Priscilla Presley Pleads With Elvis Presley Fans To ‘Listen’ and ‘Calm Down’
Priscilla Presley has taken to her Facebook page, with Elvis Presley fans in an uproar after two very valuable objects were set to be removed from the property at Graceland.
The possible release of two jets, the Lisa Marie and the Hound Dog II, have sparked critical comments from fans of Priscilla Presley’s late ex-husband. The Associated Press reported last week that the owners of the two jets were informed by Elvis Presley Enterprises to prepare to move the jets off of the grounds when the agreement ends in April 2015.
OKC Partnership owns the planes, and Elvis Presley Enterprises operates Graceland as a tourist attraction. According to Contactmusic, the planes were under a 30-year agreement since the planes were installed at Graceland in the mid-1980s. OKC Partnership receives a certain amount of ticket sales in return for use of the planes as an attraction.
Pricilla Presley’s ex-husband bought the planes in 1975 to use on concert tours. After Elvis Presley died, his planes were sold and bought by OKC Partnership in Memphis.
Elvis Presley Enterprises and OKC Partnership have been at odds recently. A lawsuit was filed on May 27 in Shelby County Chancery Court over a disagreement on how tickets to see the airplane exhibit are sold. Tickets are currently sold in a bundle with tours of the mansion, but Elvis Presley Enterprises wants to sell the tickets to see the jets separately.
Fans took to Facebook to complain on Priscilla Presley’s page regarding the suggestion that the planes could possibly be moved elsewhere other than Graceland.
Priscilla responded to the fans on July 2 with, “I see your posts about the planes. Please calm down, we’re in the midst of negotiations. It’s as simple as that. Thank you.”
Elvis Presley’s fans continued to raise concerns over the subject, and Priscilla decided to post another statement on Sunday.
“I’m reading what you are saying, but listen, the people who own the plane put the release out to intentionally upset everyone. We’re on top of it. Thank you for your trust in us. We will soon be putting out a release about some new and exciting things happening at Graceland.”
The Associated Press later reported that some of the Elvis fans were supportive of his ex-wife Priscilla, although it was not clear whether the planes could remain on the grounds of Graceland if negotiations worked out.
Priscilla Presley had the original idea to open Graceland to the public when she had to manage Elvis Presley’s estate after his father’s death in 1979, and she still remains active in the property’s interests to this day.
[Images via Daily News and AP Photo/Adrian Sainz]
