MEMPHIS (Tennessee), Aug 16: With flickering candles in hand, tens of thousands of Elvis fans on Thursday filed solemnly through the gates of Graceland to pay their respects on the 30th anniversary of the King’s death.

They came bearing roses and teddy bears, with many in tears, as a seemingly endless line of mourners snaked its way up the rolling driveway of the rock star’s former Memphis home towards his poolside grave.

Soulful Elvis Presley songs echoed through the grounds as fans made their way past the white-columned mansion with its windows lit up so it looked as though the family was at home.

Handmade memorials from around the world lined the road and the memorial garden where the Presley family is buried.

There was a yellow horse from Belgium. A windmill from France. A Brazilian flag made of crushed paper.

“I come here every year, because I love Elvis,” said Yosuke Funabashi as he paused in the garden after visiting the grave. “I love his style, he’s an original.” Funabashi moved to Memphis from Japan a few years ago to run an Elvis souvenir shop called Love Me Tender on Beale Street.

Bill Rowe had been lining up since midnight on Tuesday and spent a day sweating in front of Graceland’s graffiti-marked fence so he could be the first person through the gates.

He has been to every vigil since

Elvis died on Aug 16, 1977, aged 42 of heart disease worsened by drug addiction, and had forced himself to stay awake all night because it would be “rude and disrespectful” to sleep on Elvis Presley Boulevard.

“Elvis took me into his world. He taught me some valuable life lessons along the way. Never speak ill of somebody, especially in public. Remember your roots and, if you can, help your friends,” the 57-year-old from Ohio said.

A poor Southern white boy who brought black music into the mainstream, Elvis Presley made rock 'n' roll the international language of pop.

His electric combination of virulent sexuality, boy-next-door good manners, incredible stage presence and an ambitious manager propelled Elvis into television specials, films, blockbuster concerts and a world of lucrative merchandising.—AFP