Elvis Presley's ex-wife Priscilla and their only daughter Lisa Marie stunned a crowd of thousands Wednesday night when they made an unplanned stop at Graceland for a candlelight vigil commemorating the 35th anniversary of the singer's death.
Priscilla and Lisa Marie appeared before the crowd on a stage, the eve of the Aug. 16 date when the rock and roll icon died at home in 1977 from a heart attack after battling prescription drug abuse.
"I've always avoided this because I felt that it would be too emotional," Lisa Marie, 44, told the crowd, reports the Associated Press. "But I really felt it was important to come down here tonight. I love you very, very, very much."
"You should see this from our point of view. It's amazing," said Priscilla, 67, as she looked out from the stage at a sea of burning candles. "It's truly a sight to behold."
The crowd gathered at Graceland was one of the largest in recent years with approximately 75,000 in attendance.
Priscilla Presley told Today on Thursday that she was advised not to open Graceland to the public. "I was told that Elvis passed, and that he'll be forgotten in the next couple of years. Life goes on," she said. "Thank God I didn't listen to any of those people." Priscilla made plans to get fixed up and opened for fans from around the country and world could come and have one last look at the behind the scenes life of the singing legend. More than 600,000 visitors flock to Graceland every year.
The residence was opened in 1982 and quickly took its place in American culture, earning the distinction of National Historic Landmark in 2006. "We had no idea--we knew we'd have maybe some visitors, but not to this extent," Priscilla said.
Lisa Marie joined her mother on the Today show making it the first time the two have been interviewed in Graceland together. "I'm always really happy when I'm here. It always reminds me of when I was the happiest, I think, in my life," Lisa Marie said.
