With flickering candles in hand, tens of thousands of Elvis fans marched solemnly through the gates of Graceland to mark the 30th anniversary of the King's death Thursday.
They came bearing roses, teddy bears and tears as a seemingly endless line of mourners snaked its way up the rolling driveway towards his poolside gravesite.
Mournful Elvis songs echoed through the grounds as the fans made their way past the white-columned mansion whose windows were light 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.
Originally from Japan, Funabashi moved to Memphis a few years ago to run an Elvis souvenir shop called "Love Me Tender" on Beale Street.
"I love his style, he's an original."
Bill Rowe lined up around 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's been to every vigil since Elvis died and forced himself to stay awake all night because it would be "rude and disrespectful" to sleep on Elvis Presley Boulevard.
"I grew up a somewhat lonely child," the 57-year-old from Ohio told AFP.
"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."
A poor Southern white boy who brought black music into the mainstream, Elvis Presley made rock 'n' roll the international language of pop.
The combination of virulent sexuality, boy-next-door good manners, incredible stage presence and an ambitious manager propelled Elvis into two decades of television specials, films, blockbuster concerts and merchandising.
He changed the way people thought about music and made an indelible mark on American culture.
"Before there was Elvis, there was nothing," John Lennon once said.
Elvis remains the best-selling solo artist with over a billion albums sold and still generates about 50 million US dollars a year through licensing fees and the Graceland exhibits.
Opened to the public in 1982 and declared a national monument in 2006, Graceland draws nearly 600,000 visitors a year.
During Elvis Week, the party spills out across the city with fan club festivals, an expo and convention hosting book signings and a hundred merchants, impersonator contests, scholarly talks and memorial services.
A huge marketing blitz accompanied events this year which drew an estimated 75,000 people.
"It's official -- this is the biggest Elvis week and the biggest candlelight vigil ever," Tom Morgan, executive director of Elvis Presley Enterprises said as he opened the ceremonies at dusk Wednesday.
There were plenty of gray-haired old ladies who had fallen for Elvis when he smashed through the social conservatism of the 1950's and got white kids to shake their hips.
But there were also a surprising number of people who were children when he died on August 16, 1977 of a drug-induced heart-attack. And quite a few who hadn't even been born yet.
Debbie Quinn-Booth, 38, was among thousands of British fans who flew in for the anniversary.
"I love Elvis. He's my hero. He's the love of my life. I can't explain it, it's just something about him," she said. "I'm here to pay my respects."
Frenchman George Lassus, 62, said the appeal of Elvis is quite simple.
"We were part of the (cultural) revolution of the 1960's ... without Elvis we wouldn't be here."