Bob Dylan Was Openly Devastated After Death of Music Icon: 'I Didn't Talk to Anyone for a Week' Jacqueline Burt CoteNovember 2, 2025 at 1:00 AM 0 Getty Images Just because Bob Dylan is considered an icon doesn't mean the legendary singersongwriter didn't have musical heroes of his own. He's often praised such influences as Woody Guthrie and Hank Williams, raving about his favorite artists just as any other fan might. In fact, the loss of one of those cherished musicians left him so devastated he couldn't speak to anyone for days.
- - Bob Dylan Was Openly Devastated After Death of Music Icon: 'I Didn't Talk to Anyone for a Week'
Jacqueline Burt CoteNovember 2, 2025 at 1:00 AM
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Just because Bob Dylan is considered an icon doesn't mean the legendary singer-songwriter didn't have musical heroes of his own. He's often praised such influences as Woody Guthrie and Hank Williams, raving about his favorite artists just as any other fan might. In fact, the loss of one of those cherished musicians left him so devastated he couldn't speak to anyone for days.
It's no secret to longtime Dylan followers that he was completely enamored with Elvis Presley, and even spoke about hearing his music for the first time as a life-changing moment.
"When I first heard Elvis Presley's voice I just knew that I wasn't going to work for anybody and nobody was going to be my boss. Hearing him for the first time was like busting out of jail," Dylan once said, per Untold Dylan.
So it's no surprise that when Presley died in 1977 at the age of 42, Dylan felt the loss deeply.
"I had a breakdown. I broke down. One of the very few times," he said later, per Far Out magazine.
"I went over my whole life…my whole childhood. I didn't talk to anyone for a week after Elvis died," he continued. "If it wasn't for Elvis and Hank Williams, I couldn't be doing what I do today."
Dylan even called Presley's recording of his song "Tomorrow Is a Long Time" the "the one recording I treasure the most" in a 1969 interview with Rolling Stone. Presley also covered several other Dylan songs, including "Don't Think Twice, It's Alright," "I Shall Be Released," and "Blowin' in the Wind."
Why Bob Dylan and Elvis Presley never met
Considering he was such a big fan, one might have expected Dylan to jump at the chance to meet the King of Rock and Roll, but that's not what happened at all.
"I never met Elvis because I didn't want to meet him," Dylan once said, according to American Songwriter. "Two or three times, we were up in Hollywood, and he had sent some of the Memphis Mafia down to where we were to bring us up to see Elvis, but none of us went."
"I don't know if I would have wanted to see Elvis like that," Dylan continued. "I wanted to see the powerful, mystical Elvis that had crash-landed from a burning star onto American soil. The Elvis that was bursting with life. That's the Elvis that inspired us to all the possibilities of life. And that Elvis was gone, had left the building."
Even if Presley's influence over Dylan had waned by then, his legacy remained strong with the folk icon...and still remains part of his work today.
Related: Science Says This Bob Dylan Classic Is the Best Song Ever
This story was originally reported by Parade on Nov 1, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: November 01, 2025 at 07:09PM on Source: KOS MAG
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