Chilean Miner: Elvis Got Me Through the Ordeal
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (CBS/AP) Rescued Chilean miner and avid Elvis Presley fan Edison Pena has gotten a VIP invitation to Graceland, the music lrgend 's longtime home in Memphis.
Pena, who is 34 and married, was the 12th miner pulled from the collapsed mine at 10:11 a.m. Wednesday.
He told reporters it was Elvis who helped him get through the 70 days in which he was trapped underground.. He even led fellow miners in singing Elvis songs .
When Graceland officials heard about this, they sent along a care package with a boxed set of CDs and picture of " the "king" and asked that it be lowered into the mine for Pena.
Now, Pena has been invited for a special tour of Graceland where fans line up daily to see where Elvis lived for 20 years before he died on Aug. 16, 1977, and to view his gravesite.
Timeline: Elvis' Life
Pictures: Birthday Parties for the King
Pictures: From Tupelo to Memphis
His Top 20 Hits
On the Big Screen
Map: Tour Graceland
Pictures: A VIP Tour
Pictures: Elvis' Bride
Pictures: Daddy's Little Girl
Pictures: Dollars after Death
Kevin Kern, an Elvis Presley Enterprises spokesman, says the company also sent various gifts to Chile, including a picture, DVDs, CDs and sunglasses.
Pena was reportedly among the most depressed of the trapped men and asked rescuers to send down a photo of the sun. He tried to run every day for exercise.
Kern says he does not expect Pena in Memphis any time soon, saying there are more important things Pena needs to take care of.