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The Grave of Elvis Presley at Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee, photos

The grave of Elvis Presley, Graceland, Meditation Garden, Memphis, Tennessee

The grave of Elvis Aaron Presley, in the Meditation Garden of his home, Graceland, in Memphis, Tennessee. Presley was born in a small, two room house in Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8, 1935. A twin brother was stillborn. When Elvis was thirteen years old, the Presley family moved to Memphis, Tennessee which became his home base for the remainder of his life.

A shy and awkward teenager, Presley was often given discouraging advice concerning any musical abilities he might have. Despite those saying he had no professional future in music and rejection by many of what was considered to be music that was "too black" in style, he persisted in the pursuit of a career in music. In January, 1956, at the age of twenty-one, his first professionally produced single was released as Heartbreak Hotel. While the response to the single was immediate and positive with some, he continued to receive widely negative press as a talentless and vulgar performer. Other singles soon followed and received the same extreme responses of being greatly loved by some or hated and critically rejected by others. Later the same year, in November of 1956, Presley made his first film appearance in the movie, Love Me Tender.

After numerous early television and concert performances, Presley established himself as a confident highly successful although still frequently criticized performer. As a result of the military draft, Presley entered the United States Army on March 24, 1958. Despite the fame he had achieved by this time, he made it known that he wanted no special treatment and desired to be treated the same as any other soldier. After fulfilling his term of two years of service, he was discharged on March 5, 1960 with the rank of Sergeant. During the time that Elvis was in the Army, his mother, Gladys Presley died at the age of 46.

After leaving the Army, Presley quickly resumed his film and music career and over the course of the next two decades established himself as the top selling performer of his time. Numerous films, despite being critically panned, were highly popular and financially successful. Total record sales over his career are estimated to be between 600 million and one billion; a record unmatched by any other performer.

Presley married Priscilla Ann Wagner on May 1, 1967. Presley had met Priscilla while he was serving in the Army during his time in Germany. At the time of their first meeting, Priscilla was only 14 years old. At the time of the wedding, Priscilla was 21 years old while Elvis was 32 years old. The marriage resulted in the birth of one child, Lisa Marie Presley, born on February 1, 1968. Due to his heavy travel and performance schedule, Presley spent considerable time away from his wife and daughter. The marriage ended in divorce on October 9, 1973.

Elvis Presley died on August 16, 1977 at his home, Graceland, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was 42 years old. The official cause of death was listed as cardiac arrhythmia. Investigations into his death revealed that Presley was taking heavy doses of a wide variety of legally obtained prescription medications. The over use of the medications are widely believed to have been a strong factor leading to his premature death.

Presley's funeral was held at his home, Graceland, on August 18, 1977. His body was buried next his mother in Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis. Due to a bizarre attempt to steal his body, Vernon Presley had the bodies of Elvis and his mother, Gladys, removed from the cemetery and reburied in a Meditation Garden next to the Graceland mansion. See the additional photo below.

The graves of Elvis Presley, Minnie Presley, Vernon Presley, and Gladys Presley in the Meditation Garden, Graceland, Memphis, Tennessee

The Presley graves in the Meditation Garden, next to the Graceland Mansion of Elvis Presley. This view shows the graves from left to right: Minnie Mae Presley 1890-1980 (mother of Vernon Presley, grandmother of Elvis Presley); Elvis Aaron Presley 1935-1977; Vernon Elvis Presley 1916-1979 (father of Elvis Presley); Gladys Love Smith Presley 1912-1958 (mother of Elvis Presley). To the right of the grave of Gladys Presley is a small memorial marker for Jesse Garon Presley, the stillborn twin brother of Elvis Presley.

View the home in Tupelo, Mississippi where Elvis Presley was born

View Graceland, where Elvis Presley lived and died and was buried

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