Elvis Presley and several relatives are buried at Graceland.
After Lisa Marie Presley died on January 12, PEOPLE confirmed that she would be buried at Graceland like her father and son.
“Lisa Marie will be buried at Graceland next to her son Ben,” her daughter Riley Keough’s rep told PEOPLE.
Her son Benjamin died by suicide in 2020 and was buried at Graceland. It was the first burial at the site in 40 years after Elvis’ grandmother died in 1980.
The Meditation Garden was built behind Graceland in 1964-1965.
Two days after his death, on August 18, 1977, Presley was buried beside his mother at Memphis’ Forest Hill Cemetery.
However, someone tried to steal his 900-lb. steel-lined copper-plated coffin and hold the remains for ransom. Three men were arrested, but the scheme was so flimsy that they were only charged with trespassing. Presley and Gladys’ bodies were moved to Graceland to avoid copycat criminals.
Other family members of Elvis have also been buried at the estate.
Here’s everything you need to know about Graceland’s Meditation Garden, including who’s buried there and what the Presleys have said about it.
Elvis died on August 16, 1977, in Memphis, Tennessee. Two days after his death, he was buried next to his mother at Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis. But after someone tried to steal his coffin, he was moved to Graceland.
After Elvis died, his estate had a problem with money. Graceland costs a lot to maintain and pay taxes. So Elvis’s ex-wife, Priscilla, and the executors decided to open Graceland to the public. In late 1981, they hired Jack Soden to plan and open Graceland for tours.
The tour includes the Jungle Room and Elvis’ trophy room. The tour ends at the Meditation Garden, where millions of fans have come to pay their respects to the late singer.
Elvis’ mother, Gladys Presley, died in Memphis, Tennessee, on August 14, 1958. She was initially buried in Memphis, but after Elvis’s coffin incident, her remains were moved to Graceland. She is buried next to her husband, Vernon Presley. There is also a monument to Elvis’ twin brother, Jessie.
In 2018, Gladys’ headstone was added to the Meditation Garden to mark the 60th anniversary of her passing. The headstone shows the Star of David, representing Gladys’ Jewish heritage.
Elvis’s father, Vernon Presley, died in Memphis, Tennessee, on June 26, 1979. He is buried between Gladys and Elvis, with Elvis at the garden’s center.
After Elvis died in 1977, he left everything to his father, Vernon. The beneficiaries were Elvis’ grandmother, mother, and daughter. The will said that Vernon Presley could give money to other family members if he wanted to.
After Vernon died, his will named three people to take over as executors and trustees: the National Bank of Commerce in Memphis, Elvis’s accountant Joseph Hanks, and Priscilla Presley.
Elvis’s grandmother, Minnie Mae Presley, died in Memphis, Tennessee, on May 8, 1980. Like the rest of Elvis’ family, she was buried at Graceland with her headstone on the left of Elvis’.
Elvis’ grandson and Lisa Marie’s son, Benjamin Presley, died by suicide at age 27 on July 12, 2020, and was later buried at Graceland. It was the first burial at the site in 40 years after Elvis’ grandmother died in 1980.
“Benjamin Storm Presley Keough was buried in the Meditation Garden at Graceland with his family,” wrote the mansion’s official account on Facebook.
Lisa Marie’s daughter Riley Keough’s rep confirmed that Lisa Marie will be laid to rest at Graceland. Lisa Marie will be buried at Graceland next to her son Ben.
A public service will be held at Graceland on January 22. “Riley, Harper, Finley, and Priscilla thank everyone for their support, well-wishes, and love for Lisa Marie. A memorial service will be held on the front lawn of Graceland at 9:00 am on Sunday, January 22 in Memphis,” a representative for her daughter Keough said in a statement to PEOPLE.
Lisa Marie wrote about her future resting place in her song “Light’s Out” from her 2003 album To Whom It May Concern. “Someone turned the lights out in Memphis,” she sang. “That’s where my family’s buried. The last time I was there, I noticed a space left. Next to them in Memphis.”
In 2003, Lisa Marie told Playboy about her burial plans. “Nothing planned.” I’ll end up there. “I might put my head in a glass box in the living room,” she said. “That’ll bring more tourists to Graceland.”