AP Features, August 16th, 2007
Temperatures hit 105 degrees (40.5 Celsius) as thousands of Elvis Presley fans gathered for a graveside procession to mark the 30th anniversary of his death. The heat led to the death of one fan, a 67-year-old woman.
The procession, with fans walking and holding candles, filed past Presley's grave in a small garden beside his former home, Graceland. The candlelight vigil was expected to last all night.
The woman was found dead Wednesday afternoon inside a trailer at a nearby campground. She had chronic health problems, but the Shelby County Medical Examiner's Office said the heat contributed to her death. The Memphis Fire Department said it also treated at least six people overcome by heat, including an 8-year-old boy who was hospitalized. Seven deaths in the Memphis area have been linked to the heat wave.
The vigil is the most popular and solemn anniversary event in a weeklong string of concerts, dances, movie screenings and other festivities put on by Graceland.
The legendary entertainer, acclaimed as The King, died Aug. 16, 1977, at age 42 from heart disease worsened by drug abuse.
Some fans began lining up for the candlelight vigil early in the morning.
Mary Powell said she took up her post at 5 a.m. "A lot of people would say I'm crazy, but this has to do with my love for Elvis. He did so much for his fans," Powell said.
The Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau estimated up to 75,000 people would be drawn to town for the anniversary week.
The overall Elvis business brings in more than $40 million (euro29.6 million) a year. That made him the second-highest grossing dead celebrity in 2006, behind only Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, according to Forbes magazine.
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On the Net:
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