King of Pop's Death Making Elvis Anniversary All the More Painful

Today, Elvis fans around the world are honoring the King of Rock on the 32nd anniversary of his death. This year, his death is especially poignant in the wake of the loss of two other music legends: the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, and the guru of guitars, Les Paul.

Joann Smith, president of the Jacksonville Elvis Fever Fan Club, told the Miami Herald that Jackson's death and the fan response brought back painful old memories of Presley's death.

"It hurt; it really did," Smith said. "Even though I wasn't a Michael Jackson fan, I could feel the pain because it happened to somebody I had loved."

There were several connections between the two icons. Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie, was married to Jackson at one time, and Graceland once faced the same uncertain future with which Neverland is currently dealing.

Graceland was opened to the public as a museum in 1982 and each year over half a million fans make the pilgrimage to Memphis to stand in the presence of the King at his Graceland gravesite.

"I think beyond his death he's still setting the bar in terms of how to manage the estate and market him," said Jamie Coyne, founder and vice president of the Elvis Extravaganza Fan Club, the largest Elvis fan club in the world.

Coyne told the Columbus Dispatch that fan club members are getting younger, a testament to the lingering appeal of the King.

"I think a lot of it has to do with relatives. I think the other part is the Elvis-tribute industry," he said. "Although it's still a far cry from an actual Elvis show, they still create something people can't get any other way."

Jackson's death is likely to spawn the same proliferation of fan clubs and pilgrimages, and the public already stands in wait, anxious to discover the fate of his estate.