Today In Country Music History [VIDEO]

1977 The King Is Gone...Long Live The King

Elvis Presley dies in his bathroom at Graceland Mansion in Memphis. The most significant pop artist of the 20th century, the beginning and end of his career are grounded in country music.

Presley was scheduled to fly out of Memphis on the evening of August 16, to begin another tour. That afternoon, Ginger Alden discovered him unresponsive on his bathroom floor. Attempts to revive him failed, and death was officially pronounced at 3:30 pm at Baptist Memorial Hospital/

President Jimmy Carter issued a statement that credited Presley with having "permanently changed the face of American popular culture". Thousands of people gathered outside Graceland to view the open casket. Presley's funeral was held at Graceland, on Thursday, August 18. Outside the gates, a car plowed into a group of fans, killing two women and critically injuring a third. Approximately 80,000 people lined the processional route to Forest Hill Cemetery, where Presley was buried next to his mother. Within a few days, "Way Down" topped the country and UK pop charts.

Since his death, there have been numerous alleged sightings of Presley. A long-standing theory among some fans is that he faked his death. Fans have noted "discrepancies" in the death certificate, reports of a wax dummy in his original coffin and numerous accounts of Presley planning a diversion so he could retire in peace. Recent genetic analysis of his DNA suggests genetic variants that could have caused his glaucoma, migraines and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Elvis Presley enters the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1998