In hope that their kindred spirits can find rest
When Elvis died August 16, 1977, at the age of 42, his only daughter, Lisa Marie, was nine years old. For 46 years she suffered life without him, only to join him in death on January 12, 2023, at the age of 54.
Lisa Marie had lived with her father and mother, Priscilla, for four years at Graceland when her parents separated. Priscilla and Lisa Marie then moved to Los Angeles. Afterward she split time between Los Angeles and Memphis, with frequent trips to Tupelo to visit with long-time family friend Janelle McComb.
Always in the shadow of her father, Lisa Marie had a storybook birth but not a storybook life. So it seems with the children of many celebrities.
Professionally, in 2003 her first album went gold; a second also went gold in 2005. She released a posthumous duet of “In the Ghetto” with her father, in 2007, reaching Number 1 on iTunes and 16 on the Billboard singles chart.
At Elvis’ birthplace in Tupelo, there is a serene lake, a truly natural setting, named Reflections. It is here where guests are urged to relax and think about how Elvis dreamed from going from his humble beginnings to what might become. There visitors are encouraged to dream their own dreams and leave refreshed, invigorated, and committed to achieving their own dream.
There, next to the falling water rushing over the rocks into the lake, are two benches, one dedicated to the life of Elvis by the Tupelo Elvis Fan Club and now a second bench, dedicated to the life of Lisa Marie in hope that their kindred spirits can find rest and peace where it all started, in East Tupelo, Mississippi.