Growing up in Memphis as I did, you couldn’t help but know who Elvis Presley was. For me, it was impossible not to know him because during the 1960′s and 70′s, I lived about a mile from Graceland, Presley’s home in the area known as Whitehaven.
Presley, like Michael Jackson, had become a world renowned icon, a man known as the King of Rock ‘n Roll and whose influence on the music industry exists to this day.
Even though Presley belonged to my parents generation, he was always a focal point for Memphians of all ages. He was the most recognizable man in Memphis, even more so than any politician or industry leader.
I was a sophomore at Bishop Byrne High School in 1977 and a member of the school’s football team. On August 16, we were playing a scrimmage game at Hillcrest High School when news of Presley’s death became public.
Presley was found on his bathroom floor by his fiancee, Ginger Alden. According to the medical investigator, Presley had “stumbled or crawled several feet before he died”; he had apparently been using the toilet at the time. Death was officially pronounced at 3:30 pm at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis.
Elvis Aaron Presley, the small town boy born in Tupelo, Mississippi who became the King of Rock ‘n Roll, was dead at the age of 42.
Several months after his death, two separate toxicology reports indicated “a strong belief that the primary cause of death was polypharmacy” (the use of multiple medications), with one report “indicating the detection of fourteen drugs in Elvis’ system, ten in significant quantity.”
Not knowing much about Presley’s impact on millions around the globe, you can imagine my amazement at seeing thousands of people lining up outside of Graceland to pay their respects. To this day, nearly 32 years after Presley’s death, thousands still visit Graceland every year to see his final resting place.
When Michael Jackson’s death became public nearly two weeks ago, I began to think of the parallels between Jackson and Presley.
Prior to his death, Jackson’s former wife and daughter of Elvis, Lisa Marie Presley, said the singer had told her he was afraid he would end up like her father.
After news reports indicated the possibility of multiple drugs in Jackson’s system as a potential cause of death, I couldn’t help but think the King of Pop had met a similar ending as did the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Jackson and Presley were two of the greatest performers the world has ever known, gaining the adoration of millions and whose untimely deaths caused an outpouring of emotions.
In 1977, only the major TV networks existed. Cable news networks like CNN, Fox, MSNBC and others weren’t even an idea then. When Presley died, the media coverage was as vast as it could be for that time as is the present day coverage of Jackson’s death.
On Tuesday, thousands attended a memorial service for Jackson in Los Angeles, and on August 18, 1977, hundreds of thousands lined the streets of Memphis as Presley’s funeral procession worked its way slowly towards Forest Hill Cemetery where he was initially interred.
Bill Carr, Amazon’s vice president for music and video, said the website sold out of all Jackson’s CDs, and those of The Jackson 5 within minutes of the news breaking and Jackson’s music demand since his death has surpassed those of Presley and John Lennon after their sudden deaths.
Between the two, Jackson and Presley sold an estimated two billion albums, staggering numbers that no other pair of entertainers will ever approach.
Despite their appeal to completely different generations, Jackson and Presley share many commonalities, most of which led to their respective demises.
But the common trait that stands out among their fans is how they will be remembered. The King of Pop and the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll will remain in the minds of millions as the electrifying entertainers they once were.
Even though they both met with sad endings, Jackson and Presley will forever be entwined in American pop culture, with the King of Pop moonwalking and the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll gyrating their way into infinity.
