Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this article:
- On August 16, 1977, the day Elvis Presley died, fans flooded his home at Graceland, ordering 3,116 floral arrangements in a single day.
- Two days later for Presley’s funeral, 18,000 fans watched as a white Cadillac hearse carried him to the cemetery.
- Today, fans go to Graceland every August to honor Presley with candlelight vigils and flowers.
When Elvis Presley died of heart failure at age 42 on August 16, 1977, Memphis, Tennessee, quickly became the epicenter of collective mourning. Within hours, fans poured into the city, and to the gates of his beloved home, Graceland, to grieve together.
That day alone, fans ordered 3,116 floral arrangements for Presley, setting a U.S. single-day delivery record that’s still unmatched for any celebrity death in the country. (While holidays like Mother’s Day rack up far higher totals, no single mourning event has matched Presley’s.) In fact, Memphis florists ran out of stock so quickly that flowers reportedly had to be flown in from other parts of the country.
Two days later, for Presley’s funeral, the outpouring was on full display. Approximately 18,000 people lined Elvis Presley Boulevard to watch the white Cadillac hearse, with roses in the backseat, carry the King of Rock ’n’ Roll to his final resting place. Observers described the cemetery grounds as a “sea of flowers,” with arrangements filling the space around Presley’s coffin.
These days, Graceland remains both a public tourist attraction and a pilgrimage destination. Fans still gather there every August to remember Presley by lighting candles, singing his songs, and leaving fresh flowers at his grave.
For more on the King’s life and the events of August 16, 1977, read his full Biography.com profile and a detailed account of his final days.
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