It was 30 years ago today that the music died for a generation of Elvis fans, writes Ronan McGreevy.
Although in his latter years he became a bloated parody of what he once was, Elvis's death from heart failure brought on by his addiction to prescription drugs and his deteriorating lifestyle was a palpable shock to those who followed him with an ardour that no other entertainer in history could match.
The passing of the years has not dimmed the enthusiasm of fans, and tonight Memphis, Tennessee - the city where Elvis recorded his first fateful record at the Sun Studio, and where his home Graceland has become a veritable shrine - will play host to a candlelight vigil involving 50,000 fans from all over the world.
Among them will be 60 Irish fans who have flown out on a charter with Ulster Travel from Belfast to Memphis.
Events here to mark the 30th anniversary of Elvis's death have already begun. Last week former Miss Ireland Nuala Holloway unveiled a special set of pencil drawings of The King at the official opening of The Riverwalk Art Gallery in Arklow, Co Wicklow.
The musical Elvis Presley - the Story, starring one of Ireland'sbest-known Elvis performers, Kevin Doyle, opened its run at the Tivoli theatre in Dublin on Monday.
It is an updated version of the show which brought sell-out crowds to the Tivoli, Olympia, Gaiety and Ambassador between 2002 and 2003. In a new addition to the show, the production now includes the Graceland Gospel Choir,
On Tuesday night, Adrian Wootton, chief executive of Film London and an Elvis aficionado, gave a talk on Elvis's film career - which lasted from 1956 to 1973 - at the Irish Film Institute (IFI) in Temple Bar.
Tonight the IFI plays host to a screening of the 1972 documentary Elvis on Tour.
On Saturday, August 25th, the National Concert Hall will host the Strabane Brass Band and Elvis impersonator Brad Lee.
Earlier this week tickets went on sale for an event at the Olympia theatre which will showcase a new production by perhaps Ireland's most dedicated Elvis fan.
Businessman George Twamley, founder of the Irish Elvis fan club, is putting more than €100,000 of his own money into a production of My Boy Elvis, a musical he has funded, written and produced himself. It will be staged at the Olympia on October 18th and October 19th, and at the Belfast Waterfront on April 18th.
My Boy Elvis is about the fractious relationship between Elvis and his manager, Col Tom Parker, as told by both of them in the afterlife. It will feature 30 songs written by Twamley, and a cast of characters who include Richard Nixon, John Lennon and Johnny Cash.
Check out www.myboyelvis.com for more details.
