In 1977 on this day Elvis Presley died of heart failure at Graceland in Memphis Tennessee. He was 42 years old. Even though I’ve never been a huge Elvis fan, I do remember where I was when I heard the news.
My father was in the military at the time. My mother often went to the base commissary to go shopping and then to the health clinic to pick up medications or for doctor’s appointments. Since it was the summer time, I wasn’t in school. I remember going with my mother to these different stops. I was 13 years old in 1977. I remember sitting in the waiting room of the health clinic while she was seeing a doctor for something. I was watching the TV when the announcement came across the TV saying that Elvis had died. I remember people all around me were gasping and wanting to have the volume turned up. I knew who he was but didn’t think too much about it at the time. When my mom came out of the doctor’s office I told her what had happened and I remember her saying how sad it was. She wasn’t a huge fan either but did grow up listening to his music. She didn’t seem to be too upset by the news. Later when we were at home and I heard more about the details of how he died, I did agree with her that it was sad.
I have no idea why I remember this. It’s not like I was a big fan or was having a reaction to someone dying. I guess it’s just one of those historical events that you remember. I remember where I was when Reagan was shot. I remember where I was when the Challenger disaster happened. It’s just one of those things.
Do you remember where you were when you heard Elvis had died?
That must have been quite a drive hearing the Elvis updates all day. And true, it will be a great Jeapardy answer.
Yes, I do remember where I was: driving to college to start my freshman year. My hometown was, like, 10 hours away from school (in Texas), so all day long there were Elvis tributes on the radio as I made my way to college … I remember thinking, a great Jeopardy answer would be: This ‘king’ died on April 16, 1977 …
I think that was pretty much my reaction….it was like “why is everyone so upset?” Thanks for the comment, Arthur. It’s good to know some is still checking in from time to time. 🙂
A couple friends and I were sitting in my bedroom talking, and my dad came in and said, “Hey, guys: I just heard Elvis Presley died!” In my memory (which may not be accurate…), we just kind of looked at each other and thought, “So?”. We probably said something noncommittal like, “Huh.” We weren’t fans, either, and at 17 and 18, as we were at the time, it wasn’t cool to like Elvis.