Elvis Presley was born in 1935 in Mississippi and grew up in a poor but religious family. He showed an early talent for singing and won local competitions, but worked other jobs until he was discovered by record executive Sam Phillips in 1954. Elvis went on to international fame as one of the earliest pop and rock stars, winning numerous music awards. He married Priscilla in 1967 but they later divorced, and Elvis struggled with prescription drug abuse which contributed to his death at age 42 in 1977.