Having shot to stardom in 1956, Elvis Presley was understandably concerned for his privacy and security when moving into Graceland a year later. As a result, The King had a special wall built on the mansion’s first-floor landing, which you can see from the bottom of the main staircase today. There are even a couple of one-way mirrors installed, so he could see exactly who was coming up to see him. It was a huge privilege to go up there, something that was by invite-only, even for his closest friends.
Graceland may have been opened for tours 40 years ago, but the mysterious upstairs continues to remain off-limits to fans to this day out of respect of Elvis, who died in 1977. Nevertheless, there are friends and family still alive who have shared just what it’s like up there in his private haven. There’s Lisa Marie’s childhood bedroom, Elvis’ office, his dressing room and most famously The King’s bedroom and bathroom where he suffered a fatal heart attack.
According to former girlfriend Linda Thompson, the bedroom is decorated extravagantly in black, red and gold with windows that never opened. Elvis’ oversized black bed was custom-made for him with dimensions of around 7 by 9 and a mirror located behind it. There was a long shag carpet, red walls and nightstands and lamps covered in gold leaf.
The King had a massive TV at the end of his bed and even had one put into the ceiling so that he could lie down and watch without having to sit up. But aside from his lovers over the years, close friends would be invited into the room to hang out for hours on end. His cousin and last surviving original Memphis Mafia member Billy Smith, alongside his wife Jo, has many fond memories of such intimate times up there with his famous relative.
Billy, who is one of the few people left alive who knew the real Elvis from before he was even famous, has spoken of special times upstairs in The King’s bedroom on his YouTube Channel that he hosts with his Memphis Mafia wife.
Speaking on Elvis Fans Matter, Jo confessed: “It was so comfortable. I remember we used to go up there and watch movies on the video player. One time we watched A Shot in the Dark until I swear I think I knew every line in it and we would get so sleepy. It would be Patsy Presley and Billy and me and Gigi and Elvis and whoever Elvis was with. We would get so tired, we’d sit at the end of the bed and lean against the foot of his bed because the TV was right in front up on like a little platform thing so he could see. Sometimes we’d fall asleep and we would hear, ‘Y’all better not be sleeping!’ and we’d jump to alert!”
It’s amazing they could get to sleep given just how freezing she says The King kept his room.
READ MORE: Elvis ‘I accidentally rang sleeping King in bed upstairs at Graceland’
Jo continued: “He’d go get a robe or a jacket or something for you to put on because he kept his room cold. As Lamar would say, you could hang meat in his room and it would not spoil.”
On the night’s progression, she continued: “We’d watch [the same movie] over and over and over and after that would sit up in the middle of his bed and talk and act stupid, act silly. People would be amazed at some of the silly crap we did. But it was natural to us and Elvis was as silly as everybody else!”
The couple said their favourite thing about The King was his great sense of humour, sharing: “I mean he could be dead serious quoting Scripture and all of a sudden come up with something that would just startle you and make you just die laughing.”
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Billy said: “If he got into something too deep and he thought it was starting to bother you, then he could kind of make a joke about something and break the ice. And then you’d get on a laughing kick.
Jo added: “He had the best laugh in the world. Some of my best memories and best times at Graceland was like Billy and me and Elvis and Linda up in his bedroom and just letting it all just [come out]. He’d have food brought up and we would sit around and eat and act silly. It was like a release for him.”
The King and his friends would then talk for hours on the star’s favourite topics like science, religion, spirituality, numerology and the paranormal. And when it came time to say good night, they’d all hold hands and say a special protection chant.
Billy said: “If he got into something too deep and he thought it was starting to bother you, then he could kind of make a joke about something and break the ice. And then you’d get on a laughing kick.
Jo added: “He had the best laugh in the world. Some of my best memories and best times at Graceland was like Billy and me and Elvis and Linda up in his bedroom and just letting it all just [come out]. He’d have food brought up and we would sit around and eat and act silly. It was like a release for him.”
The King and his friends would then talk for hours on the star’s favourite topics like science, religion, spirituality, numerology and the paranormal. And when it came time to say good night, they’d all hold hands and say a special protection chant.
This would take place at around dawn when Elvis and his friends finally called it a night. In the early 1970s, it would usually be The King, Linda, Billy and Jo sitting in the middle of his huge bed and holding hands to say their protection chant.
The words instigated by the spiritually curious Elvis would be: “Christ love, Christ life, Christ peace.” The star would then ask them all to visualise a white aura around each person and a dome over the four of them to protect them, their family and whoever they were thinking about.
To this day, Elvis’ bedroom is preserved like he just got up and left on August 16, 1977, at the request of his daughter Lisa Marie.
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