MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Hundreds of people gathered on the front lawn of Graceland on a cold, gray Sunday morning in Memphis to mourn and remember the life of Lisa Marie Presley, who died early this month.
Several mourners held flowers as they waited for the service to begin under the tall trees on the lawn of Graceland, the home where Lisa Marie lived as a child with her father, Elvis Presley. The mansion, owned by Lisa Marie Presley, has been turned into a museum and tourist attraction that hundreds of thousands of fans visit each year to celebrate the life and music of Elvis, who died in 1977.
The south Memphis property was a place of sadness and somber memories Sunday. Presley, a 54-year-old singer-songwriter dedicated to her father’s legacy, died on January 12, hours after being admitted to hospital with a medical emergency.
The service began with the singing of “Amazing Grace” by Jason Clark and The Tennessee Mass Choir.
“We would like to express our sincere gratitude for the love, compassion and support you have shown our family during this difficult time,” read a message from the Presley family written in the service program. “We will always be grateful.”
Among those expected to speak or sing during the service were Lisa Marie Presley’s mother, actress Priscilla Presley; his daughter, actress Riley Keough; Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York; and singers Billy Corgan, Alanis Morissette and Axl Rose.
After the service, mourners will take a procession through Graceland’s Meditation Garden, where she will be laid to rest.
