Born: 8 January 1935 · Died: 16 August 1977 · Age: 42
The King of Rock and Roll, whose hits such as Heartbreak Hotel and Hound Dog and electrifying stage moves changed popular music
Did you know?He was a twin, but his brother was stillborn shortly before his own birth.
Quick facts
Date of birth8 January 1935
Date of death16 August 1977
Age at death42
Cause of deathMyocardial infarction
NationalityAmerican
BirthplaceTupelo, Mississippi, USA
Occupationsinger, actor
Editor's Take:
Elvis Presley did not invent rock and roll, but he set it alight and carried it into living rooms across the world. A truck driver from Tupelo, Mississippi, he blended the blues and gospel he heard growing up in the South with country music and a raw, hip-swivelling stage presence that thrilled teenagers and alarmed their parents. Within a few years of his first record in 1954 he was the most famous entertainer on the planet. His later years in Las Vegas jumpsuits and his early death at 42 have become part of the legend. More than a billion records later, Graceland, his home in Memphis, remains a place of pilgrimage for fans.
Key Milestones
1954: Records That's All Right at Sun Records
1956: Heartbreak Hotel becomes his first number one
1956: Appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
1958: Drafted into the US Army
1968: Stages his famous comeback special
1973: Aloha from Hawaii is broadcast worldwide
Singer and actor known as the 'King of Rock and Roll'.
Elvis Presley's birthday is January 8. He was born on January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Mississippi, USA.
How old was Elvis Presley when he died?
Elvis Presley died on August 16, 1977, aged 42.
Who shares a birthday with Elvis Presley?
Famous people who share Elvis Presley's January 8 birthday include Stephen Hawking, Kim Jong-un, David Bowie, Alfred Russel Wallace and Junichiro Koizumi.
