• U.S.

Americana: Elvis Rocks Again

1 minute read
TIME

Since Elvis Presley’s death two years ago, fans have flocked to Memphis to pay their respects and take home souvenir T shirts, records, statuettes and posters. Now Memphis Dry Cleaner William Carwile is trying to clean up on a new relic: chips off the old burial block.

After Presley’s body was moved to a new grave on the grounds of his Graceland estate, Carwile bought 1.75 tons of gray marble that lined the rock star’s first tomb. Carwile had the marble cut into 44,000 chunks measuring 2 in. by 1 in., and last week, on the anniversary of Presley’s death, announced he would sell the fragments for $80 each. The scheme might sound like monumental bad taste to anyone except a Presley fan. Says Carwile: “I’d feel guilty if I didn’t share this with the fans.”

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