About 200 family members, friends and close associates attended the private service at Graceland, a star-studded event that brought John Wayne, Burt Reynolds, George Hamilton, Ann-Margret and Caroline Kennedy.
Did Elvis Presley ever play in a movie with John Wayne?
In fact, Wayne had approached Elvis on several occasions over the years to appear on screen with him only to have the dictatorial Colonel Parker put the kabosh on any such dream teaming. Parker always insisted that Elvis get top billing, even when it was impractical.
The 80-year-old Hollywood legend says he and the late rock 'n' roll star were studio pals as Elvis was often working next door to where Clint was filming in the 1960s. The pair struck up a friendship and it seems the dark-haired sex symbol could not resist meeting a 'cowboy'.
In June 1960, Elvis reportedly met the blonde bombshell for the first time behind the scenes of Paramount Studios, but it only lasted for a few minutes before they parted ways.
A Career In Movies Matched Oceanside Retiree Up With John Wayne And Elvis
Did Michael Jackson and Elvis ever meet?
Yes Michael and Elvis meet back in 1976 in Las Vegas at the Jackson 5 concert where Elvis brought his daughter Lisa Marie, that's when Michael met his first wife for the first time.
Sylvester Stallone attributes these events to a viewpoint he developed later, which is to grab opportunities whenever they're offered. Sadly, an Elvis Presley-Sylvester Stallone meeting never happened, but he did at least send a copy of the film to the singer.
Technically, Nicolas Cage didn't play Elvis in the 1992 romantic comedy "Honeymoon in Vegas." However, he did play Jack Singer, a desperate gambler who joins up with a troop of parachuting Elvis impersonators for a wild night of adventure while on a mission to win back his fiancée, played by Sarah Jessica Parker.
Tom Hanks has already been cast as Elvis' notoriously controlling manager, Colonel Tom Parker — and Ansel Elgort, Miles Teller, Austin Butler and Harry Styles have all auditioned for the part of the legendary singer, Deadline reports.
Baz Luhrmann is behind the new biopic and it's been reported that five young actors have been called in to test for the role, with Austin Butler, Ansel Elgort, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Harry Styles and Miles Teller all in the running.
Elvis is currently buried between his father Vernon and his grandmother Minnie, while his daughter Lisa Marie and her son Benjamin Keough's final resting places are across the garden on the other side of a fountain.
Elvis was first buried at a nearby mausoleum alongside his mother, Gladys, then their remains were relocated to Graceland's Meditation Garden after thieves attempted to steal his body. Presley, his parents, grandmother, daughter and grandson are also buried there.
The Blackwood Brothers performed two beloved hymns: “How Great Thou Art,” a song Elvis did regularly in concert and that was requested by the family for the funeral, and “Sweet, Sweet Spirit.”
Elvis Presley died suddenly at home in Graceland on August 16, 1977, with his fiancée Ginger Alden in the next room. After a succession of girlfriends before, during and after his marriage to Priscilla, Ginger was the first one he proposed to.
Priscilla was there for Elvis' funeral on August 18, 1977 at Graceland. There were about 80,000 in attendance, according to People. "I was in shock," Priscilla said of the funeral on TODAY in 2018. "You'd see glimpses, you'd see people crying, hysterical, fainting, and that's how impactful it was and still to this day.
"They even went on vacation together to Hawaii and spent lots of time together in Las Vegas. "Elvis was always cautious about letting people get close and what their intentions were," he says: "But he was inspired by Tom and they became very good friends."
When he returned to Memphis, Elvis earned his first-degree black belt in 1960 under Chito-Ryu stylist Hank Slemansky. Later, he trained in a Memphis dojo under Master Kang Rhee, who bestowed upon him a seventh degree black belt in March of 1973 and his eighth in September of 1974.
Speaking on This Morning on Wednesday (25 October), Presley's best friend, Jerry Schilling said the singer died because of “creative disappointment”. He said: “My friend was a genius and in periods of his life he was given mediocre work.” He added: “I lost my friend at an early age because of creative disappointment.
Schilling helped Presley get clean in 1975, by which time he had already quit working for him on several occasions, compromised by his boss's self-destructive behaviour. 'By 1976 I was faced with two choices - I could stay around and be a pain in the ass or I could be a yes-man. I didn't like either.
He says Elvis's favorite groups were the Harmonizing Four and Golden Gate Quartet and his favorite gospel singers included Jimmy Jones, Jake Hess (who sang with the Statesmen and later formed the Imperials) and Mahalia Jackson.
