Paying tribute to Lisa Marie Presley

They are both part of the applause that followed.

For the last few days John Lobb has been playing the 45, Don’t Cry Daddy, as part of his tribute to Lisa Marie Presley who died last week.

John and Donna Lobb were part of the audience in Memphis on April 16, 1997, when Lisa sang the track live with the voice of her father, Elvis Presley.

A recording was made of the duet which John and Donna possess.

John, who has one of the biggest collection of Elvis memorabilia in New Zealand, is now preparing his tribute to Lisa Marie. They include recordings, autographed photos she’s sent to him plus an original one-off pencil drawing of Elvia and Lisa Marie by American artist, Betty Harper.

It was on display in an exhibition in the US when John read about it and negotiated with the artist to buy the original.

Memories of watching Lisa Marie live and his life-time devotion to Elvis have flooded back over the last few days.

“I didn’t believe it when she died but she’d been having problems and illnesses over recent years,” he said. “I was saddened by her death. She’d had a troubled life, especially regarding her marriages.”

While John and Donna never met Lisa Marie, John has met Priscilla Presley, Lisa’s mother, during a visit to Memphis.

“She’d attended and spoken at an event across the road from Gracelands. Afterwards I joined a queue to meet her,” John recalls.

“I told her I was an Elvis enthusiast from New Zealand and she seemed surprised and pleased that Elvis’s popularity had extended that far.”

There’s also a personal connection between the Lobbs and the Presleys. Donna is the same age as Priscilla while daughter Diane, is 54, the age Lisa reached when she died.

The Elvis movie last year has seen a regular stream of visitors to John’s Tinwald exhibition and renewed his dedication to his display

“I’ve been updating the collection in recent days and weeks and now preparing my tribute to Lisa Marie,” he said.

“Elvis was an inspiration to me and the collection means so much, even more so now,” he said.

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