Wednesday, October 24th 2007, 4:00 AM

Lilly Lawrence had seconds to flee the Malibu flames — so she grabbed Elvis Presley's Army uniform.



Sadly, the artifact was one of the few pieces of the liberal beauty's large collection of Presley memorabilia that she was able to save from her 10,500-square-foot castle.

"Gone are 32 or 33 original movie scripts of Elvis',' she told us. "They were his personal scripts, with all his notes in the margins.'

Also in the ashes lay original Presley song sheets, she added. "All the music for 'Heartbreak Hotel' and 'American Trilogy,' my favorite. Untold things from Graceland. It's just devastating."

She undoubtedly meant for rock history, as the politically active philanthropist characteristically had a stiff upper lip about herself. "My possessions do not possess me," she said. "I'm more concerned about the boys in Iraq than my possessions."

Lawrence bought about 50 lots when Elvis' widow, Priscilla, and daughter, Lisa Marie, put the rock progenitor's possessions up for auction, including two of his cars. One, a red Ford Fairlane, went up in the flames.

She has, however, hired experts to "sift through the embers and the rubble" for photos of her late husband, Bunty Lawrence, and her mother's jewelry collection, reported to be second only to that of Queen Elizabeth.

But the many people she has helped over the years are only happy one thing is safe: Lawrence herself. She is, quite simply, one of the great people. She grew up as a princess in the Fallah Palace in Tehran, where her father was oil minister under the shah. She could have become a complete flibbertigibbet but instead, as a teen, would ask her mother to take her shopping in New York. She then secretly met with investigative journalist Jack Anderson and was his "Deep Throat" on his exposés of Iran's secret police.

Later, Lawrence moved to New York, living in the duplex penthouse of the Essex Hotel, only to infuriate the owners when she financially supported a hotel workers' strike, including buying food from Burger King for 300 as they picketed outside.

We met Lawrence when she helped Daily News workers during the strike of 1990. She wore a couture ballerina-style dress, and Swarovski crystals glittered on the underarch of her stilettos, giving her a fairylike aura, but then she talked politics and you knew she wouldn't be flitting anywhere. Maybe the fire is a sign she should come back where she belongs: New York City.

Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/r_m/2007/10/24/2007-1...ollection_lost_.html

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Miss Mojo Risin',

Thanks for posting this Miss, I have been wondering what all she lost but haven't taken the time to look it up. I caught briefly on the news about the Presley Uniform Jacket but that was all they mentioned at the time. Her mom's jewelry collection, husbands pictures such personal loss for her and so many........****ed fires. gggrrr.

that's so sad

What a shame.

quote:

Originally posted by betsyb3:
What a shame.

Yeah .. it is brutal!