Fans gather in Los Angeles to pay tribute to Elvis Presley

  |  Xinhua

LOS ANGELES Hundreds of people from across the United States gathered here Sunday to pay tribute to the legendary singer and performer Elvis Presley.

Fans from different age groups celebrated the 17th Annual Elvis Festival themed “The King Lives On” from morning to afternoon. Many of them dressed up as Presley and sang his classic songs with a lot of emotion.

“As a child in the 60s and 70s, everybody wanted to be like Elvis, and be Elvis himself you know and be able to sing, do movies and stuff like that,” said John Justin, a performer at the scene.

''Look at him as a well-known icon, an idol of mine, because he was such a phenomenal performer, has such a great following and such a phenomenal voice. So I really admire him,” Ken Elsner said.

The event was held in conjunction with the local Harvest Farmers Market. Along with the Elvis singing contest, there were the King of Cadillacs Car Show and activities organized by the fan club of “Jailhouse Rock,” a feature film starring Presley, among others.

Elsner got into the final competition of the Elvis singing contest. “I am in the contest final. So we are doing it here. We are having a whole lot of fun. There are 12 of us. So it’s gonna be a fierce competition,” he said.

Presley was regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century. He is often referred to as “the King of Rock and Roll,” or simply “the King” by his fans.