Elvis Presley‘s Graceland home is the second-most visited private residence in the United States, behind the White House. The king of rock and roll’s mansion is beloved by fans of all ages. While the home remains in the Presley family, no one has lived there full-time for many years. Who was the last person to live at the king’s historic Memphis abode?
When Elvis Presley purchased Graceland in 1957, he wanted the home to be a place for his extended family to feel welcome. He initially lived at the residence with his father, Vernon, his mother, Gladys, and grandmother, Minnie Mae.
Also, another member of the extended Presley clan who lived at the home was Delta Presley Biggs, Vernon’s sister. Aunt Delta, as she came to be known by Presley fans, moved into the house in 1966 after the death of her husband.
Delta’s mother, Minnie Mae, was already living at Graceland. However, after Elvis died of a heart attack at 42 in Graceland’s master bathroom in 1977, Minne Mae and Aunt Delta were the only remaining Presleys living full-time in the home.
Vernon Presley had his residence less than one mile from the historic estate. He also had an office behind Graceland, where he tended to his son’s business affairs.
Two years after Presley’s death, Vernon died. Minnie Mae followed in 1980.
That left Aunt Delta, who was allowed to continue to live in the home even after Graceland was opened to the public in 1982. She remained at Graceland until her death in 1993.
How did Aunt Delta live at Graceland while tours were in full swing?
Aunt Delta continued to live at Graceland after Priscilla Presley, Elvis’ only wife, opened up the home’s doors to the public. She stayed in a bedroom off the kitchen that is not part of the current tour.
Even after public tours began in 1982, Aunt Delta’s bedroom and the kitchen were excluded so she could live peacefully without being bothered by fans. At the end of the day, tour guides would signal to Delta that she could come out and use the rest of the mansion in the evenings.
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Per Express, Graceland’s archivist Angie Marchese, Delta would often change elements of the home around in the evenings. “She would often change stuff on the dining room table. So you would come in one day, and the placemats would be blue; the next day, they could be red. You didn’t know what color the dining room table would be decorated,” she revealed.
Also, Edmund, Delta’s Pomeranian, would often run out into the Jungle Room in the middle of the day. This would surprise tourists before the dog would be whisked back to wherever Delta was at that time.
Delta lived at Graceland until 1993. Two years later, her room was converted back to resemble the way it was as Elvis’ parents’ bedroom, and the kitchen was added to the Graceland tour.
Lisa Marie called Aunt Delta ‘scary’
On her debut album, To Whom It May Concern, Lisa Marie Presley addressed many issues regarding her family. She recorded a song that had a title containing her family nickname. “S.O.B.” is the album’s lead track. She discussed the moniker in a Playboy Magazine interview.
“It’s a term I heard a lot growing up. “C’mere, you little son of a b****,” she explained. “My family members say that to one another.”
Lisa Marie continued, “My Aunt Delta used to live in Graceland. She was a scary woman, very funny. People were afraid to be around her.”
“She was an alcoholic diabetic, so she wasn’t always in the best mood. Her room was away from the tours, but she would come out to walk her dog and then flip off the tourists. They would come up to her and say, ‘Are you Aunt Delta?’ She’d say, ‘Hell no, Delta died last night.’”
Elements of this story were first reported by Elvis.com.au and Graceland’s official website.
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