Emily Hare
On Sunday, hundreds of friends and fans flooded the Graceland Funeral Garden to honor the memory of Lisa Marie Presley. However, fans of the singer might not know that the Graceland cemeteries have been the subject of various controversies and conspiracies since Presley was buried there in 1977.
Why Elvis Presley is buried in Graceland
Few people know that Presley was not buried at Graceland. Immediately after his death, the rock and roll legend was laid to rest near his mother at Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis.
However, a few months later, the looters threatened to steal his coffinprompting Presley’s father, Vernon, to exhume his body and rebury it in Graceland’s meditation garden.
Vernon also had Elvis’ mother, Gladys, moved to Graceland, creating a private family cemetery on the property. Today, the Presley family graves attract legions of tourists each year, serving as a place where fans can pay their respects to the famous family.
Why People Believe The King’s Grace Is Empty
Given the circumstances surrounding Presley’s burial, fans and conspiracy theorists alike have speculated that the king of rock and roll isn’t actually resting at Graceland.
Of course there is those who believe Presley faked his death in 1977, which would mean that he could not have been buried at the original grave at all. These theorists cling to the legend’s alleged sightings, insisting that he never really died.
However, other theories actually suggest that Presley and his family rest in another private cemetery and that the Graceland Meditation Garden is just for show. The main “evidence” for this conspiracy theory is found in the tombstones.
Gladys’ original headstone apparently had the Star of David carved into the stone as a tribute to her Jewish heritage. However, his Graceland tombstone does not.
Similarly, Elvis’ middle name is spelled “Aaron” on his tombstone while it is spelled “Aron” on his birth certificate. It is these small inconsistencies that suggest the possibility that the mediation garden simply serves as a place of memory rather than a cemetery.
Who else is buried with Elvis?
Of course, this would suggest that the other members of the Presley family believed to rest in the meditation garden are also buried elsewhere.
In addition to Elvis and Gladys, Vernon and his mother, Minnie Mae Presley, were also interred at Graceland. When Lisa Marie’s son Benjamin Keough died by suicide in 2020, he was the first person buried at Graceland in more than 40 years.
Sadly, Lisa Marie followed her son less than three years later as the sixth and final member of the Presley family buried at Graceland.
While the public still mourns the passing of Lisa Marie, we understand why so many people feel the need to keep the Presley family alive through conspiracy theories.
The truth is, whether it’s a symbolic memorial or a rightful grave, Graceland is an important part of Presley family history and is as good a place as any to give back. tribute to their memories.