It’s been 45 years to the day since The King of Rock and Roll was found unconscious on the bathroom floor of his Graceland mansion in Tennessee. Elvis was rushed to hospital at the time and later pronounced dead. He was just 42 years old.
The cause of death was determined to be cardiac arrest brought about by his diet coupled with his abuse of prescription drugs.
Elvis Presley sold more than 500 million records in his lifetime and is widely regarded as one of the most iconic musicians of all time. However, he was not exactly popular with everyone when he burst onto the scene with his debut song, ‘That’s Alright’ in 1954.
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Another American music legend, Frank Sinatra, once called Elvis’ music “deplorable” and “a rancid smelling aphrodisiac,” which may give younger readers a sense of how much Elvis shook up the music industry, especially when it came to performing.
The famed crooner would later say, after Elvis’ death: "There have been many accolades uttered about Elvis' talent and performances through the years, all of which I agree with wholeheartedly. I shall miss him dearly as a friend. He was a warm, considerate and generous man."
The legendary performer certainly still holds a place in today’s pop culture though, with many musicians and other performers citing him as an inspiration in their own careers.
Superstars like Beyonce, Post Malone, Justin Timberlake and even Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson have all heaped praise on The King.
“Elvis is iconic; a lot of performers today look to that for inspiration,” Beyonce once said.
According to Post Malone, without the likes of Elvis, he wouldn’t have become a musician.
"I have a tat of Elvis on my finger along with John Lennon and Jim Morrison. If it wasn't for these guys, I would not be making music right now,” he said.
"When I was a kid, I loved Elvis. He was the ultimate in cool. Every guy wanted to be Elvis, me included,” said The Rock.
Elvis' life was even the subject of yet another film that came out this year, this time directed by Baz Luhrmann and starring Austin Butler as the man himself. Elvis of course also starred in films of his own but it is his music for which he is most admired today.
The King’s songs have hundreds of millions of plays on Spotify. Here is a list of the top ten most listened to songs by Elvis Presley on the streaming site.
1. Can’t Help Falling in Love (569,250,965)
2. Jailhouse Rock (327,196,331)
3. Suspicious Minds (315,374,253)
4. Burning Love (186,961,060)
5. Hound Dog (186,918,231)
6. A Little Less Conversation – JXL Radio Edit Remix (148,921,734)
7. In The Ghetto (122,603,844)
8. Always on My Mind (104,540,752)
9. (You’re The) Devil in Disguise (91,169,933)
10. Unchained Melody – Live (30,916,841)
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