Elvis Presley was found dead of heart failure in his home in Graceland. He was 42.

Jackie Kahane gave the eulogy at Presley’s funeral. According to Kahane being asked by the Colonel Parker to give the eulogy was one of the most important moments in his life and career.

In a profile on Time.com Jessica Reaves wrote:

“It is testament to Elvis’s appeal that none of the less-than-glamorous trivia of his final years and death has marred his sheen. If anything, in fact, it’s the excruciatingly human details of Elvis’s sad last days that has endeared him to so many fans. It makes him more like one of us: life-size, even vulnerable. It even enhances the pleasure of listening to his music, reminding us that the voice that brought us all those heartbreakingly beautiful tunes belonged to a person who ached and longed and lost.”

[Related: Remembering Elvis – an Interview with George Klein]