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Elvis Presley’s home of Graceland has been open for public tours for the last 40 years. However, to this day, his private upstairs area remains off-limits, just as was the case during his lifetime. When The King moved into the mansion in 1957, he had a privacy wall with one-way mirrors installed on the first-floor landing for security and privacy purposes.
Elvis’ inner circle, the Memphis Mafia, had free rein of Graceland, but they had to be personally invited by The King if they were to venture upstairs. Located up there was the star’s bedroom, ensuite bathroom, dressing room and office, plus a dressing room for his girlfriend and bedroom of daughter Lisa Marie Presley.
Fans will know Elvis was very fond of animals, with a statue of their patron saint St Francis of Assisi located by the waterfall in the Jungle Room. There were horses, chickens, ducks, donkeys and even a turkey called Bow Tie on the estate. But The King also had a number of dogs over his 20 years at Graceland.
According to Graceland’s official website: “He had a Basset Hound named Sherlock, Great Danes named Brutus and Snoopy, and Edmund, a Pomeranian he gave to his Aunt Delta, because the two bonded so quickly. Get Lo, a Chow, was another of Elvis’ dogs. He was once flown to Boston on Elvis’ small Jetstar plane to get treatment for a kidney ailment. He stayed in Boston for three months as he was treated, and then was flown home, where treatment continued. Sadly, Get Lo didn’t make it. Elvis also had dogs he named Whoosh, Oswald and Michael Edwards, named after Elvis’ character in It Happened at the World’s Fair.”
Now Danny Smith, the son of The King’s cousin and Memphis Mafia member Billy Smith, has previously shared if his canine friends were ever allowed upstairs into his private bedroom area.
READ MORE: Elvis’ karate moves left damage you can see on Graceland tour today
Today the space is used as a utility room where breaker boxes and spare lightbulbs are kept inside. However, what remains authentic from The King’s time are the original dog collars of his prized mutts hanging up inside to this day.
The closet is located right by the Bird Room where Elvis’ talking myna birds lived. Likewise, that space is now used by Graceland today, storing cleaning equipment and stanchion barriers for photoshoots in the mansion.
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