As
hundreds of people gathered for the funeral service, many brought flowers and
watched as his casket was lowered into the ground on a warm summer day in
Memphis, Tennessee. Elvis Presley, the king of rock and roll, died on August
16, 1977, taking the world by surprise. Elvis Presley is regarded as the most
significant American musician and cultural icon of the twentieth century, and
when he died, there was room for suspicion. Conspiracies about Elvis Presley’s
death exist, including that Elvis supposedly got involved in a crime and joined
the witness protection program. Another conspiracy is that he might have faked
his death to escape his own fame and to live a more normal life and to treat
his drug addiction in private.
Character
Analysis
Elvis
Presley, also known as the king of rock and roll, was a mamma’s boy, a very
passionate singer. Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8,
1935, to Vernon and Gladys
Presley in a two room house that they built themselves.
Elvis was born with his twin, Jessie Garon, who was stillborn. This caused his
mother to be overprotective (Pierce). Elvis was alive and healthy, and was his
parents’ only child and he grows a strong bond with his mother. Elvis Presley’s early life involved working
to help his family financially. Times were often tough in Tupelo and Vernon
Presley was once arrested for check forgery in 1937 (“Vernon Presley”). During
Elvis Presley’s early life, he discovers his passion for singing and develops
character that will remain throughout his life.
Elvis loved to be around his mother,
as she was always there for him and inspired him. Everything Elvis did, was to
please his mother. Throughout 1955 and 1956, Elvis started gaining national
attention when Sun Label Records first started producing his work, and appeared
on television shows on NBC. Younger viewers were especially attracted to Elvis’
style due to his new hip dance moves and pop culture music. Elvis bought a
mansion in 1957 that he called “Graceland” for his family and himself (“Biography”).
Elvis poured his newfound wealth back into his family, buying his mother a
brand-new pink Cadillac, amongst many other materialistic items such as dresses
and jewelry. Throughout the rest of Elvis’ life, he buys many Cadillacs for his
family, friends, bodyguards and strangers. Elvis’ love for Cadillacs comes from
his mother’s love for the vehicle. He even bought a stretched limousine
Cadillac for a stranger who reminded him of his mother, after she had passed.
The stranger was walking home from the bus stop, as she did every day after
work. The stranger one day saw a Cadillac with all eight doors open parked
entirely on the sidewalk, and took a peek inside. She then made a comment, “oh
my god what a beautiful car”. The dark haired man in the driver’s seat was
Elvis; he turned around and replied, “Oh you really think so?” He turned to the
man in the passenger seat and commanded the man to order the stranger one just
like it (Norton). In early 1958, Elvis fulfilled
the opportunity to enlist in the Army. Elvis felt that although he was famous,
it was still his duty to serve his country. Elvis took a break halfway through
his career despite his increasing popularity. On March 28, 1958, Elvis moved to
Fort Hood in Texas for basic training for six months (“Biography”). Shortly
after, Elvis’ parents moved to a nearby neighborhood close to fort hood. After
four months at Fort Hood, Elvis returned to Memphis because his mother became
ill with acute hepatitis and was hospitalized there. She then died in the early
hours of the morning after Elvis went home to Graceland to rest. The local
journal reported that Presley "cried without shame" (Pierce). In
his mother's absence, Elvis felt like he had lost everything meaningful.
Elvis
was not always so confident in himself. From 1948 to the time Elvis graduated
in 1953, he and his family continued living in the poor neighborhoods of
Northern Memphis as he attended Humes High school (“Biography”). Elvis got his
first guitar and played with gospel groups. Elvis found his passion in music
and even preformed at talent shows and fairs. Although he was very talented,
people described Elvis as a shy person who always stared down at his feet and
often locked up in nervousness when “under the spotlight” (Pierce). Elvis
eventually broke this habit as he began making professional recordings with Sun
Label records in the early 1950s in Memphis, Tennessee. Later on in Elvis’
life, he was becoming an increasingly confident movie star and singer. From
1960 to 1977 marks the final section of Elvis’ career, after he returned from
the army. He stared in 27 mediocre films up until 1977 as well as preforming in
hundreds of concerts across the country. Elvis has his only daughter Lisa Marie
Presley, with his wife Priscilla Presley on February 1, 1968 in Memphis
Tennessee (“Biography”). At this point, Elvis Presley was a content, passionate
star and is recognized as the “King of Rock and Roll”. It all paid off in the
end for Elvis, as his passion carried him out of poverty and into wealth and
fame.
