Elvis fans worldwide mark icon's 75th birthday
Last Updated: Friday, January 8, 2010 | 5:42 PM ET
CBC News
Priscilla Presley, left, and Lisa Marie Presley take part in a Memphis ceremony Friday commemorating what would have been Elvis Presley's 75th birthday. (Mark Humphrey/Associated Press)White jumpsuits, blue suede shoes and pompadours made a major comeback Friday as fans of Elvis Presley around the globe celebrated what would have been the King of Rock 'n' Roll's 75th birthday.
Approximately 3,000 people purchased tickets for the celebration at Graceland, Presley's famed Memphis estate. They joined his ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, and daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, to remember the musical icon.
Hundreds descended on his birthplace, Tupelo, Miss., to mark the occasion, while festivities like massive gatherings of Elvis impersonators also took place across the globe.
The NBA's Memphis Grizzlies planned to honour Presley by wearing blue suede sneakers for Friday night's match against the Utah Jazz.
Celebrations of Presley's life and continuing legacy are slated to run through 2010, including the Cirque du Soleil's newest resident Las Vegas show Viva Elvis, a myriad of concerts, film marathons featuring the King's cinematic ventures, special costume and memorabilia exhibitions and the release of new collections of his still-popular music.
Presley, one of the most enduring figures in American music history, is celebrated for his blending of different genres, including blues, bluegrass, gospel and rockabilly.
Presley died at Graceland in 1977 at the age of 42 after taking a cocktail of prescription drugs.
Elvis Presley tribute artist Graeme MacKaway checks his hair in the window of the Elvis Express before boarding at Sydney's Central Station on Friday. Thousands of Elvis fans from across Australia gathered in the country town of Parkes on Presley's birthday for a series of parades, singing competitions and dance events. (Torsten Blackwood/AFP/Getty Images)
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