The video has been viewed more than 2 million times on YouTube—far more than the one where a clever Elvis fan debunks the whole thing by chatting with the actual Graceland employee, an affable gentleman named Bill Barmer. But toxicologists found more than 10 drugs in Presley’s system, fueling speculation that “polypharmacy” played a role in his death. His close friend, Eric Burdon of the Animals, announced in a TV interview that the guitarist had committed suicide. Cover-ups have become more the rule than the exception in celebrity deaths. Curiously, director Chris Columbus went into Home Alone having just made Heartbreak Hotel, a 1988 flop about some kids who try to kidnap Elvis. The man would now be in his 80s, and the oldest person on record only lived to 122. No coroner’s inquest was ordered. A lot of Feel Goods I cover are fleeting moments in time- like a short-term good deed. While visiting Graceland with his family, a man named Mike Joseph took some random pictures of Presley’s pool house. The stress of his career exacerbated the immunological disease. Her insurance company denied her manager, Albert Grossman’s, claim. Seven years earlier, Jimi Hendrix had fatally OD’d. Maybe Elvis figured his acting skills would help him avoid suspicion. The King had packed on a few pounds in his later years, but there’s no way he was pushing a half-ton. It was 32 years ago, on Aug. 16, that the world was devastated by the news of the sudden death of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. The Kalamazoo hullabaloo spawned a rash of late-’80s Elvis sightings, many of which involved the King doing un-regal things, like pumping gas or buying junk food. “The precise cause may never be discovered,” he added, positing simple “cardiac arrest” in the meantime. He supposedly gave the name Jon Burrows, a pseudonym Elvis used when checking into hotels. A great deal of “Elvis is alive” intrigue centers on August 18, 1977, the day of Presley's funeral. His latest title from Citadel/Kensington, "The Rock and Roll Book of the Dead: The Fatal Journeys of Rock’s Seven Immortals," is an in-depth study of the traumatic childhoods, tormented relationships, addictions, and tragic ends of Elvis, Lennon, Janis, Morrison, Hendrix, Cobain, and Garcia. Enjoy. In an interview with Larry King, Elvis’s good buddy Joe Esposito suggested it was another Presley associate, Al Strada, in the photo. In the summer of 2016, video of a Graceland groundskeeper purported to be Elvis got the internet all shook up. “And his hairline looked like a hairpiece or something was glued on.” Smith was also troubled by the smoothness of Presley’s typically calloused hands and the sweat on his brow. Another one of Elvis’s cousins, Billy Smith, claimed the singer simply preferred the more common double-A spelling, as legal documents bearing Presley’s signature attest. The medical examiner’s official cause of death was “hypertensive heart disease associated with atherosclerotic heart disease.” Elvis weighed at least 250 pounds in his final days, and one Baptist Memorial Hospital staffer told Rolling Stone, he had “the arteries of an 80-year-old man.” So a massive heart attack isn’t exactly far-fetched. Michael Jackson’s personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, waited at least a half hour before calling 911. Unless it turns out Elvis is immortal. Hendrix’s manager and his record label, Warner Bros., had taken out a multi-million dollar insurance policy on him. One explanation: The casket was outfitted with a cooling system—the kind you’d use to keep a wax dummy of a beloved celebrity from melting on a hot summer day. The second major Elvis sighting came in the form of a photo snapped on December 31, 1977. Hendrix’s beneficiaries were paid in full. Solo hike into the Sheep Range, relocating the possible M cave (now covered up) that Kenny Veach claimed to have found, before going missing in Nov/2014. Footage of the service shows pallbearers struggling to lift a 900-pound copper coffin. “Needle Nick, told reporters the next day, the Memphis coroner at his side. While this may seem like further proof of a cover-up, it’s actually a matter of Tennessee law. The most toxic in the mix was codeine, to which Elvis, a pharmaceutical autodidact, knew he was dangerously allergic. In … He and his attorney had arrived at the hotel room before the authorities and all the drug paraphernalia had gone missing. One Night with You. Thank you, thank you very much. Its symptoms could only be relieved by cortisone. “Elvis is alive” theories can’t go on forever. This started accusations of a cover-up and suggesting conspiracy theories of a sinister criminal act. Asked in an interview to identify the man in the background, Ali reportedly said, “That’s my friend Elvis.”, In the late ‘80s, the epicenter of the “Elvis lives” universe shifted to Kalamazoo, Michigan, a city Elvis played four months before his death. How a Hospital Covered Up Elvis Presley's Overdose ... And there, a stunning cover-up took place, author Joel Williamson says. A Working progress of an Elvis song called something