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 passed away earlier this month.
Mourners held flowers as they waited for the service to begin under the tall trees on the lawn of Graceland, the house 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 that hundreds of thousands of fans visit each year to celebrate the life and music of Elvis, who died in 1977.
The property, in south Memphis, was a place of sadness and dark memories on Sunday. Presley, a 54-year-old singer-songwriter dedicated to the legacy of her father, died on january 12hours after being hospitalized for a medical emergency.
The service began with the singing of “Amazing Grace” by Jason Clark & The Tennessee Mass Choir.
“We would like to express our sincerest 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 to them.”
Among those expected to speak or sing during the service were Lisa Marie Presley’s mother, actress Priscilla Presley; her daughter, actress Riley Keough; Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York; and singers Billy Corgan, Alanis Morissette and Axl Rose.
Following the funeral, mourners will procession through Graceland’s Meditation Garden, where she will be buried.
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