The Death Of Elvis

[Polk-Salad-Annie]

On August 18th at 9am, 100 vans began to carry the flowers to the cemetery, a task that took nearly 4 hours to complete.
At noon, guests started to turn up for the service at 2pm.
The singers had met in Charlie's room earlier in the day to confer about their parts.
At Priscilla's urging, Kathy Westmoreland was going to sing Heavenly Father, which she always performed on the show to Elvis's rapt attention, with Statesmen founder Hovie Lister accompanying her on piano.
James Blackwood, who had sung at Gladys Presley's funeral and known Elvis even since he was a Blackwood Brothers teenage fan, would deliver Elvis's signature piece How Great Thou Art, with orchestra leader Joe Guerico conducting.
Jake Hess, former lead singer for the Statesmen and one of the singers Elvis most admired throughout his life, was present and was going to recreate Known Only To Him, one of the many song Elvis had recorded in explicit homage to him idol.
Finally, J.D Sumner and The Stamps would contribute the majority of the program with a selection of hymns for the most part taken from songs they had sung with Elvis on stage.

[Polk-Salad-Annie]

Linda Thompson wore Lavender and Kathy Westmoreland wore white, because that was how each felt Elvis would have wanted her to look.
Nearly everyone else arrived garbed in one form or another dressed in black.
Only Col. Tom Parker stood out in characteristically adamant exception. ' You never wore a tie for Elvis when he was alive' His admonished promoter Tom Hulett told him as they left their hotel, so Col.
Tom changed clothes and wore a baseball cap, seersuckers pants, and a blue short sleeved shirt, fiercely unrepentant for any pain he might give to others.
The two hundred invited guests quietly filed into the living room and waited for the service to start.
Tennessee Governor Ray Blanton and Chat Atkins had arrived from Nashville, Ann Margaret and her husband, Roger Smith had flown in from Las Vegas with Dr. Ghanem, and there was a substantial representation of the Colonel's associates and RCA executives....but it was mostly family and close friends who filled up the wooden folding chairs and spilling over into the hallway, where Col. Tom Parker remained leaning up against a wall peering in at the ceremony from time to time.

[Polk-Salad-Annie]

The service started with the playing of Danny Boy on the organ. It was scheduled to take no more then half an hour, but with Rex Humbard's guest sermon, all of the musical selections, plus a eulogy that comedian Jackie Kahane had asked Vernon if he could deliver, it was clear from the start of the ceremony it would ran considerably overtime.
Humbard spoke of his meetings with Elvis in Las Vegas and how he had gotten down on his knees and prayed with him.
Jackie Kahane who had conceived of the idea for an informal tribute only when he realized no one else in the group was going to give one, give a brief but graceful speech touching on the sense of family that had grown up among them all and the generous and quirky spirit who had been their leader.
When Kathy Westmoreland sung Heavenly Father with Hovie Lister accompanying her in a matter that bore little resemblance to the way it sounded on stage, she could see Elvis laughing about it and saying ' Kathy, that's not the way we always arrange it!'.

[Polk-Salad-Annie]

The main sermon, by Reverend Bradley, stressed the inspiring example that Elvis had provided of the potential of a human being who has strong desire and unfailing determination.
It spoke of Elvis's fundamental decency, and how in a society that has talked so much about the generation gap, the closeness of Elvis and father......was so heartwarming to observe.
But Elvis, Bradley said, was a frail human being too and he would have been the first to admit his weaknesses.
Maybe because of his fast rise to fame and fortune, he was thrown into temptations that some never get to experience.
Elvis would have not want anyone to think he had no flaws or faults.
But now he is gone, I find it more helpful to remember his good qualities, and I hope you do too.
Vernon's racking sobs could be heard throughout the ceremony and afterwards, the mourners would go up one by one and say a final goodbye.
Ann Margaret tried to console Vernon, but the two friends held onto each other and cried.

[Polk-Salad-Annie]

Then 9 pallbearers - Joe, Charlie, Felton, Lemar, Jerry Schilling, George Klein, Elvis's Cousins Billy and Gene Smith and Dr. Nick- bore the coffin out the front door.
Just as they did, a limb on one of the big Oak trees out in the front yard snapped and fell, barely, missing the funeral party.
Elvis always said once he's dead, he will send out a message to say he is at peace and happy at last.
Everyone was shocked but Lamar didn't miss a beat.
' We knew you'd be back' he wisecracked ' Just not this soon'.

