The AP reported that Elvis Presley was “near hysteria” at his mother's funeral services yesterday. Elvis, 23, and his father, Vernon, 48, “wept throughout the service” at National Funeral Home in Memphis. The services were open to the public.
The Associated Press reported that Elvis "sank to his knees beside his mother's bed and wept." The singer, 23 at the time, told reporters, "It broke my heart. She was always my best girl." He was reportedly on the verge of hysteria at her funeral, saying at the gravesite, "Good-bye, darling.
Elvis rushed back to be by her side but she died on August 14, 1958, aged just 46. At the funeral, Elvis collapsed on the coffin and cried: ”Please don't take my baby away! She's not dead.
That's Someone You Never Forget.
On August 14 at 3:15 a.m., while Elvis was resting from his near constant bedside vigil at home at Graceland, Gladys Presley died of a heart attack at 46 years old.
In 1983, during her 25th birthday, Lisa Marie finally inherited her father's entire estate, which had grown to about $100 million.
Amazing Grace
A timeless hymn and perhaps the world's best-known gospel song. The King's version is particularly moving and heartfelt. Worshipful, soothing, and a hugely popular Elvis funeral song.
“Can't Help Falling in Love”
This tune is one of the most popular Elvis songs used for the first dance at weddings.
Did Ginger Alden Attend Elvis' Funeral? Yes. As his fiancée at the time, it is believed that Ginger Alden was present for Elvis' funeral. Following the funeral, however, she was reportedly banned from Graceland by Presley's family and had to receive permission to visit his grave.
"Lisa Marie's final resting place will be at Graceland, next to her beloved son Ben," a statement to PEOPLE read. She was honored with a public service at Graceland on Jan. 22. "Riley, Harper, Finley, and Priscilla are grateful for the support, well-wishes, and outpouring of love honoring their beloved Lisa Marie.
Elvis called his satin-skinned mother “Satnin” and the two communicated in a babytalk no one else could understand. “Elvis saw his parents as his 'babies,'” recalled his friend and future manager, Lamar Fike ("Elvis and the Memphis Mafia").
Jackie Kahane gave the eulogy at Elvis's funeral. He was a comedian that opened up for Elvis many, many times when he was playing in Vegas. He was also the person that announced the famous phrase – “Ladies and Gentlemen, Elvis has left the building.” Kahane passed away in March 2001.
Reportedly the last song Elvis sang in private was a rendition of 'Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain,' performed on his piano in Graceland hours before his death. It would become the first exposé on Presley's years of drug misuse.
Speaking about the "King of Rock and Roll" after his death in 1977, Sinatra said: "There have been many accolades uttered about Elvis' talent and performances through the years, all of which I agree with wholeheartedly. I shall miss him dearly as a friend. "He was a warm, considerate and generous man."
Angie told viewers that whenever Elvis redecorated, Vernon kept all the old items in the outbuildings rather than dispose of them. Partly because his son would often change his mind but also, Angie said, because "Vernon never knew when all of this could possibly go away and you might need something again one day."
And while Elvis wasn't a songwriter per se, he did co-write a few songs in his career including 'That's Someone You Never Forget' and the haunting 'You'll Be Gone'.
"The Wonder Of You" | Elvis Presley
The song would peak at #1 on the easy listening chart.
Elvis Presley's favorite gospel song was “How Great Thou Art.” He first heard the song while attending a church service with his family in Memphis, Tennessee. Elvis was so moved by the song that he decided to record it himself. The recording became one of Elvis's most popular and well-known songs.
Forty two years ago on New Year's Eve at the end of 1975, Elvis Presley rocked the Pontiac Silverdome. The stadium had just opened that year. It would ended up being The King's highest attended concert ever, with more than 62,000 fans and more than $800,000 in gross revenue.
“Hurrian Hymn No. 6” is considered the world's earliest melody, but the oldest musical composition to have survived in its entirety is a first century A.D. Greek tune known as the “Seikilos Epitaph.” The song was found engraved on an ancient marble column used to mark a woman's gravesite in Turkey.
Among those who participated in the public memorial service at Elvis Presley's mansion in Memphis, Tenn., were musicians Billy Corgan, Alanis Morissette and Axl Rose, as well as Priscilla Presley.
After the home was opened to the public in 1982, the second floor was sealed shut out of respect to the family — and also to avoid any macabre attention at the scene of his death.
Elvis Presley's famous Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, is staying in the family following the death of his daughter. Lisa Marie Presley inherited the 13.8-acre, 23-room estate from her rock'n'roll legend father after he died in 1977, when she was nine.