720 Elvis Presley Fans Gather At Graceland To Pay Tribute On 43-Year Anniversary Of The King's Death

Aug 18, 2020 by apost team

Elvis Presley passed away just over 43 years ago, on August 16, 1977. Fans often mourn the icon, often with a procession through his Graceland home. This year was no different, except that numbers were limited to 720 due to current restrictions, but nonetheless a candlelight vigil was held in honor of The King and even live-streamed for fans around the world to share in.

The event, which took place in Memphis, Tennessee, at Elvis' Graceland mansion, was attended by 720 fans and was live-streamed so that fans everywhere could join in the tribute. The Visit Graceland Instagram page outlined the details of the event in a post, stating:

"The longstanding tradition will carry on with a fan procession to Meditation Garden. Fans from around the world are invited to join us via Graceland's Livestream page to be part of this very special evening honoring the life and legacy of Elvis Presley."

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The three-hour-long vigil allocated the spots for fans and all the reservations were filled up. Fans carried candles and walked in a procession past Elvis' grave at his Graceland home, which is also the location where he died on August 16, 1977, at the age of 42. 

Live-streamed as part of Elvis Week, which began on August 8, the live event and video stream allowed fans to pay their tributes, either in person or virtually, to The King.

An icon as big as Elvis also has famous fans, and two who paid their respects via social media posts were Tim McGraw and Tanya Tucker. McGraw posted a gorgeous black-and-white photo of The King to his Instagram page and wrote alongside it:

"I’m often asked who I would like to hang out with with living or passed... and there’s no question...The King.. We lost him 43 years ago today..man he was cool"

Meanwhile, Tanya Tucker tweeted her own tribute, sharing a photo of herself beside an Elvis poster, with the caption:

"Saluting The King today. It doesn’t feel like it’s been 43 years since we lost @ElvisPresley. I’ll treasure our memories FOREVER!"

The vigil for Elvis occurred about one month after the death of Elvis' grandson Benjamin Keough, who took his own life. The son of Elvis' daughter Lisa Marie Presley and her ex-husband Danny Keough, the news was devastating to the whole family. Keough was only 27-years-old when he died by suicide on July 12.

According to People magazine, Roger Widynowski, Lisa Marie's rep, said:

"She is completely heartbroken, inconsolable and beyond devastated but trying to stay strong for her 11-year-old twins and her oldest daughter Riley. She adored that boy. He was the love of her life."

Benjamin's grandmother and Elvis' ex-wife Priscilla Presley wrote a heartbreaking post on Facebook discussing her family's loss:

"These are some of the darkest days of my family’s life. The shock of losing Ben has been devastating. Trying to put all the pieces together of all the possible whys has penetrated my soul. Each day I wake up I pray it will get better. Then, I think of my daughter and the pain she is going through as she was a doting mother. Ben’s father, Danny, who is completely lost, as Ben was his only son. Riley, so loving and so close to him; Harper and Finley, who absolutely adored Ben. Navarone, who struggles deeply with loss and death. Rest In Peace Ben, you were loved. ❤️"

We send our deepest condolences to the Presley family, as the world mourns Elvis and Benjamin's deaths.

Were you a fan of Elvis Presley? What are your favorite songs or memories of him? Let us know in the comments in honor of his life, then be sure to pass this story on to any Elvis fans you know so they can do the same.