretha Franklin in the car, getting ice cream after school, and the lullabies Lisa Marie sang to her and her brother.
“I remember how it felt to be loved by the most loving mother I’ve ever known. I remember how safe it felt to be in your arms,” Smith-Petersen reads. “I remember that feeling as a kid and I remember it two weeks ago on your couch. Thank you for showing me that love is the only thing that matters in this life.”
Before the November Rain performance, Axl Rose said he was in shock over Lisa Marie’s death.
“I never in a million years imagined I would be singing here and especially under these conditions. It’s really devastating and I’m sure it’s sad for everyone here and everyone affected by his death,” he said.
Rose described Lisa Marie as fiercely protective of her father’s legacy and as a “beautiful and good soul”.
The memorial service ended at 10:15 a.m. after a prayer and some more musical performances. Then the attendees were offered a tour of the memorial park.
Speakers at Sunday morning’s service remembered Lisa Marie Presley for her music, her spirit and the unique space she held in the hearts and minds of Memphians.
Former Memphis Mayor E.S. Wharton said: “Lisa Marie’s birth is woven into the institutional memory of this city … she was a king figure.”
“Elvis may have been born in Tupelo and Priscilla may have been born in Dallas,” he said. “But Lisa Marie was all Memphis. He belonged to us, and we to him.”
Wharton noted that 1968, the year Lisa Marie was born, was a tumultuous year for the country and Memphis in particular. He provided a bright spot for the city, then and throughout the 54 years of his life.
“He was a conduit to the throne, a keeper of the fire, he was an image of the king,” he said.
Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, said those caring for Lisa Marie should “kindle our fire within” to support her family and celebrate her life. However, he also shared some of Queen Elizabeth II’s words.
“My late mother-in-law used to say that ‘nothing can be said that can take away the sorrow and pain of these moments. Because sorrow is the price we pay for love.” And how right he was,” Ferguson said.
Jerry Schilling, a longtime Elvis collaborator and Presley family friend, said he visited Graceland during Christmas 1967. When he was about to deliver home to Los Angeles, Elvis asked him: our daughter
So she stayed until Lisa Marie was born in February 1968.
“We came back to the house here. And I had never held a baby before. And we are in the kitchen. And Elvis just hands me Lisa and I sure as hell won’t leave him. And that was the beginning. about my journey with (Lisa Marie),” he said.
The two were connected throughout his life. Lisa Marie, whom he called Memphis, worked as his assistant, officiated one of his weddings and was with him at the hospital when he died earlier this month.
“Memphis, I will always love you,” Schilling said.
The service began shortly after 9 a.m. Sunday with Jason Clarke and the Tennessee Mass Choir performing “Amazing Grace.”
Elvis’ “In the Garden” played as Lisa Marie’s family walked out the front door of the mansion before the service.
Joel Weinshanker, managing partner of Elvis Presley Enterprises, said Lisa Marie had specific instructions for the day, including “don’t be sad.”
“Lisa, we will try to respect you and respect your wishes,” he said.
More than 102,000 people watched the service via live stream. Many people left comments expressing their sadness and condolences to Lisa Marie’s family. Many mentioned their love of Elvis or their connections to his music, and praised Lisa Marie’s music and voice. Viewers from the US, Canada, Germany, UK, Belgium, Italy, France and many more have left comments of love and support.
Politicians and celebrities were among the hundreds attending Lisa Marie Presley’s memorial service at Graceland Sunday morning. In addition to members of the Presley family and speakers and performers including Axl Rose, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York and Alanis Morissette, actor Austin Butler and director Baz Luhrmann were also in attendance.
Butler portrayed Elvis in the 2022 biopic about the rock star, directed by Luhrmann. Catherine Martin, who was the film’s producer and costume designer and is married to Luhrmann, was also in attendance. The film was widely praised by Presley’s family, including Lisa Marie, who said it was a portrayal of her father that she and her children could be proud of.
Also in the crowd outside the mansion was singer Lorraine Pritchard, who goes by the stage name Lolo.
Also in attendance Sunday were Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, whose district is located in Memphis.
Ten days after her death, friends, family, fans and admirers of Lisa Marie Presley gathered at Graceland to pay their respects to the singer and only daughter of rock ‘n’ roll legend Elvis Presley. Lisa Marie has long been Elvis’ live connection to “The King’s” devoted fans who loved his only child.
On the same lawn where Presley cut Elvis’ birthday cake earlier this month on his father’s birthday, people gathered Sunday morning to bid him farewell.
Presley, 54, died on January 12 at his home in Calabasas, California after suffering an apparent cardiac arrest. Her mother, Priscilla, called her daughter “the most passionate, strong and loving woman I have ever known.”
Crowds began gathering at Graceland more than an hour and a half before the public memorial service began Sunday morning. By 7:45 AM, hundreds of people had already arrived and taken up positions on the lawn outside the mansion. More kept coming before the 9am ceremony
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Despite the crowd, the scene was somber and quiet, with most of the ambient noise coming from the soft Elvis tunes playing over the outdoor speakers.
According to the plan, the memorial was to include Priscilla, Presley’s daughter, actor Riley Keough, former Memphis Mayor E.S. Wharton, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, and Joel Weinshanker, managing partner of Elvis Presley Enterprises.
Also expected to speak or perform were Axl Rose, Alanis Morissette, Billy Corgan, Jason Clarke and the Tennessee Mass Choir and the Blackwood Brothers Quartet.
At least 500 people packed Graceland’s south lawn at 8:20 a.m. Several dozen lucky chairs were available. The rest stood together on the lawn, which was quickly turning to mud from the mixture of feet and rain.
The media ran the gamut from major US media and local media to several Australian TV stations.
Q’s representative previously confirmed that Presley will be buried at Graceland, next to his father, Elvis. his son, Benjamin Keon; and other members of the Presley family, including Elvis’ mother, Gladys Presley; his father, Vernon Presley; and his grandmother, Minnie Mae Presley.
The family encouraged mourners to make donations to the Elvis Presley Foundation in lieu of flowers. The foundation supports a variety of charitable organizations, with a particular focus on arts, education and children’s programs in the Memphis/Whitehaven area.
This story will be updated during Sunday’s memorial service.
