Elvis Presley died 30 years ago on 16 August, 1977. Yet his memory has not faded in the intervening years. Quite the opposite in fact; the King is much more famous today than when he was alive. Every year, some 600,000 people make the pilgrimage to his home in Graceland – many of whom were not even born when the great man died.

During his last years, Elvis was lonely, overweight and addicted to food and drugs. Footage from his final concerts in Las Vegas shows him going through the motions; the soul had disappeared from his singing. He became one of the casualties of global fame - everybody knows who you are, yet you feel totally alone.

During the final years of his life, Elvis's image and his reality had dramatically diverged. Yet his death meant his human weaknesses could be overlooked and Elvis the legend could be born.

• Had Elvis lived, do you think he would have become the same kind of global icon he is today?

• Did dying set the seal on his career?

• Some people will not believe Elvis Presley has truly 'left the building'; they insist he is alive somewhere waiting for his second coming. Why is it so hard for some people to accept Elvis died?

• Why has Elvis become a religion to some people?

• Although both were equally talented musicians, John Lennon has a cult-like status that Paul McCartney doesn't. Is it possible to be regarded as a legend in the same way as somebody who died before their time?

• There is the '27' club. Many music legends died at this age including Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Jimi Hendrix and Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones. Nick Drake almost makes it into the club, having died at the age of 26. Do you think there's something significant about that age, or is it just coincidence?