Editor's note: Larry Geller is the article's author Wendy Geller's father-in-law.
Longtime friends of the late Elvis Presley and his family reacted with shock Thursday at the news that Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie, had died at the age of 54.
One such colleague, Elvis's personal hairstylist and close confidant Larry Geller, has nothing but touching memories to share of the King's only child.
"I've known Lisa Marie since she was a little girl," Geller, who began working for Elvis in 1964 and spent considerable time at Graceland, noted. "When she was 4 years old, she would dance around in her little tutu, on her tiptoes, twirling around and saying, 'Look at me, I'm a ballerina!'"
He added, "Lisa loved her daddy so much. When he slept late, she would sit at the top of the stairs waiting for him to come out. Elvis melted with love when she jumped into his arms."
Geller also recalled the difficult memory of being with Lisa Marie upon hearing the news of her father's death in 1977. "I was with her when she learned that her beloved daddy was gone. And now she has gone to be with him and her precious son Benjamin."
"Lisa Marie's life was exciting and glamorous, but not always easy," Geller said. "She had many personal struggles over the years, the worst being the tragic loss of her son. The overwhelming grief sucked the life out of her."
"I'm so thankful that in the last days of her life, she went to Graceland to celebrate Elvis' birthday surrounded by the love of thousands of fans, and got to see Austin Butler win the Golden Globe for his portrayal of her father."
Geller styled Elvis' hair for a total of 11 movies over the years. His last hairstylist job for the icon was getting Elvis ready for his funeral.
.jpg "Elvis Presley's Personal Hairstylist Remembers a Young Lisa Marie: 'Loved Her Daddy So Much'")
