Elvis Presley: A Life in Pictures

A young Elvis, age 10, is pictured with his parents outside his family home in Tupelo, Mississippi in 1945. A year later, Elvis would be given his first guitar. Photograph: Associated Press/AP

Elvis in full flow. This picture, taken in 1956, would go on to be used on the icon sleeve of his debut album, the RCA-released Elvis Presley. Photograph: RCA Victor/AP

1956: The year Elvis broke through and became a star. He released his first two albums and a string of singles including the US number one, Heartbreak Hotel. Here he is working in the studio. Photograph: Bettmann/Corbis

Elvis was drafted into the US Army in 1958. He did not join the "Special Services", which would have saved him from certain duties, and refused special treatment. He was stationed in Germany for two years. Photograph: Files/AFP/Getty Images/AFP

In May 1967, Elvis married his lover Priscilla, seen here at their Las Vegas wedding reception. Although she was 21 when they wed, the two met in Germany when she was just 14 years old. Photograph: Associated Press/AP

Elvis with Priscilla and his only child, daughter Lisa-Marie Presley. Lisa-Marie was born exactly nine months after their wedding day on February 1, 1968. She is pictured here at four days old. Photograph: Associated Press/AP

In December 1968, Elvis pulled back his ailing career by appearing in a dedicated hour-long TV show on NBC. The Comeback Special, which saw the King in raucous form, was a massive success. Photograph: Frank Carroll/Sygma

A performance from May 1977, just three months before his death. Elvis toured relentlessly in his last years, clocking up in excess of 1,100 shows between 1969 and 1977. Photograph: Associated Press/AP

1996: Graffiti by fans covers the walls of Elvis's Graceland mansion. Based in Memphis, Tennessee, the former family home was opened to the public in 1982 and now serves as an Elvis museum. Photograph: Kevin Flemming/Corbis