Elvis fan dies from heat during anniversary celebration

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Thousands of Elvis Presley fans braved 105-degree heat as they wound down Graceland's driveway in a graveside procession Wednesday in advance of the 30th anniversary of the singer's death.

The heat led to the death of a fan from New Jersey, a 67-year-old woman.

Despite the promise of another furnacelike day, some fans began lining up early in the morning for the candlelight vigil, setting up umbrellas and folding chairs on the sidewalk along four-lane Elvis Presley Boulevard. The memorial was expected to run through the night and into today, the death anniversary.

The procession, with fans walking mostly single-file and holding candles, filed up Graceland's long, winding driveway and past Presley's grave in a small garden beside the white-columned house. Many fans carried flowers, stuffed animals and other small gifts to leave at the grave.

The body of the woman who died was found Wednesday afternoon inside a trailer at a Graceland campground. She had chronic health problems, but the Shelby County medical examiner's office said the heat contributed to her death. The Memphis Fire Department said it also treated at least six people overcome by heat, including an 8-year-old boy who was hospitalized.

Tom Vigil, 42, of Denver was determined not to let the heat stop him, even though he was missing part of a lung from recent surgery. Decked out in a black Elvis-type jumpsuit, Vigil pulled an oxygen tank behind him with a breathing tube attached to his nose.

"I'm not in the best of health, but I wanted to be out here and be part of this," he said.

The entertainer, acclaimed as The King, died 30 years ago today at age 42 of heart disease worsened by drug abuse.

The vigil is the most popular and solemn anniversary event in a weeklong string of concerts, dances, movie screenings and other festivities put on by Graceland. No one keeps exact figures, but the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau estimated up to 75,000 people would be drawn to town for the anniversary week.