Will Elvis’s Ghost Appear for His 75th Birthday Celebration?

This morning on Today I watched Matt Lauer talk with Priscilla Presley about Elvis’s 75th birthday and some of the celebrations Graceland has planned in honor of that event.

I couldn’t help but wonder, “Will Elvis’s ghost show up at all?” Especially when Priscilla said, “I can visualize him coming down that staircase every time I come in. His spirit is definitely here.”

That’s all it took to get my juices stewing. So I spent the morning doing some research into Elvis-based Haunt Jaunts. Here’s what I came up with.

PLACES ELVIS’S GHOST HAS CLAIMED TO BE SEEN

If you want to try and see Elvis’s ghost, here’s some of the places he’s allegedly been spotted:

• Graceland – According to his ex-wife, Elvis can be felt throughout Graceland. However, those who have visited say his ghost most likely resides in the upstairs rooms, which is where his private quarters were and which was (and still is) off-limits to visitors. His ghost has also been reported walking through the gates. (A phenomenon which is even referenced in the song, “Walking in Memphis!”)
• Heartbreak Hotel – His ghost has been seen in the lobby and the chapel.
• Las Vegas Hilton – Stagehands have claimed they’ve caught sight of Elvis’s white-sequined jumpsuit clad apparition backstage.

Here in Nashville it’s rumored his ghost still haunts the building that once housed the RCA recording studio where he recorded what would become his first hit song, “Heartbreak Hotel.” However, I didn’t uncover an actual address. All I know is it’s supposedly right off Music Row.

ELVIS 75TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION FESTIVITIES: Thursday, January 7, 2010 – Sunday, January 10, 2010

For a list of all the activities planned this weekend, check out Graceland’s The Elvis Presley Birthday Celebration link.

The party actually kicked off yesterday, but events are planned through the entire weekend. Some 3,000 tickets have already been sold.

However, his birthday bash won’t end Sunday. There’s a year-long celebration planned which includes such festivities as:

• The “Tupelo to Memphis” exhibit (Graceland)
• The Cirque du Soleil “Viva Elvis” show (Las Vegas)
• The Elvis iPhone app (which was released last year but has fan favorite features like “Elvis sightings” and a Graceland cam –which you could use to see if his ghost is walking through those gates!)

FUN LINKS:

• Graceland Cam
• Ghost pictures of Elvis Presley

SOURCES:

• Ghosts of the Prairie: Haunted Tennessee
• The Psychic Experiences of Elvis Presley Ghost
• Ghosts of Hollywood Legends, Part 1
• Graceland is Haunted!
• The Ghost of Graceland
• Want Elvis on iPhone? There’s an “app” for that

Courtney Mroch

Courtney Mroch is a globe-trotting restless spirit who’s both possessed by wanderlust and the spirit of adventure, and obsessed with true crime, horror, the paranormal, and weird days. Perhaps it has something to do with her genes? She is related to occult royalty, after all. Marie Laveau, the famous Voodoo practitioner of New Orleans, is one of her ancestors. (Yes, really! As explained here.) That could also explain her infatuation with skeletons.

Speaking of mystical, to learn how Courtney channeled her battle with cancer to conjure up this site, check out HJ’s Origin Story.