Since Elvis Presley’s untimely death at 42, the descendants of the King of Rock‘n’Roll have had to weather many challenges to his legacy. There have been divorces, premature deaths, drug addiction, suicide, rifts and terrible fallings-out. Yet through it all, Graceland, his historic estate in Memphis, Tennessee — set on more than five rolling green hectares, with its magnificent, white pillared portico — has stood strong; an emblem of resilience, a fortress holding the disparate clan together, over the past 47 years.
The Presley DNA runs through the soil like a seam: Elvis is buried there, along with both his parents, his paternal grandmother, grandson and most recently his daughter Lisa Marie, who died last year aged 54. Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion. The family’s self-appointed matriarch, ex-wife Priscilla, has stated her intention to be reunited with her former husband here when her time comes.
The idea of Graceland ever belonging to any other family is unthinkable. And yet, last week, it was forced to defend itself against a sinister attempt to wrestle the iconic property — visited by hundreds of thousands of fans every year — from the Presley family’s control. The audacious bid began in September when a company calling itself Naussany Investments and Private Lending claimed it had loaned Elvis’ daughter Lisa Marie $US3.
8 million ($5.75m) in 2018, with her father’s historic property as collateral.
