Fans have long wondered about Elvis Presley’s Graceland upstairs area, which was his private area in life.
While in death, The King’s sanctuary has remained off-limits to those touring the mansion to this day.
Nevertheless, members of the star’s inner circle, known as the Memphis Mafia, have shared memories of their time in Elvis’ bedroom with The King.
Elvis’ cousin Billy Smith, who even knew The King before he hit fame in 1956, has a YouTube channel with his wife Jo called Elvis Fans Matter.
In one previous episode, the couple said how they would go up to Elvis’ bedroom to hang out with the star where they would talk, listen to music and watch television.
Billy said: “He pretty much dominated what we were doing since it was his room. He was the boss! It always was interesting. He’d talk about different things it could be anything. Something scientific, aliens…”
Jo Smith shared: “Sometimes it could be really, really serious and other times it was like the home for silly. We’d do goofy things that you’d have thought grown-up people at the age we were, would not have done that. But we did. It was like kids kinda.”
One ritual The King invited his inner circle to take part in involved a nightly protection chant.
Jo said: “It would usually be [The King’s girlfriend] Linda [Thompson], Elvis, Billy and me and we would wind up in the middle of his bed in a circle.”
Jo continued: “We’d hold hands and we did all kinds of things. I remember one time everybody had to cover their eyes and then had to describe what we were seeing at that moment, what was going on in our mind and then he analysed it.
I know one time I said, ‘I see stars’ and he said, ‘If you don’t come up with something better you are gonna see stars!’”
When it came to the chant before leaving to go home, the four would all hold hands together on the bed. The words instigated by the spiritually curious Elvis would be: “Christ love, Christ life, Christ peace.”
Billy and Jo said how Elvis asked them and Linda to visualise a white aura around each person and a dome over the four of them.They added that it was “supposed to protect you and your family or whoever you were thinking about.”
The couple were some of the last people to see The King alive having spent his final hours with him at Graceland playing racquetball at his private court behind the mansion.To this day, Elvis’ bedroom is preserved like he just got up and left on August 16, 1977.