Elvis Presley wont be celebrating his 75th birthday on January 8th, he died nigh on thirty-three years ago at the age of 42!
Even now thousands mourn/bemoan the tragedy of such a loss which was undoubtedly caused by greed; his long-time manager, Colonel Tom Parker, literally 'worked' Elvis to death and those 'bodyguards' surrounding the great man were about as effective as the French maginot line against German invasion back in the second World War.
History, of course, is littered by tragedy but none compares, in the field of music/entertainment, to the premature death of Elvis, arguably the greatest and most-loved entertainer of all time; the reverberations still existing are proof-positive of his colossal magnetism, attraction and sincerity. 
Elvis was extremely vulnerable, somewhat immature, his trust and dependence on others being the root causes; isn't it sad that such a genuine person be manipulated for gain which, ironically, never benefitted anyone close to him?
Parker lived on a few years, miserably, and the 'bodyguards' lost out on account of their inability to protect a world treasure; thankfully a trust has preserved the Elvis image and 'we'* are still able to 'tap into' his immense accomplishments; I loved and admired him!
In fact, as a teenager, 'JR' was one of thousands influenced by the incredible Presley; for a few years, as a singer for two rock 'n roll groups, my life evolved in tandem with a life of sport that eventually led to a fascinating career in journalism. Never far away is the music of my wonderful youth and life on DVD's and the wonderful 'YouTube' internet site.
How many days would pass by without 'playing' an Elvis song? Not many, never a week and that's all these years later.
Pity we couldn't have met, he'd have loved horse-racing and its fascination!
Some of the greatest entertainers and personalities have enjoyed racing and many years ago a friend of mine introduced me to an American actor at Nottingham; "Hello, I'm Larry Hagman!"
That's right, the OTHER JR and he thoroughly enjoyed an ordinary weekday afternoon in my company, appreciating the character and idiosyncrasies of racing; and he won!
To this day that wonderful Presley 'sound' is resonant and beautiful; he totally dominated the scene and the hairs still stand up on the back of my neck listening to magnificent renditions of songs made even more fantastic by Elvis' uniqueness and originality.
Just take a moment on Friday; Elvis, 'I will remember you!'  

Jeffrey Ross (1º Daily Earner)