Culture

33rd Anniversary of Elvis Presley's Death: Vigil at Graceland

by Jordan Yerman | August 16, 2010 at 07:29 am

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Elvis Presley Died on August 16, 1977
If Elvis Presley were alive today, he would only be 77 years old. Elvis died at his home, Graceland Mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, from a drug overdose. At the time, his career was in decline.
Though he recorded prolifically during his final years, his shows grew shorter and he went through several medical emergencies, including two comas.
Elvis Presley: 32nd Anniversary of Elvis' Death
Graceland Vigil
Fans braved triple-digit heat to show up at Graceland for a candlelight vigil and procession on the night of August 15.
The level of fan dedication shows the profound effect that Elvis Presley's persona and music has had on popular culture- not just on American fans, but all around the world.

Fivelson, 58, said he takes pride in being "a die-hard Elvis loyalist" who listens to the American icon's music every day. His granddaughter's name is Presley.
"I miss him, I loved him," said Fivelson, a substitute teacher. "To be part of the Elvis experience and the aura of the whole thing, just means everything in the world to me."

The article below looks at Elvis' diet as a major factor in his death (beyond his heavy drug use), but it falls into a fairly common trap: easy critique of American culture while ignoring the clearly-present obesity problem in the UK.

It’s not too trite to say that the atmosphere was almost religious – the candles, the worshipping of the dead, the music (his music), the pilgrims’ extraordinarily erudite knowledge about the worshipped one. “That’s where he got his peanut butter and jelly sandwiches,” said one as we passed a downtown diner in a shared cab.