On August 16, 1977, the world stopped. Elvis Presley, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, had passed away. Millions of fans were heartbroken, crying for the man who changed music forever. But while everyone knows Elvis died, very few people know the wild and scary story of what happened after his funeral.
The day after Elvis passed away, the gates of his beautiful home, Graceland, opened for his fans. A massive crowd of over 75,000 people lined the hot streets of Memphis just to say goodbye. Inside the house, a small, private funeral was held for his family and close friends.
Elvis Presley – Funeral
Because Elvis loved church music, his favorite gospel singers sang beautiful hymns like “How Great Thou Art.” After the songs, Elvis was placed inside a very special casket made of heavy copper metal. It was so heavy that it took eight strong men just to carry it! He was then buried at a local cemetery next to his beloved mother, Gladys.
Everyone thought the King was finally resting in peace. But just eleven days later, something crazy happened. In the middle of the night, three men snuck into the cemetery with tools. They had a secret, wicked plan: they wanted to steal Elvis’s body and hide it!
The criminals planned to force Elvis’s family to pay them 10 million dollars to get him back. Luckily, the police discovered the plot just in time and caught the bad men before they could touch the casket.
In 1977, A Tragic Attempt To Steal Elvis Presley’s body
This scary event deeply frightened Elvis’s father, Vernon Presley. He knew he had to protect his son’s body from anyone else who might try to hurt him. So, he made a big decision.
Vernon had both Elvis and his mother move back home to Graceland. They buried them in the backyard, inside a beautiful area called the Meditation Garden. To make sure they were completely safe, the graves were covered in thick, heavy concrete and strong steel.
Today, millions of people visit Graceland every year to see Elvis’s grave. He was never supposed to be buried in his backyard, but a shocking mystery changed history forever, keeping the King safe at home.