Memphis, Tenn. – Temperatures hit 105 degrees as thousands of Elvis Presley fans gathered Wednesday for a graveside procession to mark the 30th anniversary of his death.
The heat led to the death of a fan from New Jersey, a 67-year- old woman.
The woman was found dead Wednesday afternoon inside a trailer at a Graceland 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.
Despite the promise of another furnace-like day, some fans began lining up for the candlelight vigil early in the morning, setting up umbrellas and folding chairs on the sidewalk along four-lane Elvis Presley Boulevard.
Mary Powell of Salina, Kan., said she took up her post at 5 a.m. to be sure to get near the front of the line.
“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 legendary entertainer, acclaimed as The King, died Aug. 16, 1977, at age 42 from heart disease worsened by drug abuse.
The candlelight vigil was to begin at 7:30 p.m. MDT and run through the night, with thousands of fans joining the procession past Presley’s grave, located in a small garden beside Graceland, Presley’s former home.
Several hundred people had lined up by late afternoon along the stone fence in front of Graceland.
The vigil is the most popular and solemn anniversary event in a week-long string of concerts, dances, movie screenings and other festivities put on by Graceland.
