Elvis Presley was found lying on his bathroom floor at his Memphis home in the early hours of August 16th. and, despite efforts to resuscitate him, was pronounced dead at Memphis Baptist Memorial Hospital.
Within hours, thousands of people gathered outside the gates of Graceland and the scene was set for the biggest media event of the decade. 75,000 people were present for his funeral two days later, when he was laid to rest in a white marble mausoleum near his mother.
Speculation over the cause of Presley's heart attack is rife. His health had been deteriorating for the last four years. He was hospitalized five times for intestinal problems, eye trouble, recurrent 'flu and fatigue. No ammount of skilful tailoring could disguise the fact that he was overweight, and there were incessant rumours of drug abuse.
But none of this matters to his millions of fans. Within a week, the second biggest selling artist of all time was back in the singles and album charts around the world as fans rushed out to buy whatever they could.
However, it is believed that RCA will not be releasing an 'instant' memorial album.
As President Jimmy Carter says, "Elvis Presley's death deprives our country of a part of itself."