Poll: Elvis Still Rock's 'King'
Aug. 14 -- "The King" still rules.
A quarter-century after his death, Elvis Presley continues to top the public's charts as the greatest rock 'n' roll star of all time. Indeed, while he reaches mythic status among older middle-agers, he even leads the pack among those too young to remember Elvismania.
But it's the music, not the man, that commands affection. While vast majorities say Elvis' music made a lasting and positive contribution to American culture, most also say that in terms of his personal character the King was no role model. Bloated to 250 pounds, he died of a drug-induced heart attack at age 42 on Aug. 16, 1977.
Once, Now and Future King …
An ABCNEWS.com poll found 38 percent of Americans name Elvis Presley as the greatest rock 'n' roll star ever. Of the 128 performers named, no one else even breaks single digits; the second greatest rock 'n' roll star is Jimi Hendrix at 4 percent. (Appearing on this list, both with single mentions, may be the only thing Yanni and Alice Cooper have in common.)
The Reign Won’t Last Forever
Nonetheless, history does move on, and the differences by age indicate that Presley won't dominate the charts forever. Among people age 55 to 64, a huge 66 percent are Elvis fans. Among young adults, age 18 to 34, this drops to 38 percent — still a good number, but also a lot fewer.
Similarly, among people age 55 to 64, 68 percent call Presley the greatest rock 'n' roll star of all time. Among 18- to 34-year-olds that falls precipitously, to 19 percent. Still, even among those young adults, Elvis leads No. 2 Hendrix by better than 2-1. (Another drug-related fatality, Hendrix died at age 27 on Sept. 18, 1970.)
There's also a generational break moving upward: While Elvis is hugely popular among 55- to 64-year-olds, he's far less enthralling to those age 65 and up. Maybe they still pine for the Andrews Sisters.
Influential, But Not Exactly a Role Model
Older people, age 65 and up, are also a bit less apt to think that Elvis, through his music, had a positive impact on American culture — 73 percent say so, but that compares to 88 percent of those under 65. And just 19 percent in the older group say Elvis had a "very" positive impact, compared to 31 percent of those 18 to 64.
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