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Thousands of Elvis Presley fans braved 105-degree heat as they gathered on Wednesday for a graveside procession to mark Thursday's 30th anniversary of his dying.
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Thousands of Elvis Presley fans braved 105-degree heat as they gathered on Wednesday for a graveside procession to mark Thursday's 30th anniversary of his dying.
The heat led to the death of a fan from New Jersey, a 67-year-old woman.
Despite the promise of another furnace-like day, some fans began lining up early in the morning for the candlelight vigil, setting up umbrellas and folding chairs on the sidewalk along Elvis Presley Boulevard. The memorial ran through the night and into Thursday.
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.
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.
Mary Powell of Salinas, Kan., said she took up her post at 5 a.m. to be sure to get near the front of the line. "A lot of people would say I'm crazy, but this has to do with my love for Elvis. He did so much for his fans," Powell said.
The legendary entertainer, acclaimed as The King, died 30 years ago Thursday at age 42 of heart disease worsened by drug abuse.
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(Agencies) |
本周四（8月16日）是“貓王”艾爾維斯·普雷斯利辭世30周年忌日。周三，“貓王”的幾千名歌迷頂著華氏105度（攝氏40多度）的高溫，聚到他的墓地舉行紀念活動。
一位來自新澤西的67歲的女歌迷因天氣太熱而死亡。
明知道肯定又是個大熱天，但一些歌迷為了參加燭光守夜儀式，一大早就排起了隊。他們在沿著艾爾維斯?普雷斯利大道的人行道上撐起傘、支起了椅子。紀念儀式從周三晚一直持續至周四。
歌迷手持蠟燭、排成一個長隊，沿著格雷斯蘭蜿蜒曲折的車道行進，經過貓王的墓地。墓地位于白色圓柱房旁的一個小花園里。很多歌迷將鮮花、毛絨動物玩具和其它小禮物放在墓前。
來自丹佛的42歲的湯姆?維吉爾在不久前的手術中切除了一部分肺，但仍然冒著高溫來參加紀念活動。
他身穿黑色的“貓王式”連身衣，身上背了個氧氣罐，鼻子上插著一根呼吸管。
他說：“我的身體狀況不大好，但我很想來，來參加這個紀念活動。”
堪薩斯州的瑪麗?鮑威爾說，她為了能靠前一點，早晨5點就來“占地兒”了。她說：“可能很多人會覺得我瘋了，但我這樣做是出于對艾爾維斯的熱愛。他生前為他的歌迷做了太多的事。”
具有傳奇色彩的藝人“貓王”于30年前的一個周四死于濫用藥物導致的心臟病，享年42歲。
（英語點津姍姍編輯）
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