On August 16, 1977, something unusual began happening outside Graceland. People arrived before they fully understood why they were coming. Some drove there after hearing the news on the radio. Others came from nearby neighborhoods simply because remaining at home felt impossible. Before long, the gates that had always separated Elvis Presley’s private world from the public became a gathering place for strangers. They did not know one another, yet suddenly they had something painfully important in common.
On August 16, 1977, something unusual began happening outside Graceland. People arrived before they fully understood why they were coming. Some drove there after hearing the news on the radio.…