They made the three and one half mile journey to the cemetery in a cortege made up of 49 cars led by a Silver Cadillac, a police motorcycle, a white hearse and Vernon in the first of the 17 white limousines.
Both sides of the road were lined with a crowd estimated at 15 to 20 thousand, and Joe saw Cliff Gleaves standing mournfully among them as they drove past.
No one at the gates of Graceland let him in.

[Polk-Salad-Annie]

Once they arrived at the cemetery, the pallbearers carried the rose petal strewn coffin past a massive bank of floral arrangements - Hound Dogs, crowns, guitars and broken heart, the loving tributes from his loyal fans around the world.
Then the coffin was carried up the stark gray mausoleum steps just a few hundred feet away from Gladys Presley's grave.
Reverend Bradley give a brief 5 minute ceremony in the mausoleum chapel, and then family filed into the crypt one by one to touch or kiss the casket one last time.
Vernon remained alone with his son for a few minutes after everyone else left, and he bent down and kissed the casket goodbye.
He walked out and then was helped into the car.

Then the mausoleum was cleared as 5 workman entered the room with a wheelbarrow full of sand, a 5 gallon bucket of water, some cement and then applied an exterior marble facing which would be inscribed later.
Yet even before the workmen did they work, fans had come into the cemetery the back away and pressed themselves against the heavy steel doors of the mausoleum.

Elvis Aaron Presley was laid to rest.

[Polk-Salad-Annie]

Meanwhile everyone went back to Graceland for a southern supper.
Later that night, Vernon directed that all the flowers were to be given away to the fans.
They were still waiting outside Graceland and when the news got out, they all waited outside the cemetery.
When the doors opened at 8.25am, the next day, fans walked in and by noon, every last spray and blossom were gone.

There was a bizarre and almost laughably attempt to steal Elvis's body, just 11 days after he was laid to rest.
So Vernon got scared and was given go ahead to have Elvis's and Gladys removed and then reburied in the Meditation Garden at Graceland on October 27 1977.
' I guess they will finally get to rest' Vernon remarked at a small grave side gathering restricted to close family early that evening.

[Polk-Salad-Annie]

Following is the wording of Elvis' epitaph as seen on his tombstone, written by Janelle McComb, commissioned and directed by Elvis' father Vernon Presley:

Elvis
Aaron
Presley

January 8, 1935
August 16, 1977

Son of Vernon Elvis Presley and Gladys Love Presley
Father of Lisa Marie Presley

He was a precious gift from God we cherished and loved dearly
He had a God-given talent that he shared with the world
And without a doubt, he became most widely acclaimed;
Capturing the hearts of young and old alike.

He was admired not only as an entertainer, but as the great humanitarian that he was;
For his generosity, and his kind feelings for his fellow man.
He revolutionized the field of music and received its highest awards

He became a living legend in his own time; earning the respect and love of millions
God saw that he needed some rest and called him home to be with Him
We miss you, Son and Daddy.
I thank god that He gave us you as our son

(TCB logo)

By: Vernon Presley

'God let me come along at this time' Elvis 1977

[KPM]

Many of us have read the book, it seems a lot of trouble and time to post this much of it?

[BabiGurl88]

I myself neva read the book...thanx for posting it....readin tat almost made me cry i was really tryin to hold bak my tears ..I juss cant believe he really gone...

[Tony Trout]

Many of us have read the book, it seems a lot of trouble and time to post this much of it?

I agree, KPM.


Also, it seems that I've read most of this text on Lea Frydman's website.

[cameron]

I guess there's many that haven't read this.
I find out all the time just how much I don't know .

Actually, I followed this with interest as I thought they were going to talk about Thompson and Coles book. I had a lot to say.

[torpor97]

Thank you for posting this. I cant hold back my tears.

[ehollier]

"To his fans, even Elvis' death wouldn't interrupt his reign"

Jim Curtin

[utmom2008]

Many of us have read the book, it seems a lot of trouble and time to post this much of it?

That's the same thing lots of us are thinking KPM.