Elvis Presley: Remembering 'The King' on his 40th death anniversary

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Elvis Presley: Remembering 'The King' on his 40th death anniversary

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(Web Desk) - At the age of just 42 Elvis Presley’s death stunned the entire world.

His death in 1977 was ruled as a heart attack. Since then, there have been a lot of speculations over the years of substance abuse that played a role in his death.

Fans of Presley that span from different generations and nationalities commemorate his death anniversary every year. Presley’s impersonators gathered to celebrate ‘The King’ of Rock n’ Roll and recall about his music and pop culture that has influenced many people.

According to the Associated Press, impersonators and fans gathered in Malina this year to celebrate the 40th death anniversary of Presley via Elvis Presley Friendship Club, Philippines International.

 The Elvis Presley Friendship Club hosts an impersonator gathering every year on August 16th in honor of Elvis Presley s death anniversary. Photo: AFP

"He crossed over black music roots to, you know, to all nationalities," Ramon Jacinto, a TV host and founder of Philippine rock  n  roll radio station DZRJ.

"Even the Beatles were influenced by Elvis. Everybody was influenced. He was the real example of an out-of-the-box showman. And he wiggled; he had a different style of singing from the time of Frank Sinatra. … He opened the door to carefree rock  n  roll and the attitude."

Presley is survived by his daughter Lisa Marie Presley, 49, and his former wife, Priscilla Presley, 72.

 Elvis Presley with his wife and daughter. Photo: AP

On his 40th death anniversary, here’s a little trivia about The King.

Photo: AP

Presley was born on January 8, 1935 in Mississippi

Elvis received a grade C in music in 8th grade. When his music teacher told him he had no aptitude for singing, he brought in his guitar and sang a recent hit at that time - “Keep Them Cold Icy Fingers off Me”, to prove otherwise.

He was distantly related to two presidents, Abraham Lincoln and Jimmy Carter.

"Heartbreak Hotel" was Elvis  first #1 hit on the US Billboard pop charts and also earned him his first gold record. Bill Clinton s first US presidential campaign received a much-needed boost when he played this song on the saxophone as a guest on The Arsenio Hall Show.

He won three competitive Grammy awards, all for his gospel music: Best Sacred Performance (1967), Best Inspirational Performance (1972), and Best Inspirational Song (1974).

Richard Nixon, the 37th President of the United States, gave Elvis a special agent badge for the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.

 Presley with Richard Nixon. Photo: AP

Elvis was first introduced to Karate in the army and earned his first-degree black belt in 1960 under Chito-Ryu stylist Hank Slemansky. Later, Elvis trained in a Memphis dojo under Master Kang Rhee, who bestowed upon him a seventh-degree black belt, before Elvis opened his own center, the Tennessee Karate Institute.

Elvis memorised every line from Patton, the movie for which George C. Scott won the Academy Award for best actor and famously refused to accept it.

Presley s legendary love for “peanut butter” and “nanner sandwiches” is popularly believed to have led to his oversized waistline towards the end of his life.

Elvis’s first debut on National TV was in the show called Stage Show in January 1956.

He had a chimpanzee called Scatter who wasn’t exactly a well behaved chimp. The pet Scatter was notoriously famous for throwing things whenever he was in a playful mood, ripped curtains and used to make people scream.

 Presley with his Chimpanzee pet Scatter. Photo: Elvis Daily.

According to Presley’s autopsy, he tested positive for ten separate prescription medications, but showed no signs of illicit drugs or alcohol.

At the time of his death, the famous singer was reading ‘The Scientific Search for the Face of Jesus,’ by Frank O.Adams.

Riley Keough, the oldest of Presley’s four grandchildren, spoke about her famous forefather during an appearance on The Late Late Show Monday. “We try to go to Elvis Week every year … it’s pretty cool,” she told host James Corden.

According to the Forbes list of top earning dead stars, Presley earned $27m in just 2016, and sold one million albums most of them physical and not digital.

On October 28, 1956, Elvis Presley appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show. As part of the national broadcast, he got a polio vaccine shot.

Elvis Presley gets his Polio Shot on live TV. Photo: Elvis Presley Music