Priscilla Presley’s Graceland Burial Is ‘Kind of Strange,’ Says Elvis Presley’s Cousin
Graceland’s Meditation Garden has become a place where fans of Elvis Presley can pay their respects to not only the king of rock and roll but his family. However, the garden has recently become a hot-button topic among Elvis’ fans, who recently learned his ex-wife Priscilla would someday be interred there. Elvis’ cousin Billy Smith weighed in on the debate calling the decision “kind of strange.”
Billy Smith finds it odd Priscilla Presley will be buried near Elvis Presley in Graceland’s Meditation Garden
Elvis Presley’s cousin Billy Smith runs a YouTube channel named Memphis Mafia Kid. There, he interacts with Elvis’ fans and shares details about growing up at Graceland in Memphis, TN.
In a video uploaded on June 20, Smith shared his thoughts about the news Prisiclla Presley would be interred with Elvis, his parents Vernon and Gladys Presley, his grandmother Minnie Mae Presley, daughter Lisa Marie Presley and grandson Benjamin Keough. Her request was initially denied.
“These are only our opinions,” Smith said of himself and his wife. “As everybody has their own.”
“Nothing against Priscilla at all. I spent time with Priscilla. She’s a great lady, always damn good to me,” Smith explained. However, he admitted, “I find it kind of strange.”
Billy Smith said it’s the family’s decision when it comes to who is buried at Graceland
Billy Smith is the son of Travis Smith, the brother Elvis’ mother, Gladys. Travis later took on the role of the main Graceland guard.
Smith grew up alongside Elvis. In later years, he and his wife Jo lived on the grounds of Graceland behind the main house. He would assist Elvis with his day-to-day needs and go on tour with him.
Of the family’s decision regarding Priscilla’s final resting place, Smith said he had no prior knowledge.”That’s their decision. We don’t have anything to say or do with it. We are not connected to it,”
“I understand she and Elvis were married, and Lisa was her daughter, and she had a grandson there,” Smith continued. “But that’s Elvis and his family.”
Smith understands that Priscilla was once part of Elvis’ immediate family. “They did divorce and remained friends, but I’m not real fond of it [the decision[,” he concluded.
Was Graceland’s Meditation Garden always a graveyard?
Initially, Elvis Presley built the Meditation Garden in Graceland’s backyard as a place where he could have some quiet space for reflection. The area was originally constructed between 1964 and 1965.
The original design of the garden remains. It includes a center pool of water with fountain jets that make a soothing sound. Around the area is a pergola.
On one side is a brick wall with four arched openings. It closes one end of the garden.
However, after Elvis’ death in August 1977, he was not initially interred at Graceland. He was laid to rest with his mother at Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis.
But after an attempt to steal Elvis’ remains was made, his casket was exhumed two months later and placed at Graceland along with the remains of his mother, Gladys. Vernon Presley died two years later, in 1979.
Elvis’ grandmother Minnie Mae Presley died in 1980. The remains of Elvis’ grandson Benjamin Keough, who died in 2020, and Elvis’ daughter Lisa Marie Presley, in 2023, are also interred on the property. A marker noting Elvis’ stillborn brother, Jesse, is also present in the Meditation garden.
