Axl Rose Delivers Heartfelt Speech, Performs ‘November Rain’ at Lisa Marie Presley’s Graceland Memorial Service

Watch Rose’s emotional speech and “November Rain” performance above, beginning at the one-hour mark.

Axl Rose was among several music stars to honour Lisa Marie Presley during the late singer-songwriter’s public memorial service at Graceland on Sunday (Jan. 22).

In a rare speaking appearance, the Guns N’ Roses frontman took the stage at the Memphis gathering — which was livestreamed from Graceland’s website — to share some heartfelt words about his close friend before performing a solo rendition of the GNR classic “November Rain.”

“With Lisa’s passing, I knew if I was invited I needed to come to these ceremonies,” Rose began his emotional statement, reading from a cell phone. “I hadn’t planned on speaking, and when I was put on the spot, I really didn’t know what to say. I was tongue-tied and nervous, and I didn’t really know what I said. But I, as I’m sure many of you, are still in shock, as I feel I will continue to be for quite some time.”

Rose continued, “I never in a million years imagined being here, singing under these circumstances.”

The rock icon also noted how Lisa Marie was “fiercely protective” of her father Elvis Presley‘s legacy.

“She was extremely proud, as proud as anyone could be, of her father and his many accomplishments and place in music. She was also very proud of the Elvis movie and how she felt it portrayed her father, and the care that was put into the film by those involved — [director Baz Luhrmann’s] vision and direction, and Austin Butler’s dedication to the role of her father.”

In addition to Rose, the memorial service also included musical tributes from Billy Corgan and Alanis Morissette.

Other speakers included Lisa Marie’s mother, Priscilla Presley; Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York; music industry veteran Jerry Schilling; and daughter Riley Keough’s husband, Ben Smith-Petersen; among others.

Lisa Marie died on Jan. 12 after being hospitalized earlier in the day following a report of a woman in full cardiac arrest at an address associated with Presley. She was 54 years old.

This article was first published on billboard.com by Mitchell Peters