By ADRIAN SAINZ
Associated Press
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Hundreds of people gathered on the front lawn of Graceland on a gray, chilly Sunday morning in Memphis to mourn the death and remember the life of Lisa Marie Presley, who died earlier this month.
Some mourners held flowers as they waited for the service to begin under the tall trees on the lawn of Graceland, the home where Lisa Marie lived as a child with her father, Elvis Presley. The mansion, which Lisa Marie Presley owned, has been turned into a museum and tourist attraction that hundreds of thousands of fans visit each year to celebrate the life and music of Elvis, who died in 1977.
The property in south Memphis was a place of sadness and somber memories on Sunday. Presley, a 54-year-old singer-songwriter dedicated to her father’s legacy, died Jan. 12, hours after being hospitalized for a medical emergency.
The service began with the singing of “Amazing Grace” by Jason Clark & The Tennessee Mass Choir.
“We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for the love, compassion and support you have shown our family during this difficult time,” said a message from the Presley family written on the program for the service. “We will always be grateful.”
Among those expected to speak or sing during the service were Lisa Marie Presley’s mother, actress Priscilla Presley; her daughter, actress Riley Keough; Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York; and singers Billy Corgan, Alanis Morissette and Axl Rose.
After the service, mourners will make a procession through Graceland’s Meditation Garden, where she is being laid to rest.
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