Fans pay tribute to Elvis on 30th anniversary of his death

Aug 16, 2007, 6:31 GMT

A fan holds a candle inside a box with an Elvis cutout outside Graceland, Elvis Presley\'s home, in Memphis, Tennessee, USA while waiting to visit his grave 15 August 2007. Elvis died 30 years ago at Graceland on 16 August 1977 at age 42. Elvis fans from around the world have made the pilgrimage to Memphis to honour their idol. EPA/TANNEN MAURY

Memphis, Tennessee - Thousands of Elvis Presley fans made a pilgrimage to the grave of the King of Rock 'n' Roll in observance of the 30th anniversary of his death, braving temperatures of more than 40 degrees that were blamed for one death.

Several hundred Elvis lovers had already assembled Wednesday morning so they could be the first to file by his grave in Memphis, Tennessee, for a candlelight vigil that night.

The procession began a few hours before midnight, ahead of the anniversary of Elvis' death on August 16, 1977, at the age of 42.

Elvis' grave lies in a garden next to his mansion Graceland, which has been turned into a museum for the rock pioneer who began his career with the 1954 hit That's All Right and went on to become one of the best-selling musicians of all time.

At all times of the year, his gravesite is festooned with flowers left by the faithful, but traffic skyrockets during 'Elvis Week,' the week of his death anniversary. The tourism department in Memphis predicted that this week, up to 75,000 fans would travel to the Mississippi River city known for its blues, rock and gospel music to pay tribute to its most famous resident.

As the candlelight vigil got under way, temperatures were at 35 degrees, and hospital workers distributed drinking water to protect the mourners from the effects of the heat.

Nevertheless, a 67-year-old woman from New Jersey was found dead in her travel trailer at a campground near Graceland. A coroner said she had had chronic health problems, which were compounded by the heat and led to her death.

Such a devoted legion of fans have grown up around Elvis, who was a cultural icon as well as a musical legend. He mixed a variety of sounds - black and white, rock, country, blues and gospel - into a fusion that broke racial, social and generational barriers and provided inspiration for musical legends to come.

His hits included Heartbreak Hotel, Hound Dog, Jailhouse Rock, Don't Be Cruel, All Shook Up and Suspicious Minds. His performances, marked by his renowned shaking hips, made him not only a target of conservative elements in US society but also a sex symbol.

Elvis also had a prolific acting career, and although his movies were popular, he complained that he was allowed no serious acting roles, the scripts and songs in his movies grew progressively worse and they took him away from his music.

As he become increasingly disatisfied with his career and the pressures of riches and fame took their toll on the one-time shy mamma's boy raised in poverty, Elvis increasingly abused drugs prescribed to him and found it hard to make it through his live performances. The drugs eventually contributed to his death at Graceland of heart failure.