Torrential rain failed to dampen the spirits of tens of thousands of devoted Elvis Presley fans as they observed a candlelight vigil for the king of rock n' roll on the 25th anniversary of his death.
An hour-long thunderstorm had threatened to derail the highlight of a week-long tribute to Presley that saw 100,000 fans take over his hometown of Memphis.
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Charles Gibson of Miami, Florida, looks up during a candlelight vigil in tribute to Elvis Presley in front of his Graceland mansion
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But the rains eased just in time and people, some of whom had been queuing since Wednesday evening, filed solemnly into the grounds of the late singer's mansion, Graceland.
"Rain or shine, we love Elvis," said Ms Holly Travis, who had come from Toronto, Canada with her husband and two young children.
As the massive crowd along the cordoned-off Elvis Presley Boulevard lit their candles, Mr Todd Morgan, the director of creative development at Elvis Presley Enterprises which runs Graceland, issued a public warning to any troublemakers.
"If you've come here to stir things up or make fun, then heaven help you, because we may not be able to rescue you in time," Mr Morgan said to a resounding cheer.
The vigil began at 9.30 pm (0200 GMT) and was expected to last until 6.00 am today, the day Presley died in 1977 at the age of 42.
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Many fans, some of whom were not even born when Presley died, wept as they filed past the flower-strewn graves of Elvis, his mother and father and grandmother Minnie Mae, who outlived them all.
Elvis look-alikes, dressed in multi-coloured jumpsuits, compared outfits at nearly every street corner, their thinning black-dyed hair and middle-aged paunches proving that imitation, while perhaps sincere, is not always the kindest form of flattery.
In a poll published by the ABC television network on Wednesday, four Americans out of every 10 named Elvis as the greatest rock 'n' roll star of all time.
However, in a nod to his premature death brought on by looming obesity and an addiction to prescription drugs, 60 percent said Elvis was not a good role model.
"Who cares about a dumb poll," said Mr Henny Hannaart, a Dutch fan who once saw Elvis perform live in Las Vegas in 1973. "Ask these people here and you'll get the real answer to that question."