Vaughan Wise left to be with "his king" two years ago.
But it has taken until this week for his still-grieving mum Jeanie to part with her son's huge collection of Elvis memorabilia.
Tonight at 6pm Vaughan's Elvis treasures go under the hammer at Haywards Auction Market.
Yesterday, with tears in her eyes, Mrs Wise said Vaughan, a special needs "boy", was the kindest, sweetest son a mother could wish for.
For 41 years, until Vaughan died on December, 30, 2006, he and his mum were inseparable.
"We were soulmates. Vaughan was a special man who never had a bad word about anyone."
When he was 10 she had given him a 45-inch record of Elvis singing "Heartbreak Hotel".
"Elvis was Vaughan's king from then on. He adored Elvis. I think he heard something in his voice I don't know what."
He joined the Elvis fan club and collected every bit of memorabilia he could.
At 14, he even designed and glued together an Elvis costume and performed on Telethon, she said.
When they moved to Wanganui 20 years ago, Vaughan's Elvis treasures expanded to the point an extra shed had to be built outside.
Because she needed to move from their larger house into a small unit after Vaughan died, there was no room for the large collection.
"I couldn't bear to part with it, though."
She is "sort of ready" now but not ready enough that she can attend the auction tonight.
"That would be too hard no, I couldn't watch."
She had kept some special Elvis pieces and let the bulk of the collection, valued at $10,000, go to auction, she said.
Vaughan died of a rare lung condition.
"We never told Vaughan he was dying. It really is better he went before me. It would have been just dreadful to have left him on his own. He wouldn't have understood he needed me but I still miss him so much."
Mrs Wise wept as she said he'd been saving hard to go to Graceland.
"It was his dream to get there, but he's with his king now my lovely boy."
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