Guns N’ Roses’ Axl Rose, Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins, and Alanis Morissette were among the artists who performed during the public memorial service for Lisa Marie Presley, which was livestreamed from Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee on Jan. 22. Presley died on Jan. 12 at the age of 54.
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The morning service kicked off with a rendition of “Amazing Grace” by Jason Clark and the Tennessee Mass Choir, followed by speeches from Pastor Dwayne Hunt, A.C. Wharton, and Joel Weinshanker. Corgan then performed an acoustic version of the band’s 1998 song “To Sheila.”
During the service, Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York also read a poem titled “A Tribute to the Children,” which was followed by a performance by Morissette, who sang her 2021 song “Rest,” accompanied by piano.
Additional speeches were shared by her mother Priscilla Presley, who read a letter written by one of her granddaughters to her mother, and Lisa Marie’s daughter Riley Keough’s husband, Ben Smith-Petersen, who spoke on behalf of his wife.
Lisa Marie’s longtime manager and former associate of her father Elvis, Jerry Schilling, also shared a special story about the first time he met her, as a baby.
“Me and a girl named Memphis,” said Jerry Schilling. “I always called Lisa Marie Memphis. She had that attitude. And she always called me Jerry Schilling—always in that cadence. Elvis invited me here for Christmas and New Year’s. … I had never held a baby before, and we were in the kitchen, and Elvis just hands me Lisa. And I sure as hell wasn’t gonna drop her. And that was the beginning of my journey with Memphis.”
Rose also shared a speech before sitting at the piano to perform Guns N’ Roses’ 1992 hit “November Rain.”
Towards the end of the two-hour service, a benediction was given by Pastor Dwayne Hunt, followed by a performance of “How Great Thou Art” and “Sweet Sweet Spirit” by the Blackwood Brothers Quartet. After closing remarks by Joel Weinshanker, Jason Clark and the Tennessee Mass Choir shared a final performance of “Revelation 19:1.”
The Presley family recently shared a guestbook where fans can share memories, stories, and tributes on the official Graceland social media pages, which can be accessed HERE.
To make a donation in Lisa Marie’s memory to the Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation, go HERE.
Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images
