Priscilla Presley is trying to reassure upset Elvis Presley fans, asking them to “please calm down” after a report that two jets once owned by the singer could be removed from Graceland.
The Associated Press reported last week that Elvis Presley Enterprises — which operates Graceland in Memphis — informed the owners of the airplanes named the Lisa Marie and the Hound Dog II to prepare to remove the planes when an agreement to keep them at at the tourist attraction ends next April.
The planes — bought by Elvis Presley in 1975 — were used to transport the legendary singer on concert tours. After his death on Aug. 16, 1977, the planes were sold and were eventually bought by OKC Partnership.
In the mid-1980s, OKC Partnership and Graceland agreed to house the two jets at Graceland, giving OKC Partnership a portion of the ticket sales.
Priscilla Presley Pleads With Elvis Presley Fans To ‘Listen’ and ‘Ca … – http://t.co/YvTj95S7zb pic.twitter.com/jUdnbyguRA
— Gossips RTNews (@GossipsRTNews) July 9, 2014
On July 2, Priscilla posted her plea to fans:
It is unclear from the posting if “negotiations” means there’s a possibility the planes could remain at Graceland.
She posted again on Sunday:
OKC Partnership does not want to remove the planes because the partners would lose money from ticket sales if the planes are removed. However, Elvis Presley Enterprises sent a letter to OKC Partnership’s K.G. Coker, asking Coker “to make arrangements for the removal of the airplanes and the restoration of the site on or shortly after April 26, 2015.”
Much of this seems to stem from a lawsuit filed May 27 over a dispute about how tickets to the airplane exhibit are sold.
Currently tickets are bundled in a package that includes the tour of the Graceland mansion, but Graceland’s operators want to sell the airplane tours separately.
Image via Wikimedia Commons
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