Fans Mourn Lisa Marie Presley, Daughter of the King, at Graceland - The New York Times

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At the chromatic partition extracurricular Elvis Presley’s estate, his lone kid was remembered arsenic a benignant of stone prima royalty.

A antheral   and a women basal   astatine  a chromatic  partition  covered successful  graffiti, looking astatine  a mansion down  immoderate   trees successful  the distance. A historical  marker to their close    is truthful  covered with graffiti that it is hard  to marque   retired  the words “Elvis Aaron Presley.”
Visitors went to Graceland, Elvis Presley’s property successful Memphis, connected Friday to wage their respects to his daughter, Lisa Marie Presley.Credit...Lucy Garrett for The New York Times

Jan. 13, 2023Updated 2:35 p.m. ET

MEMPHIS — Some wrote messages connected the chromatic partition successful beforehand of Graceland, the storied Memphis mansion that housed Elvis Presley’s studded jumpsuits and his backstage plane, the Lisa Marie, customized with golden bath fixtures. Others near flowers.

A time aft the decease of Lisa Marie Presley, 54, the singer-songwriter and lone kid of Elvis, fans mourned her nonaccomplishment and recalled however the Presleys had touched their lives.

At Graceland connected Friday, Stephanie T. Perez, whose aunt taught Elvis successful precocious schoolhouse and whose gramps worked for him arsenic an upholsterer, said she had visited the aforesaid spot with her parent years ago, when the king of stone ’n’ rotation had died. She was 2.

“I conscionable felt it was important to beryllium connected this thoroughfare the time his girl passed away,” Ms. Perez, present 47, said. “You hatred it for them. You hatred it for Elvis’s legacy. You hatred it for her beingness that was chopped short. But astir of all, conscionable sorrow for the kids and Priscilla.”

It was not instantly wide connected Friday what had caused Ms. Presley’s death. Her mother, Priscilla Presley, said successful a connection connected Thursday that her girl had been receiving aesculapian attraction but did not stock much information. “She was the astir passionate, beardown and loving pistillate I person ever known,” Ms. Presley said. “We inquire for privateness arsenic we effort to woody with this profound loss.”

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Lisa Marie Presley was calved to Elvis and Priscilla successful 1968. He died erstwhile she was 9.Credit...Keystone/Getty Images

Lisa Marie Presley was famous from the infinitesimal she was born, the girl of 1 of the biggest stars successful the world. And portion she would spell connected to effort to forge her ain way arsenic a singer, she remained champion known arsenic a benignant of stone prima royalty: She was the lone girl of Elvis and, from 1994 to 1996, she was joined to Michael Jackson.

But she led a tumultuous life, 1 that was buffeted by loss. She mislaid her begetter erstwhile she was 9. Married and divorced 4 times, she had besides struggled with opioid addiction. Her son, Benjamin Keough, died by termination successful 2020. Less than six months earlier her ain death, she wrote astir grieving his loss, saying that it had “destroyed” her but that she kept going for the involvement of her 3 daughters.

Fans mourned her extracurricular Graceland, the eclectic eight-bedroom residence successful Memphis that Ms. Presley inherited aft her father’s decease successful 1977 and which opened to the nationalist arsenic a depository successful 1982.

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The level that Elvis named aft his girl sits astatine Graceland.Credit...Lucy Garrett for The New York Times

Graceland has housed much than a cardinal artifacts, among them a fake-fur cocoon furniture with a stereo successful the canopy. Then determination is Mr. Presley’s backstage plane, the Lisa Marie, which had 4 TVs and a stereo with 52 speakers.

Within hours of the announcement of Ms. Presley’s decease precocious Thursday, astir a twelve Elvis fans had arrived astatine Graceland, bundled up successful coats and gloves connected a blustery chilly night.

Kimber Tomlinson, 49, recalled however Elvis fans successful Memphis had been smitten from the commencement with Lisa Marie, who was truthful well-known present that cipher seemed to consciousness the request to usage her past name. Her archetypal representation of Elvis, she added, was erstwhile her parent took her to Graceland astir a week oregon truthful aft his funeral.

“It’s sad, truthful sad,” Tomlinson said. “Her beingness was ever successful the spotlight,” she added, referring to Lisa Marie. “That household has had their stock of bosom attacks and heartbreaks.”

Ms. Tomlinson recited the agelong past of nonaccomplishment among the Presley family: Gladys, Elvis’s parent died astatine property 46 successful 1948; Elvis died successful 1977 of bosom nonaccomplishment astatine property 42; Lisa Marie’s son, Benjamin Keough, died by termination successful 2020 astatine property 27; and present determination was Lisa Marie’s death.

The sprawling property opened for concern arsenic accustomed connected Friday, conscionable days aft Ms. Presley had joined fans astatine the mansion connected Sunday to observe what would person been Elvis’s 88th birthday.

On Friday, philharmonic luminaries continued to explicit their grief online. “So bittersweet to perceive of Lisa Marie’s Passing,” Julian Lennon, different kid of a singing legend, wrote connected Twitter. “She was truthful beauteous erstwhile I met her. My Heart goes retired to Priscilla.”

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A bouquet of flowers for Lisa Marie Presley astatine Graceland.Credit...Lucy Garrett for The New York Times

One of her erstwhile husbands, the histrion Nicolas Cage, told The Hollywood Reporter helium was devastated by Ms. Presley’s death. “Lisa had the top laughter of anyone I ever met,” helium was quoted arsenic saying. “She lit up each room, and I americium heartbroken.”

Ms. Presley released 3 albums successful which she acceptable retired to forge her ain philharmonic way portion drafting from the euphony of her father, whose singular cocktail of blues, gospel, popular and state made him the archetypal immense stone prima and transformed American music.

She said she had been hesitant to thin connected her household name. But she was overruled by her grounds label, which made the idiosyncratic “Lights Out” — “Someone turned the lights retired determination successful Memphis. That’s wherever my family’s buried and gone” — her debut azygous successful 2003.

Her father’s larger-than-life bequest remained with her close until her last days. On Tuesday, she was again conjuring him astatine the Golden Globes, telling Extra TV that Austin Butler, who won the pb acting grant for play for his show successful Baz Luhrmann’s biopic “Elvis,” had perfectly embodied her father.

But astatine Graceland connected Friday, it was Lisa Marie that Presley fans remembered. Perez near her ain connection connected Graceland’s wall: “Godspeed, LMP.”

Cindy Wolff contributed reporting from Memphis.

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