A large crowd of family, friends and fans gathered Sunday morning in front of the famed Graceland estate in Memphis, Tennessee, for the funeral of Lisa Marie Presley, the sole daughter of late singer Elvis Presley.
Longtime friends of Lisa Marie and the Presley family spoke at the funeral, including former Memphis Mayor A C Wharton; Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York; manager Jerry Schilling; and Elvis Presley Enterprises managing partner Joel Weinshanker.
Musical performances included Axl Rose, Alanis Morissette and Jason Clark and The Tennessee Mass Choir.
Schilling, who was an aide and producer to Elvis and manager to Lisa Marie, told stories of him and “a girl named Memphis,” which Shilling said is what he always called her.
In 1967, Schilling said he spent Christmas and New Year’s Day at Graceland and was asked by Elvis himself to stay until Lisa Marie’s birth in February of 1968.
Schilling said Lisa Marie Presley had asked him to accompany her on the red carpet at the Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 10.
“Last thing she said to me was, ‘Jerry Schilling, I love you,’” Schilling said.
“As I was in the hospital with her father when Priscilla was giving birth, I was at the hospital with her mother when she left us,” Schilling said. “Memphis, I will always love you.”
Priscilla Presley then spoke, briefly and quietly, reading a poem and remarks from granddaughter Riley Keough.
“She knew it was close to the end. Survivor’s guilt, some would say, but a broken heart, is the doing of her death. Now she is home where she always belonged, but my heart is missing her love,” Priscilla Presley said on behalf of her granddaughter.
Keough is Lisa Marie Presley’s oldest daughter.
“Our heart is broken,” Priscilla said. “Lisa, we all love you.”
Keough also shared a letter through her husband Ben Smith-Petersen.
In the letter, Riley said she was certain she chose the best mother in the world.
“I remember how it felt to be loved by the most loving mother I’ve ever known. I remember how it safe it felt to be in your arms,” the letter said. “I remember that feeling as a child, and I remember that feeling two weeks ago on your couch. Thank you for showing me that love is the only thing that matters in this life. I hope I can love my daughter the way that you loved me.”
