“THE King Is Dead.”This was the headline when the undisputed “King of Rock’n’Roll” Elvis Presley was found unconscious in the bathroom of Graceland, his Memphis mansion, and announced dead at 3:40 p.m. August 16, 1977, at a Memphis hospital.After his divorce from his wife, Priscilla, in 1973, Presley’s career started to go downhill. He constantly worried about his image and started dieting and taking pills to lose weight. Bad habits that he had developed early in his career were difficult to change. Staying up all night and sleeping all day gave his life no real pattern. Elvis was found unconscious on his bathroom floor by his girlfriend, Ginger Alden. Help was summoned, but all attempts to revive him were futile.Tens of thousands of people gathered outside his Memphis mansion to pay their last respects to the king. He was 42 years old at the time of his death.His talent, good looks, sensuality, charisma, and good humor endeared him to millions, as did the humility and human kindness he demonstrated throughout his life. Known the world over by his first name, he is regarded as one of the most important figures of 20th-century popular culture.Elvis Presley may be gone, but his memory and his record sales go on forever. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has announced Monday that the sales of Presley’s albums has reached the 100 million album mark in the United States. This recent milestone places the King behind only the Beatles, British rockers Led Zeppelin and country superstar Garth Brooks.In all, Presley has received 88 gold records, 45 of which have been certified platinum, and 22 have gone multiplatinum. He has received more gold and platinum singles than any artist in history with 51 gold singles, 27 of which went platinum with seven certified multiplatinum.Among Presley’s best-selling albums are Heart and Soul, The Rock’n’Roll Era, It’s Christmas Time, Platinum: A Life In Music, and The Legend Lives On.His highest certified album is Elvis’ Christmas Album which has been certified for the sale of more than seven million copies.Thanks to album sales topping the 100-million mark and unrelenting devotion from his fans, the King has landed at number one on Forbes magazine’s list of the top-earning dead celebrities. Presley raked in US$37 million from June 2001 to June 2002, topping Peanuts creator Charles Schulz, as well as late Beatle John Lennon.(SD-Agencies)