Upstairs at Graceland is off-limits to the public out of deep respect for Elvis Presley's private life and his final resting place, as his body was found in his upstairs bathroom, making it a sacred, personal space the family wanted preserved undisturbed, honoring his wishes for privacy and preventing morbid tourism at the scene of his death. The Presley family, including Priscilla and Lisa Marie, maintain the second floor as a private sanctuary, untouched since Elvis's passing in 1977, allowing only a few close family members and staff access.
Only Priscilla, Lisa Marie, and Graceland's Curator are allowed to go upstairs. It was here, in his bathroom that Elvis's body was found. The house opened to the public in 1982, and the second floor was sealed off out of respect for the family and to avoid any macabre attention at the scene of his death.
A: The second floor is restricted to preserve Elvis Presley's privacy and legacy, having been left untouched since his death. Q: What rooms are on the second floor of Graceland? A: The second floor houses bedrooms, including Elvis's, his office, and bathroom — all kept as they were in his lifetime.
The upstairs has never been open to the public. At the time Graceland opened to the public family still used the upstairs to live in when visiting. There have been several TV tours done and they always say that the upstairs was kept private so the family could have some degree of privacy.
Only a few have been granted access: Priscilla and Lisa Marie, Nicolas Cage during his marriage to Lisa, filmmaker Baz Luhrmann while preparing the Elvis movie, and Oprah Winfrey, who toured it privately with Lisa Marie during an interview. For the rest of the world, the door stays closed.
Nick explained. “Usually you pass it all in two or three days, but at the autopsy we found stool in his colon which had been there for five months or more because of the poor motility of the bowel.”
Dolly Parton said no to Elvis Presley recording "I Will Always Love You" because his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, demanded half of the publishing rights, which Parton refused to give up, as she wanted to keep ownership and the future earnings for her family. Despite her heartbreak at the missed opportunity, she held firm to her business principle, understanding that retaining the copyright was crucial for her financial security and legacy, a decision that paid off immensely after Whitney Houston's cover became a global phenomenon.
The upstairs of Elvis Presley's beloved home remains sealed — a sacred space preserved just as he left it.
“The estate is considered unique under Tennessee law, and in being unique the loss of the real estate will be considered irreparable harm,” Jenkins said. Jenkins also said there was evidence that a company trying to foreclose on Graceland had forged documents that it claimed gave it the right to sell the property.
When Elvis died, Frank Sinatra honored him as a "wonderful fellow," a "gentle, good man," and a generous friend, acknowledging his immense contribution to American music and his kindness to children's hospitals, despite their earlier artistic differences. Sinatra's comments, made in a 1977 performance, highlighted Elvis's graciousness and impact, showing a personal respect for the man behind the legend.
This private moment coupled with the nature of his death is why the Presley family decided to keep the second floor off limits to the public. It's a way to preserve the dignity of Elvis' final moments and ensure that his fans focus on his incredible legacy rather than the circumstances of his death.
Fun Fact: Oprah Winfrey and Elvis Presley are distant cousins. Oprah's grandmother's last name is Presley.
He never thought he had a problem because he was taking "prescription drugs". Lab reports indicated that 14 drugs were found in Presley's blood at the time of his death, including "near toxic levels" of codeine, morphine, Placidyl and other prescription drugs.
Fran Hasty Cooper he was offered a colostomy, but he refused. Today they could have taken part of his colon out and he would've been fine. A lot of morbid people and the way they remember Elvis for his backed up colon.
Elvis' father, Vernon Presley, reportedly extended the period where fans could enter the home so as many as possible could say farewell. Elvis lay in state in a copper casket, wearing a white suit, light blue shirt, and white tie. After the viewing, Elvis' body was moved to Forest Hills Cemetary in Memphis.
Those planes are currently on display at Graceland, Presley's mansion in Memphis, Tennessee. The interior of N-20TF leaves little doubt that it once belonged to Elvis, resplendent in wood paneling and red velvet upholstery with hardware finished in gold. Six plush chairs swivel and recline, and there's also a couch.
Controversy continued to rage as critics and scholars discovered that Simon's lyrics made no comments against the apartheid. Though Simon had entered a political firestorm, many thought he had made a grave error by avoiding political content on Graceland. Simon's initial intentions on Graceland were self-serving.
However, by the time Lisa Marie inherited Elvis' whole estate in 1993, the amount had grown to $100 million, thanks to the stewardship of Priscilla. “I tried to ignore it,” Lisa Marie told People at the time.
On Jan. 18, 1996, Lisa Marie Presley filed for divorce from Michael Jackson after less than two years of marriage.
He basically died of a heart attack brought on by starring too hard on the toilet to have a bowel movement. This was impossible as his intestines were blocked with 35 pounds of grayish fecal matter that would have required surgery to remove. The coroner said it was like concrete.
Dolly Parton refused to let Elvis Presley record her song, "I Will Always Love You," because his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, demanded half the publishing rights, which Parton would not give up, believing the song was her most important copyright and retirement fund. Although Elvis loved the song and sang it to Priscilla Presley after their divorce, the deal fell through due to Parker's insistence on the publishing cut, a decision Parton later recognized as prescient when Whitney Houston made the song a global phenomenon.
Elvis' father, Vernon, inherited Graceland after Elvis' death on August 16, 1977. Lisa Marie Presley inherited Graceland after she turned 25 years old. Following Lisa Marie's death on January 12, 2023, her eldest daughter, Riley Keough, became the sole trustee and owner.
As a result of his horrendous diet, he suffered from chronic constipation and a post mortem found he had compacted stool that was four months old sitting in his bowel. The singer was also on a cocktail of drugs and had been prescribed almost 9,000 pills, vials and injections in the seven months before his death.
Johnny Harris The Man Who Turned Elvis Down Twice.