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Priscilla Presley fought to save Graceland

Jan 5, 2013, 9:01 GMT

Priscilla Presley

Priscilla Presley felt Elvis Presley's voice 'guiding' her to save Graceland.

The actress' late ex-husband's house in Memphis, Tennessee, has been preserved as a shrine in his honour and it is now a huge tourist attraction, but Priscilla had to fight hard to keep the property and its contents after Elvis' death in 1977.

She said: 'I wanted to do the right thing, knowing what Elvis wanted and how much he loved Graceland. I had the forces against me. Attorneys, business and financial people just a him as someone who had passed away and would be forgotten about in a few months. I didn't see it that way. I put my foot down.

'They wanted me to sell Graceland and get rid of all the properties and artefacts, and I said, 'No, it's not happening. This is his legacy.' He gave us too much for something like that to happen. It was almost as though his voice was guiding me.'

Priscilla, now 67, also said Graceland serves as a great reminder of who Elvis was for his grandchildren; Riley Keough, Benjamin Keough, Harper Vivienne Ann Lockwood, Finley Aaron Love Lockwood, all offspring of her and Elvis' daughter Lisa Marie.

She told Britain's HELLO! magazine: 'We go to Graceland and there are pictures, so we'll tell them about that if they ask. If they hear music we'll say, that's your granddaddy singing.'