Elvis Presley’s 1942 Martin D-18 guitar sells for $1.32m at auction... ahead of first virtual Elvis Week celebration

Gotta Have Rock and Roll made history Saturday by auctioning off the most expensive Elvis Presley memorabilia ever sold - The King's 1942 Martin D-18 guitar. A wealthy mystery fan bought the vintage instrument for $1.32M, according to TMZ, rather than the expected $2M-$3M price.The three-time Grammy winner originally bought his 'Sun Sessions' guitar back in 1954 at O.K. Houck's Piano Store in Memphis.   

During the two-year period he owned it, Elvis recorded songs like That's All Right (Mama), Blue Moon of Kentucky, and Good Rockin' Tonight. Presley even customised the body of his instrument with adhesive metal letters spelling out his first name, but the 'S' has since gone missing. The Mississippi-born, Tennessee-raised singer passed away too young, at age 42, in 1977 from cardiac arrhythmia due to a toxic reaction to codeine.

During the two-year period he owned it, Elvis recorded songs like That's All Right (Mama), Blue Moon of Kentucky, and Good Rockin' Tonight

Elvis - who sold over 1B records - received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2018 and he's been inducted into multiple music halls of fame.   

The auction news came ahead of the first-ever Virtual Elvis Week being held August 8-16 (the anniversary of his death) at his beloved Memphis mansion, Graceland. Fans that pay $39 gain access to a private, closed Facebook group where they'll stream all-new interviews, celebrity call-outs, concerts, and best of moments.

Presley's grandson Benjamin Keough died far too young, at age 27, from a self-inflicted shotgun wound inside his mother Lisa Marie's $1.8M Calabasas mansion on July 12. 'These are some of the darkest days of my family's life. The shock of losing Ben has been devastating,' Elvis' widow Priscilla wrote on Facebook on July 22. 'Trying to put all the pieces together of all the possible whys has penetrated my soul. Each day I wake up I pray it will get better. Then, I think of my daughter and the pain she is going through as she was a doting mother.

Elvis - who sold over 1B records - received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2018 and he's been inducted into multiple music halls of fame

'Ben's father, Danny, who is completely lost, as Ben was his only son. Riley, so loving and so close to him; Harper and Finley, who absolutely adored Ben. Navarone, who struggles deeply with loss and death. Rest In Peace Ben, you were loved.' The late musician had felt enormous pressure to live up to his famous grandfather's legacy, according to People. 

DAILY MAIL.

RIP: The Mississippi-born, Tennessee-raised singer's grandson Benjamin Keough (R) died far too young, at age 27, from a self-inflicted shotgun wound inside his mother Lisa Marie's (2-R) $1.8M Calabasas mansion on July 12 (pictured in 2010)