Hundreds of people gathered for the memorial service for Lisa Marie Presley

MEMPHIS, Tennessee (AP) – Hundreds of people gathered on the Graceland lawn on a gray, cold Sunday morning in Memphis to mourn the death and remember the life of Lisa Marie Presley, who died earlier this month.

Some mourners held flowers while waiting for the service to begin under 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 become a museum and tourist attraction with hundreds of thousands of fans visiting every year to honor Elvis, who died in 1977, and his music.

On Sunday, a home in south Memphis was a place of sadness and dark memories. Presley, a 54-year-old singer-songwriter dedicated to her father’s legacy, passed away on January 12, hours after being hospitalized for a medical emergency.

The service began with a performance of “Amazing Grace” by Jason Clarke and the Tennessee Mass Choir.

“We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for the love, compassion and support you have shown our family during this difficult time,” the Presley family said in a message written on the service’s program. “We will always be grateful.”

Among those who were to speak or sing during the service were Lisa Marie Presley’s mother, actress Priscilla Presley; her daughter, actress Riley Keough; Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York; and singers Billy Corgan, Alanis Morissette and Axl Rose.

After the service, mourners will walk in procession through the Graceland Meditation Garden, where she rests.

Presley, 54, died on January 12, hours after being hospitalized for emergency medical care.

It was previously announced that Presley would be buried at Graceland next to her son Benjamin Keogh, who died in 2020. Elvis and other members of the Presley family are also buried at Graceland.

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Singer-songwriter Lisa Marie herself did not live in Memphis, where she was born. But she made trips to the city to celebrate her father’s birth anniversary and commemorate his death, which stunned the world when he was found dead in Graceland at the age of 42 on August 16, 1977.

Lisa Marie became the sole heir to the Elvis Presley Foundation, which, along with Elvis Presley Enterprises, managed Graceland and other assets until she sold a majority stake in 2005. She retained ownership of the mansion itself, the 13 acres around it, and the items inside. house.

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She is survived by her mother Priscilla Presley and three children.