blue . Verdict: Elvis The Cover-Up plays like a CD documentary, which with its historic interview and commentary interspersed with some aurally pleasing music tracks, makes for fascinating and illuminating listening. That means we've got maybe another 40 years of stories about the King chilling in Argentina or sipping coffee at Tim Hortons or doing whatever you do as an elderly man who’s been in hiding since the Carter Administration. story continues below. "The Elvis Cover-Up" was based on the book: The Death of Elvis What Really Happened*, Charles C. Thompson II & James P. Cole, Robert Hale, 1991, ISBN: 0709048033 In 1979, "20/20", a popular news-magazine program on the ABC network in the USA, achieved its highest rating ever when it broadcast Geraldo Rivera's investigation into the death of Elvis Presley. Welling’s daughter later spied him scarfing Whoppers at Burger King. His latest title from Citadel/Kensington, "The Rock and Roll Book of the Dead: The Fatal Journeys of Rock’s Seven Immortals," is an in-depth study of the traumatic childhoods, tormented relationships, addictions, and tragic ends of Elvis, Lennon, Janis, Morrison, Hendrix, Cobain, and Garcia. The theory here is that Elvis used the incorrect spelling to signal fans that he was still alive. Recently, the passing of the the King of Pop — the son-in-law Elvis Presley would never know — was greeted with similar incredulity. In both cases, grieving family, friends, and fans alike demanded to know the cause of the tragedy. Sometime near 2:30 p.m., his girlfriend, … “His nose looked kinda puggy-looking, and his right sideburn was sticking straight out—it looked about an inch,” Smith said in the 1991 special The Elvis Files. “It may take several weeks to discover the exact cause of death,” Elvis’ personal physician, Dr. George Nichopoulos, a.k.a. There’s a bearded guy behind her who looks a little like Elvis in Charro! In an interview accompanying The Beatles Anthology DVD, George Harrison likens a brief 1972 encounter with Elvis at Madison Square Garden to “meeting Vishnu or Krishna or something.” His hair was black, his skin was tan, and his aura left the Beatle feeling like “a snooty little nobody.” Harrison may have been hinting at something Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper said rather deftly with their 1987 single “Elvis Is Everywhere.” Alive or dead, Presley is one pop culture deity we’ll never stop worshipping. He had secured a bottle of the painkiller during an emergency dental appointment on that fatal night. What evidence might have been removed from the death scene in that time? There’s also the question of why the most famous man on the planet would risk going into a public place in his hometown in order to book airfare for the purpose of faking his own death. In both cases, grieving family, […]. “If they even got a whiff of the theory that Elvis died of self-induced drug overdose then a fortune was at stake.”. This steroid was widely regarded as a “miracle” drug in the sixties and seventies; but it is now known to cause, in immoderate doses, psychosis and suicidal depression. But this story Gandhi set me takes some amazing people, named Pam and Gary Willis. Can't Help Falling In Love - Elvis Cover by 6 ... - YouTube What follows is a brief history of why some people refuse to let this American icon rest in peace. For details see: http://www.rockandrollbookofthedead.com. In a surprisingly hasty move recently, Jackson estate executors settled for a $3 million pay-out on a $20 million policy. The general confusion surrounding these and other jargony cause-of-death explanations has undoubtedly helped to foster conspiracy theories. According to Nielsen, it obtained a 43% share, equivalent to an estimated audience of over 50 million viewers, the 2nd highest audience ever garnered for the "20/20" series, a popular news-magazine program on the ABC network. These were consistent with the notion that he’d faked his own death to escape the public eye (or the mafia, as one theory holds) and return to his humble roots. But Elvis loved movies—he starred in 31—and Christmas, so it almost makes sense that he would risk blowing his cover by appearing in the 1990 holiday comedy Home Alone. Several reasons, perhaps. The singer immediately retracted his statement. It ravaged thousands of acres of land before merging with a larger fire that took more than a month to extinguish. Grossman prevailed in court and was paid. Pushing 40 years after, modern medicine and forensics took a new look at the Presley case facts and indicated that something entirely different from a heart attack or a … He was exhausted from relentless touring, but was being forced back on the road by his insatiable manager, Colonel Parker. Elvis’s death certificate will remain under wraps until 2027, 50 years after his passing. The King’s young step-brother, David Stanley — his self-described bodyguard “lifer” — insisted that he had committed suicide but was immediately muzzled. He was rocking a white jumpsuit, naturally, and purchasing an electrical fuse. He feared he was a has-been. