Elvis proposed to her in early 1977 with a diamond engagement ring. On occasion, one would reach out to touch his face and caress his dark hair. Its also ironic that since the death of the very private Elvis, there has been a veritable blitz of books about Elvis. After all, pictures are run of dead prime ministers and Popes and national heroes. Her autobiography mentions an uncomfortable moment during her engagement to Elvis. So the rush was on. When you think about the huge numbers of people--all the fans that turned out--you have to think it was all pretty dignified., Related Hodge: If wed known about Caroline Kennedy, wed have done that different. Editors picks The memorial headstone is not placed next to his father, mother, brother, and grandmother. A decade ago, however, not all of Elvis associates would talk for the record. That amount in 1977 money is about $19.6 million in 2021 dollars. After Elvis Presleys death on August 16, 1977 at Graceland, his will appointed his father, Vernon Presley, as executor and trustee. She has a body measurement of around 38-32-40 inches. Did Ginger Alden attend Elvis funeral? He was so shy about admitting he even had a problem.. Then came a request from Nichopoulos: He wanted to drive to Graceland to break the news to Vernon Presley. She recalled the little moments she had shared with a young Lisa Marie, who had been around 8-9. Fans stopped their lives in order to make a pilgrimage to Memphis. At the time, other journalists also made note of Kennedys visit in print, but they erroneously identified her as a visiting celebrity. I thought, Oh god, Im busted. And I realized they were pointing at Elvis mothers grave, I was standing right at her gravesite. Elvis Presleys funeral, held on the 18th, was a modest affair, though attended by stars such as his Viva Las Vegas co-star Ann-Margret, James Brown, and actor George Hamilton. By 3.30pm Elvis had been pronounced dead after frantic ambulance ride to Baptist Memorial Hospital where an unprecedented number of specialists battled to save his life. There was a virtual scramble to interview anybody who had known Elvis. Yet, Ginger still has an enormous diamond ring to prove he planned to marry her. Joe Esposito was going to announce the death, but was to overcome with grief. THE USA HAS GIVEN US THREE CULTURAL PHENOMENON: MICKEY MOUSE, COKE A COLA & ELVIS PRESLEY The Australian Herald: ONE HOUR BATTLE FAILS. His most famous home was Graceland, still a tourist attraction today, but he actually lived at nine different homes during those three decades. So, when he died, I guess you could say we also protected him. Do Men Still Wear Button Holes At Weddings? But fans and souvenir seekers frequently tampered with his grave, so Presley and his mother Gladys were moved to their current and so far, final resting place at Graceland. I ran into this guy who worked in a drugstore in Detroit. Elvis Presley, was still wearing her 11 1/2-carat diamond engagement ring as she recalled the final hours of the singer's life. Well, we were all impressed. However, she soon discovered that he had passed away and immediately felt struck with grieve over losing someone she loved dearly. Those are the things I like to remember. The bell rang, and I opened the door and said, Caroline, come on in. She never let on that she was free-lance writing for Rolling Stone., Added Klein, That was a cheap-shot way to get a story.. It was late afternoon on the 16th when he got a call from Baptist Hospitals chaplain, telling him hed soon be receiving a call from an Elvis associate. Is Elvis Presleys grandson buried at Graceland? Wouldnt you say thats kind of ironic?. There is no doubt that with Elvis' death rock n roll music died and the world would never be the same again. A headstone in his honor sits at Graceland. She eventually detailed her and Elvis' relationship in a memoir published in 2014 called Elvis and Ginger: Elvis Presley's Fiance and Last Love Finally Tells Her Story. Burk had long had dealings with Vernon Presley, but he wasnt expecting to get a call from Elvis former girlfriend, Linda Thompson, after Elvis death. Meanwhile, miles away in Las Vegas, Elvis' ex-girlfriend, Ann-Margret, knew something terrible had happened to the Blue Suede Shoes singer. What did Ginger Alden say about Elvis? Did Ginger Alden attend Elvis funeral? Vernon later gave the flowers to the thousands of fans who attended the event. The morgue was sealed off by tight security and the preliminary autopsy began, with every important doctor in the hospital present. To that time, the only Elvis-related feature that the Commercial Appeals Thomas had ever done was about a determined fan who had mailed herself to Graceland in a large box. Learning that Thompson had tried to reach him, he promptly called her back on the dentists phone, never thinking wed be talking for an hour and 40 minutes., He surmised: I think I was a shoulder to cry on. The burial ground had initially been chosen as Elvis final resting place (He was ultimately moved to the Graceland grounds several months later following a plot to steal his body), and Murray positioned himself to take in the proceedings. George Klein, a friend since the eighth grade (We had all the exact same classes, all through Humes High School) ducked interview requests for a year following the death, because I had to get things in perspective. Well, there was a single exception: This CBS newscaster got me as I was on my way to the funeral., Klein has since become an accessible Elvis source--one who speaks reverently and carefully about his friend. It started to look like his trip had been for naught until he bumped into a photographer friend covering the spectacle. He had planned to announce their engagement publicly on his upcoming tour in Memphis; sadly, he died before this could happen. Im going to the bathroom to read. Those were the words Elvis Presley said to his fiancee, Ginger Alden, early in the morning of August 16, 1977, at his Memphis mansion, Graceland. Priscilla Presley Disputes Invalid Amendment to Lisa Maries Trust Previously, he served as a Music Editor at PEOPLE and VH1.com. During a recent panel at SXSW, the 72-year-old admitted it was hard to revisit her former husbands final chapter and relive the painful memories through the film: It was difficult for all of us, we certainly didnt see it coming. In their book, When Elvis Died, Neal and Janice Gregory revealed that Kennedy was actually on assignment for the New York Daily News. The Denver Posts editorial declared: SUDDENLY WE FEEL OLDER. It was also grim timing that Elvis death had come just after the publication of the tell-all paperback. As I ran across the cemetery, all of a sudden the motorcycles came in the motorcycles cops looked at me like, If you move we will kill ya,' he recounted. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); 2012-2023 On Secret Hunt - All Rights Reserved After calling Elvis kinfolk in Mississippi, the reporter was asked, What kind of money are we talkin about for this interview? After explaining that she couldnt offer payment, a reporter never got a call back. [Signed by Elvis A. Presley] ELVIS A. PRESLEY The foregoing instrument, consisting of this . He had planned to announce their engagement publicly on his upcoming tour in Memphis; sadly, he died before this could happen. 1. Who was Elvis engaged to when he died? From the Nevada State Journal came, simply: NONE BIGGER. Elvis Presley Was Originally Laid to Rest in a Public Cemetery But Then Moved to Graceland: Heres Why. Ginger Alden - Net Worth. Did Ginger Alden attend Elvis Presley's funeral? She says that they were happily and excitedly discussing wedding plans on the very night he died. Kennedy--who everyone assumed had come to pay her familys respects--was admitted to Graceland by Elvis friend and Memphis disc jockey George Klein. . He shook his head. Speaking about the film, Priscilla said her work on such projects allows her to experience Elvis' life all over again. We lived at the Beverly Wilshire. And the Commercial Appeals Jim Kingsley interviewed Vernon Presley, who thanked the worlds fans for their tributes. The procession headed to Forest Hill Cemetery, where Elvis beloved mother Gladys who died a premature death when the singer was a young man was interred. The Elvis tour that never happened. In October of 1977, the Shelby County medical examiner would announce that 10 drugs were present in Elvis bloodstream when he died. I said, To hell with it. . It was my way of trying to help him, but, I dont know--if Elvis had lived--if it (the book) would have made any difference. Admission to Elvis grave is now part of the Graceland tour. Although Elvis was unofficially betrothed to Priscilla Presley at the time, the connection he shared with his Viva Las Vegas co-star was too strong to be ignored. Soon, they were in a relationship, which continued till Presely's death in 1977. Now the district manager for the state of Tennessee for Guardian Plans Inc., a division of Service Corp. International, Kendall oversees agents who sell prearranged funerals. There are portions of that talk that Ive never printed--and I never will.. ", "My time with Lisa Marie was unique for me and special," added Alden, who had been 19 when she first started dating Elvis in November 1976. That look is not far away from her father's now. The eclectic Village Voice had its readers reaching for the dictionary with THE WORLDS MOST BELOVED SOLIPSIST IS DEAD. Why Netflix is dabbling in livestreaming, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Dramatic before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Best coffee city in the world? 6, a Modular Rev Ambulance an orange and white boxlike structure affixed to a GMC chassis turned on the siren and headed south. The excitement of those visits, said Elliott, never prepared him for the events of Aug. 16, 1977. Elviss last resting place was to be the family vault with space for six. (Her twentieth birthday was just six days earlier. Miss Alden, wearing the black dress she wore only hours earlier to the funeral, said she wanted to convince herself Presley was not dead. Elvis last week alive was apparently a happy one. But I do regret that Elvis is dead--Ill always regret that. Then there was the controversy concerning the death itself. "I grew to care deeply for her and felt the same from her.". But he reads everything he finds about Lisa Marie, now 19. Her father was an Army recruiter and her mother worked for the Internal Revenue Service. The next day I ended up in the bus in front of to the cortge, Murray, 67, continued, It was an extraordinary thing to seehundreds of thousands of people standing in a really hot day waiting.. Elvis Birthday Elvis Born January 8, 1935. The Beverly Wilshire didnt know what was happening, man.. She looks like she was a sweet girl. The men were later released, and charged only with trespassing, after police determined the scheme may have been a hoax. Did Priscilla go to Elvis funeral? She also noted how special Lisa Marie was to her father and recalled a moment between her and Elvis where he commented on just how alike they were. On January 8, 1977, Elvis Presley was found dead in his Graceland bathroom. . Because of Elvis love for his mother, his father knew hed want to be buried next to her. Burk, who now edits the Elvis World newsletter (with his wife, Connie Lauridsen Burk), wrote about his Thompson interview in his book, Elvis Through My Eyes., He detailed the account for a reporter, anyway, over lunch during a rainy afternoon in Memphis. Presleys body was already blue. Submitted by, George Vreeland Hill. As for stories that the Enquirer reporters riled reporters from other publications because they had papered the town by buying up exclusive rights to peoples stories--Calder said simply, If the sheer force of money can give you what people want to read, you give them what they want.. 3. According to sources within the Enquirer--as well as members of Elvis entourage--it was a cousin of Elvis who, armed with a $300 Minox (given him by an Enquirer reporter), snapped that last portrait. Many people agree that she phoned. Miss Alden, wearing the black dress she wore only hours earlier to the funeral, said she wanted to convince herself Presley was not dead. The police were called in. She failed. 2022 - 2023 Times Mojo - All Rights Reserved May you rest in peace Lisa. When she missed her deadline, she sold her story to Rolling Stone. Long Live the King. They were hawked for $1 at the cemetery where Elvis was laid to rest. There were a lot of people there, working on Elvis Presley. The world was shocked. On January 3, 1977 Elvis and Ginger along with a 15 man entourage attended the funeral of Ginger's Grandfather. I didnt want to think he was dead. Alden was reportedly the last person to see him alive, and she still has fond memories of her short time with The King. Alden was reportedly the last person to see him alive, and she still has fond memories of her short time with The King. Elvis Gold Piano Elvis Piano at Graceland. Vernon (Presley, Elvis father) was especially touched., Soul man James Brown had already made an appearance. . Elvis Presley had many loves across his lifetime from his ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, to his co-star Ann-Margret. TimesMojo is a social question-and-answer website where you can get all the answers to your questions. . He was, friends said, extremely overweight and though he had seen Elvis What Happened?, written by three of his former bodyguards, he did not seem overly bothered by anything. It read: THE KING IS DEAD! ET. His daughter and his companion, a local woman named Ginger Alden, and about 15 friends spent the night riding Casey's . Alden, who was engaged to Elvis and was with him the day he died, has been the subject . Did Ginger Alden go to Elvis funeral? When Priscilla and Elvis met, Priscilla was 14-years-old, and The King would have been 24-years-old. Calder is insistent: It was a terrific news photo at the time. KING ELVIS DIES, . She has said if she was thinking clearly she would have been in white. How Can We Protect Against Galvanic Corrosion? Required fields are marked *. The editorial in the Chicago Sun-Times was headlined: ELVIS: TIME FOR THE BLUES. Here's the full interview as first printed in Good Housekeeping, January 1978. heart failure Gladys Presley was only 46 when she died, after being hospitalized with hepatitis in 1958, when Elvis was undergoing basic training at Fort Hood, Texas, after being drafted into the Army. I was with him for 17 years so, for me, protection was an automatic thing. Alden notably didn't spend much time at Graceland, and did not want to move there. From fans to family members to friends, everyone mourned the loss of the pop culture icon. They were all staring at me and pointing. Why do you think so many of us stayed with him for so long? She didnt have any legs--only these stumps which she had to drag herself around on. Burt Reynolds, Ann-Margaret, John Wayne and Roger Smith attended the private funeral service. Elvis Presley, was still wearing her 11 1/2-carat diamond engagement ring as she recalled the final hours of the singer's life. He began recalling the events of the funeral, Because I was dazed with shock and misery, I didnt see or recognize some of the people at the funeral. He added, Ann-Margret and I hugged each other and cried together, but I didnt even see her husband, Roger Smith, who was close by.. ", Alden ended her post by writing, "I truly wish we could have spoken later in life as I am sure she had many questions. Like the bumper stickers that read, Elvis Lives. The cameraman gave him an insiders hookup. One of the reporters (who has since gone to work for a major newspaper--so please dont use my name, because now Im respectable ) recalled the epic events: We knew we had to be the best because, if youre with the Enquirer, you really are the best. 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