I was in junior high and my older sister (she was in her late twenties) called on the phone, weeping.

She had met Elvis once backstage after a concert and was a huge fan. She was devastated when news broke about his death.

Jeez, just can't believe that was 40 years ago...

The city was already hosting a Shriner's convention and the hotels were sold out. No vacancies within a 50-mile radius. I was on my way to work when I heard it on the radio. People started pouring into a town that had no where to put them. It was chaos. I had never been an Elvis fan and didn't realize I was living through such a historic time. Seems like a lifetime ago.

Everybody around me was saying they couldn't believe he died so young, but I thought he'd been around forever and 42 was quite elderly after all....

On edit: 42 not 44 (had to look it up)

Gillian Welch - Elvis Presley Blues

He saw people in need and he helped them directly. This happened all the time and he never made a big deal about it.

In my opinion, we could use a man like Elvis around today.

What did Elvis think about politics and civil rights? Just listen to 'If I Can Dream' and 'In the Ghetto'

Elvis Presley - If I Can Dream - 1968

Elvis wasn't gay but he wore pink and drove pink cadillacs back in the conservative 1950s. The idea of what an American man is, how he acted and what he wore changed and expanded.

Elvis wasn't black but he chose to record songs originally recorded by black artists because he felt they were important and had value. This was the music that 'moved' him. A lot of old folks back then did not like Elvis but he didn't care. Young people liked him and followed his lead. I think that the sentiments in the songs you posted speak for themselves. Elvis wasn't MLK or some civil rights hero but he helped along the idea that African Americans make great contributions to our country.

Elvis lost his way somewhere along life's trail. He was all of us. I was too young to know to cry when he passed, but I've shed a few tears since then.

There was a thread in the DU Lounge about two months ago. Someone challenged DUers to name a movie they thought was great but underrated. Someone brought up Bubba Ho-Tep:

Bubba Ho-Tep is a 2002 American comedy horror film written, co-produced and directed by Don Coscarelli. It stars Bruce Campbell as Elvis Presley — now a resident in a nursing home. The film also stars Ossie Davis as Jack, a black man who claims to be John F. Kennedy, explaining that he was patched up after the assassination, dyed black, and abandoned.
....

Plot

An elderly man at The Shady Rest Retirement Home in East Texas is known to the staff as Sebastian Haff, but claims to be Elvis. He explains that during the 1970s, Elvis Presley (Bruce Campbell) grew tired of the demands of his fame and switched places with an Elvis impersonator named Sebastian Haff (also Campbell). He claims it was Haff who eventually died in 1977, while he, the real Elvis, lived in quiet, happy anonymity and made a living pretending to be himself. After a propane explosion destroyed documentation which was the only proof that he was actually Elvis, he was unable to return to his old lifestyle.

There's so much mythology surrounding Elvis but the truths is interesting enough for me.

I've got just enough room for the chambers and ventricles.

I was pulling weeds outside a vacant manufacturing plant, getting it ready for new tenants (one of my summer jobs during college). WMMS, Cleveland's top-rated rock station at the time, broke into an Elvis marathon for the rest of the day. Me and Elvis spent the day weeding!

Still the best version. Here's a cover:

Death of US musical pornographer Elvis Presley is marked by burning of phonographs, and condemnation of western "boogie woogie" music.

Link to tweet

When Elvis died, my boss came out into the work area, and loudly told everyone
"The king is dead! The king is dead!"

I stood there thinking,
"I know England has a Queen.

What country's king died?

The king of where?"

I've never been a big fan but I grew up in Mississippi where "King" is meant literally. So I went.

Graceland is an interesting place. It's not really any bigger than many a "McMansion" these days. Great big house, pretty grounds and stable with recording studio, and an assemblage of museum displays, his airplane, a gift shop, etc. The Jungle Room was surprisingly kitschy and that bank of TVs was just, well, a bank of TVs. His grave is out back with Mama and Daddy, always covered with flowers and tribute, particularly then. The whole place is Mid-Century shag and avocado.

My favorite thing, though, were the pilgrims. As I said this was years ago, probably in the 90s (hey, time...) and the place was crawling with Elvis impersonators. There was Young Elvis, 1968 Comeback Elvis, White Jumpsuit and Scarf Elvis...and they weren't all convincing or young or cute, but they were all delightful in their own weird ways. My favorite was a 50-something Jumpsuit Elvis who attached himself to me in the gift shop. He looked a bit goofy but he was in full deck-out and so wouldn't dream of wearing his readers. So he followed me around, picking up items and, in character, asking me "What's this cost, Little Mama?" I managed not to snort-laugh, and when he offered to take a photo with me of course I obliged. I have no idea what happened to that photo, and I can't imagine that man being alive himself these days, and someday I won't be either, but man, it happened, and it was a hoot.

Someday we all have to leave the building, Little Mama.

My sibs and I were excited, because we were getting ready to go out to eat, a rare treat in my family growing up.

I knew who Elvis was. My mother played his records a lot, especially the greatest hits one with the picture of him in his gold lame suit.

We were watching the early evening news on TV when the anchorwoman announced, almost casually, that Elvis had died.

It didn't really affect us that much. There were no hysterical paroxysms of grief like the ones we saw expressed all across the country over the next week or so. I wouldn't say we shrugged and went on with our lives. But we went out to dinner, and didn't talk much about it.

He lives on an island in the South Pacific, the same island that John Lennon lives on. He retired again after a career of inspecting 7/11s. Why was he always seen in a 7/11? It was his job. He was inspecting them for cleanliness.

Wolf

Heading east back towards Miami when I heard the news on the radio. I decided to stop early and pulled into a Motel 6.

For the remainder of that night until maybe 3 or 4 AM I listened to the tributes on TV and radio. The radio program host was Long John Neville, or something like that. Veteran broadcaster on Mutual who Larry King replaced a year or two later.

When I heard it on the radio.

Was having a birthday dinner with the folks and my boyfriend at the time. Heard it on the car radio. To me, 42 was ancient and Elvis was a long-ago has-been. I was too young to appreciate his music the first time around but I've grown to love it and appreciate his talent since. DH and I were just talking about going to Graceland for our vacation next summer, but not during Death Week.

I think around that time we also said goodbye to Sebastian Cabot, Groucho Marx, Bing Crosby, Freddie Prinze (LOVED "Chico and the Man" ), Charlie Chaplin...