A procession took place for fans after the memorial service so they could see Mrs Presley’s tombstone, where they were invited to leave flowers or other offerings.
When the ceremony ended, Barbara Hawkins, who had driven nine hours from Houston with three other self-proclaimed Elvis fanatics, stood in line to pay tribute to Mrs. Presley’s grave.
She is our last true connection to Elvis by blood, she said, Miss Hawkins, a jewel-encrusted Elvis pendant hanging from her hat. “She is like family to us Elvis, and we are shocked that she passed away so soon.”
Although Mrs. Presley has spent most of her life in California, where she enjoys major celebrity status but struggles to establish herself as a star in her own right, she maintains relationship with her hometown by regularly visiting Graceland, her childhood home. Her most recent visit was this month, on the occasion of a 4-day celebration that should have been Elvis Presley’s 88th birthday.
Kevin Kane, executive director of Memphis Tourism, and hotels near museums and Beale Street, where musicians like Elvis Presley and BB King have recorded their music, “see last-minute bookings for the day.” weekend increased.”
Charlie Vergos Rendezvous, a favorite barbecue restaurant in downtown Memphis, often serves large groups of tourists to Graceland. Dean Carayiannis, a longtime manager whose mother attended high school with Elvis, said the restaurant wasn’t busier than usual on Saturday, “but the Presleys kept bringing in guests.”
“Elvis and his family have brought so much to Memphis – a lot of notoriety, a lot of goodwill,” he said.
Graceland staff have been accustomed to welcoming fans and mourners since Elvis Presley’s death in August 1977. That evening, more than 1,000 people were on vigil. outside of Graceland. The solemnity turned to panic as fans tried to storm the gates of the mansion and cemetery.
