AFP PHOTO/ Rodrigo ARANGUA
Chilean miner Edison Pena, seen here after being brought to the surface Oct. 13, 2010, following a 10-week ordeal in the collapsed San Jose mine, said Elvis Presley helped him through his ordeal. Pena, 34, led his fellow miners in singalongs of Elvis Presley hits as they awaited rescue. When Graceland officials heard this, they arranged to have a care package, including a CD box set of remastered Elvis classics and a poster of "The King," sent down into the mine. Now, they are offering Pena a VIP trip to Graceland.
AP
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, wearing a pair of Elvis Presley's sunglasses, does his Elvis impersonation for Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie Presley, second from right, and President Bush during visit to Graceland in June of 2006. A longtime fan, he made Graceland a stop on his official U.S. visit.
AP/ITAR-TASS/Pres. Press Service
The late Russian President Boris Yeltsin, pictured at the Barvikha sanitorium outside Moscow, Dec. 11, 1997, was an avid Elvis fan and had a collection of Elvis memorabilia. Yeltsin, whose favorite song was "Are You Lonesome Tonight," first heard a recording of "The King" when he was 27.
CBS
Former President Bill Clinton, seen here in an interview with Katie Couric on Sept. 21, 2010, reportedly has a large collection of Elvis memorabilia, ranging from salt and pepper shakers to a dancing telephone. During the 1992 campaign, Mr. Clinton's security detail called him Elvis, prompting his running mate Al Gore to quip onstage:"It's always been my dream to come to Madison Square Garden and be the warm-up act for Elvis."
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The late conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein had warm regard for the kind of rock'n'roll. "Elvis is the greatest cultural force in the 20th century," Bernstein once said. "He introduced the beat to everything, music, language, clothes, it's a whole new social revolution - the '60s comes from it."
AP Photo/John Lindsay
Former Beatle John Lennon, seen at a news conference at the Americana Hotel in New York on May 13, 1968, had this to say of Elvis Presley: "Before Elvis, there was nothing."
AP
Boxing great Muhammed Ali, pictured at the 16th Annual Carousel of Hope Gala on Oct. 23, 2004, in Beverly Hills, Calif., was among the millions of visitors to Graceland. He signed the landmark's VIP guest book.
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Musical icon Bob Dylan, performing at a tribute to Michael Douglas on June 11, 2009, in Culver City, Calif., lists Elvis among his many influences. Dylan once said of Presley, "Hearing him for the first time was like busting out of jail."
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Bruce Springsteen performs at "Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief", on Friday, Jan. 22, 2010, in New York. Springsteen, who once declared "there is only one king," said of Presley: "...it was like he came along and whispered some dream in everybody's ear, and somehow we all dreamed it."
AP Photo/Richard Drew
Blues legend B.B. King, left, performs with Bo Diddley at the second anniversary celebration of B.B. King's Blues Club and Grill Thursday, June 20, 2002, in New York. King remembers meeting Presley over the years. "I remember Elvis as a young man hanging around the Sun studios," the legendary bluesman said. "Even then, I knew this kid had a tremendous talent."
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Elton John admits to being a fan since he was a child and says it was Elvis who got him interested in music. "If it hadn't been for Elvis, I don't know where popular music would be," he once said. "He was the one that started it all off, and he was definitely the start of it for me."
AP
Soul singer James Brown, seen here July 6, 2005, remembered that the last time he saw Elvis, the two sang a gospel song together at Graceland. "I wasn't just a fan, I was his brother," said Brown, who died in 2006.
Frederick M. Brown
Singer Cher, seen at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 12, 2010, said the first concert she ever went to was an Elvis concert. "Even at that age (11), he made me realize the tremendous effect a performer could have on an audience," she said.
AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian
Actor Eddie Murphy, pictured at the Los Angeles Lakers game on June 10, 2008, in Los Angeles, called Presley his idol. "If you went to my house, you'd see pictures all over of Elvis," he said."He's just the greatest entertainer that ever lived."
