Elvis may have left the building, but he's coming back — as a statue that could become a must-see stop for visitors to Honolulu.

A life-sized bronze statue of Elvis Presley in his familiar beaded and studded white costume will be unveiled in July in front of the Neal Blaisdell Center, site of a historic 1973 concert by The King that was televised internationally.

Presley had a strong connection with Hawai'i and filmed three movies here, including "Blue Hawaii."

The 1973 gig, broadcast on NBC, raised $75,000 for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund. Presley himself wrote a check for $1,000 to the charity before the show. He also staged a 1961 performance at Bloch Arena, at Pearl Harbor, to raise money to build the Arizona Memorial.

TV Land, a division of MTV Networks, commissioned the Presley statue because "Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii" has strong recognition among the baby boomers who make up the bulk of its audience.

"Elvis: Aloha From Hawaii" was the first musical event beamed around the globe by satellite, reaching a potential 1.5 billion viewers in 40 countries. In the U.S., 51 percent of TV-viewing households tuned in.

The soundtrack zoomed to No. 1 on the Billboard album chart and earned a five-times-platinum award for sales of more than 5 million albums.

"Elvis is the ultimate icon of pop culture, especially to the boomer generation, and one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century," TV Land President Larry W. Jones said in a statement.

MARKING ANNIVERSARY

The statue's unveiling is keyed to the 30th anniversary of Presley's death. He died Aug. 16, 1977, at age 42.

"Elvis remains an idol and a hero to so many of us, and because of the time he spent here, Hawai'i considers him an adopted son," said Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann in a statement provided by TV Land.

"Elvis will forever remain a part of Hawai'i's identity," the mayor said. "Honolulu is proud to be the home to this monument to The King, at the very site of one of the most seminal performances in his career."

The venue was then known as the Honolulu International Center.

"I think it's great," said Tom Moffatt, a deejay, entrepreneur and friend of Presley. "Elvis loved Hawai'i. I think he introduced a lot of people in the world to the Islands with 'Blue Hawaii,' which brought a lot of visitors here, and Elvis considered the satellite show his greatest triumph. Before the concert, I visited him backstage and he said: 'This is the biggest thing I've ever done.'"

TV LAND'S 6TH STATUE

The bronze statue will be TV Land's sixth "landmark" to honor people, places and moments of pop culture. Others include Jackie Gleason (as Ralph Kramden of "The Honeymooners") at the Port Authority bus terminal in New York City, and Mary Tyler Moore (as Mary Richards on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show") at Nicollett Mall in Minneapolis.

TV Land will air the Hawai'i concert, documentaries and selected Presley features, including "Paradise, Hawaiian Style," during its salute to Elvis in August.

Charlie Ross, president of the Elvis Memorial Fan Club Hawai'i, said she was delighted.

"I'm just overwhelmed," she said. "So I'm very happy to hear it really is happening. In the past, it's been so difficult to get Elvis credit for all he's done here."