The King has left the planet

IT was 39 years ago on August 16, 1977 that Ginger Alden, ‘his latest flame’, discovered Elvis Aaron Presley collapsed in the bathroom of his home at Graceland and despite attempts to revive him, he was declared dead that afternoon.

Love or hate him, there is no question that he was the King of Rock and Roll and introduced a whole new generation of teenagers to a way of life and music that took them from being miniature replicants of their parents to actual teenagers and his style of music which embraced that of the black population encouraged the British invasion of the USA and the morphing of the blues into rock.

Hugely popular with generations of Americans, Presley himself seems to have been a genuinely nice person who found fame and fortune which eventually led to his paranoia, drug abuse and the collapse of his health, so that by the age of just 42 he had lost his voice, his ability to perform and subsequently his life.

Regardless of the way in which his life ended, Elvis still holds a special place in the hearts of so many people around the world and has spawned an entire industry of impersonators and tribute artists, many of whom continue to entertain visitors across the whole of Southern Spain on a regular basis.

To quote one of his most famous performances ‘Glory, glory hallelujah, his truth is marching on.’