Elvis
Presley followed his passion and resultantly, went down in history as the King
of Rock and Roll. His life and legacy had a lasting effect on the world,
however, he was a mamma’s boy within. Elvis’ early life effected how he ended
up towards the end of his career. Everything from picking up that first guitar,
to being teased by other neighborhood boys. However, along with his infamy and
deranged fan base, Elvis began living a real rock and roll lifestyle; staying
up all night and sleeping all day just to make that next concert happen. Elvis
and Priscilla divorced in 1973. Elvis became addicted to many drugs and was
riddled with health issues such as respiratory ailments, obesity, sleepwalking,
dizziness, insomnia, high blood pressure, a twisted colon, glaucoma, stomach
cramps, and other problems. Elvis and his family saw that this all had to come
to a stop. Elvis Presley’s internal and external conflicts eventually brought
him to an end. He had his last live performance on June 26, 1977 in
Indianapolis. Elvis Presley was found dead on the bathroom floor on August 16,
1977 in Graceland (Pierce). As the official autopsy records are not going to be
released until 50 years after his death, the controversial conclusion is that
he suffered from cardiac arrhythmia.
Conspiracy
Descriptions (Main Idea and Details with Survey Results)
Some
conspiracies about Elvis Presley’s death exist, including that Elvis supposedly
got involved in a crime syndicate and joined the witness protection program.
Another conspiracy is that he might have faked his death to escape his own fame
and to live a more normal life and to treat his drug addictions in private, as
his lifestyle was slowly deteriorating.
The first conspiracy covered on this topic is that Elvis
Presley joined the witness protection program, and had to leave his life behind
in order to preserve his legacy. By the seventies, Elvis had stared in multiple
motion picture films and had released hundreds of hit songs. He was an
increasing millionaire and with someone with that amount of fame and
popularity, he could as well as much get his hands on anything he wanted. By
the early 1970s, Elvis Presley began purchasing real estate and private planes
from a California-based organization known as the “Fraternity”, and of which,
had ties to the mafia. Shortly before Elvis’ alleged death, it is estimated
that he lost $10 million to the organization in fraud and began worrying about
the wellbeing of himself and his family. It is speculated that he collaborated
with the federal government to expose the organized crime ring in exchange for
protection- perhaps in the form of a new life and identity, compliments of the
witness protection program (“3 Weirdest ‘Elvis Is Alive’ Theories”). In
contrast, this theory would not be conclusive enough for many people to believe
that one of the highest paid musicians who made over $100 million in his
lifetime (now worth $400 million in today’s terms) would not be able to
overcome a $10 million debt if they are making millions of dollars per year
even to this day, with his net worth now being over $300 million dollars
(Kirkham). Elvis Presley would have been able to cover this loss, and would
have likely collaborated with the government without faking his death. After
all, Elvis did have many friends in government positions and would not have to
join the witness protection program for this reason alone.
The second conspiracy surrounding Elvis’ death is that he
had to fake his death to escape his deteriorating lifestyle. Elvis was a
prisoner to his own fame and had many other reasons to leave his life behind.
Because of his incredible popularity, he was the recipient of several death
threats, and he was concerned about the safety of his family and himself.
Occasionally, when he wanted to leave Graceland for reasons other than tours,
he would send out look-alikes to distract would-be followers. For starters,
Elvis’ name is spelled wrong on his tombstone. His full name is Elvis Aron
Presley, but it is spelled Aaron on his tombstone. His father would not have
let this happen. When Elvis was born, his name was misspelled on his Birth
certificate and his father went to great lengths to correct it. The unique
spelling of the name was important to the Presley family (Breznican).
Additionally, Elvis’ declining lifestyle lead to him gaining excessive weight.
Elvis was embarrassed to be in such bad shape in front of his fans. Even though
he weighed 250 pounds at the time of his “death”, his death certificate lists
him at 170 pounds. The original death certificate disappeared and the current
death certificate is dated two months after his death (Rodgers). Also, Elvis’
coffin required several pall bearers because it weighed close to 900 pounds.
Attendants of the funeral reported that the air around the coffin was cool and
it is suspected that due to these circumstances, that there may have been
something in the coffin other than Elvis’ body. There may have been an
air-conditioning unit that kept a wax replica of Elvis cool to fool funeral
goers. It is also suspicious that the Presley family obtained such an
elaborate, custom made coffin the day after his death (Rodgers). There were
also reports from family members at the funeral who said that the man lying in
the coffin looked nothing like the Elvis they knew.
