Elvis Presley's Life and Legacy in Photos: See His Most Iconic Moments

Elvis Presley was born to Vernon and Gladys Presley in Tupelo, Mississippi. He was born in a two-room house built by his father, grandfather and uncle.

When Elvis stepped into the studio at Memphis Recording Service, he recorded his first two songs — "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches Begin"— as a birthday gift for his mother. About a year later, he recorded his first single, "That's All Right."

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Elvis Presley's self-titled debut album was released in March 1956. It was his first rock 'n roll album to ever hold the number one spot on the Billboard 200 albums chart, where it stayed for 10 weeks.

Elvis Presley made his feature film debut in Love Me Tender, a musical Western film. The title was originally The Reno Brothers, but was later changed to promote the title song sung by Elvis.

Elvis was drafted into the United States Army and entered into service in March 1958. He was stationed in Fort Hood, Texas, and later in Friedberg, Germany. In 1959, he met 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu, who would later become his wife.

Elvis and Priscilla got married in 1967. Their wedding took place in Las Vegas in a private suite to avoid paparazzi. It was a small event, with just 14 people in attendance.

Elvis and Priscilla's daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, was born exactly nine months after the couple's wedding.

First called Elvis and then later known as the '68 Comeback Special, this 1968 television special produced one of the most famous images of Elvis Presley, later adapted for the cover of Rolling Stone. Elvis performed in front of a live audience, marking his first live performance since 1961. It was NBC's highest-rated show that year.

Elvis' Las Vegas residency was a major part of his career. His first show at the International Hotel took place in 1969; he continued performing there for the next seven years (it eventually became the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino in 2014). He performed 636 sold-out shows.

Aloha From Hawaii was a performance by Elvis in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was the first entertainment special by a solo artist to be broadcast live around the world. It is estimated that between 1 and 1.5 billion viewers watched it.

About six years after getting married, Elvis and Priscilla got divorced. Priscilla later reportedly said that Elvis sang Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" to her as they were walking down the courthouse steps following their divorce proceedings.

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Elvis Presley died on this date at the age of 42. The cause of death was heart failure. His funeral was held two days later, on August 18, 1977. Months later, his father Vernon wrote in Good Housekeeping, "I am more heartbroken than I can express over Elvis’s death, yet I’m comforted by the sure knowledge that my son was a gift from God and his life was always in God’s hands."