When Elvis Presley arrived  in the 1950s, he was quite unlike anything the world had ever seen. His music struck a chord with folks living in mid-century America, and soon he was rocking the world. But Presley was more than just a rock & roller, he was also a great philanthropist. He died at his home in Memphis on Aug. 16, 1977, and left behind not just a wealth of music and movies, he left a legacy of charitable contributions. One of his earliest donations was to the American Cancer Society.

“Elvis lent his name and image to the American Cancer Society in 1957 as a way to hopefully further donations,” said Charley Reeves, Elvis historian and founder of the Elvis Presley Fan Club of Oklahoma. “He often wrote checks to charities in need, and that included the ACS. Many of Elvis’ charitable donations were widely known but even more were done quietly with no one’s knowledge.”

Proceeds from the 1973 concert, “Elvis, Aloha from Hawaii,” were donated to a local cancer fund.

 “Elvis made history being the first performer to hold a live satellite broadcast concert,” Reeves said. “Instead of concert attendees paying admission, they paid what they could afford and those donations, which totaled $75,000, went to a local cancer fund.”

Oklahoma disc jockey Jack Elliot remembers Presley and his impact on the world.

“I remember I was on the air in Phoenix when Elvis died,” Elliot said. “It was just before I moved to Oklahoma. No one could believe he was gone at such a young age. Listeners began calling, and we played nothing but Elvis records for the next few days.”