The most logical solution to the information available,
is that Elvis had to fake his death to escape the prison of his fame. Elvis
felt that there was a danger to himself and his family and it lead him to no
other option than to escape it all and “start over”. Elvis persisted to take
care of his health and overcome his addiction to prescription medication away
from his rabid fan base. He was embarrassed and unstable. His best option was
to either quit his singing career, and disappoint millions of fans across the
world, or fake his death to preserve his legacy. To add to the suspicion, not
but two hours after Elvis Presley’s death, a man that looked remarkably like
Elvis purchased a ticked for Buenos Aeries with cash by the name John burrows,
which is the same exact name that Elvis would use as an alias several times
before.
A survey of twenty people reviled that 60% believe that
Elvis Presley had to fake his death under any circumstance. In the years
leading up to Elvis’ death, deteriorating health and addiction to prescription
drugs were well known and were thought to have played a major role in Elvis’
premature death. But despite this, there have been many supposed sightings of
the King. His declining lifestyle only worsened as his busy schedule, poor
eating habits, and lack of sleep increased throughout the late 1960s and 1970s.
Elvis did try drugs like marijuana and cocaine to ease the experience; however,
he was not comfortable with doing so. Elvis would form addictions to more legal
prescription drugs that he would either obtain from his doctor, or from outside
sources. There are many reasons to believe that the King is dead. When the only
arguments to believe otherwise come from crazed fans and supermarket tabloids,
it is hard to believe otherwise. However, the circumstances surrounding Elvis’
alleged death are quite mysterious and beg closer attention. As it turns out,
there are many concrete reasons to believe that the King is still alive, or at
least did not die on August 16, 1977, to get away from the dangers of his own
life.
In conclusion, it seems that Elvis Presley is worth more
dead than alive. By faking his death and relocating with a new identity, he is
safe from his fans and publicity. Elvis’ management and family can all reap
immense financial benefits from his attention.
Conclusion
Now that we have
taken a deep look into Elvis Presley and his life, there were two conspiracies
left to ponder. One, being that Elvis was forced to join the witness protection
program, and the second being that Elvis has to fake his death to preserve his
legacy and get away from his addiction to prescription drugs. As it may be easy
to dismiss these ideas, there are far too many strange occurrences that
surround the idea that Elvis Presley lived beyond August 16, 1977, when he was
found dead on his bathroom floor in Graceland. However, Elvis Presley will be
remembered as one of the most successful and influential musicians of the
twentieth century, going down in history as the man who loved, cherished, and
changed the musical industry. Elvis Presley is part of millions of people worldwide
and we all want the truth about what really happened to the king of rock and
roll; with the most plausible solution being that he had to fake his death to
bring safety upon himself and his family, given the countless controversial
sightings and circumstances surrounding his alleged death.
Works
Cited
“3
Weirdest ‘Elvis Is Alive’ Theories.” Trivia Books and Facts | Uncle
John's Bathroom Reader, Uncle John's Bathroom Reader, 7 Apr. 2015, www.bathroomreader.com/2015/01/3-weirdest-elvis-alive-theories/.
“Biography.” Graceland, The Home Of Elvis Presley, Elvis
Presley Enterprises, Inc., 2016, https://www.graceland.com/elvis/biography.aspx?elvis=.
Kirkham,
Elyssa. “Elvis Presley Turns 80: What Is the King's Legacy Worth? |
GOBankingRates.” GOBankingRates, GOBankingRates, 8 Jan. 2015, www.gobankingrates.com/personal-finance/much-elvis-worth-his-80th-birthday/.
Norton,
Sandi Fox. “Elvis – His Generosity Was Amazing.” www.IHeartElvisnet,
WorldPress, 12 Mar. 2011,
www.iheartelvis.net/elvis-pictures/elvis-his-generosity-was-amazing.
Pierce,
Patricia Jobe. “Presley, Elvis.” American National Biography Online,
Oxford University Press, 2000,
http://www.anb.org/articles/18/18-00960.html?from=../18/18-03635.html&from_nm=snow,
hank.
Rodgers,
Garry. “Elvis Presley's Death -- What Really Killed the King?” The
Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 6 Feb. 2016,
www.huffingtonpost.com/garry-rodgers/elvis-presleys-death-what_1_b_9157820.html.
“Vernon Presley.” Vernon Presley, Tripod.com, 12 Apr.
2012, members.tripod.com/sharoncarrell_1/vernon.html.
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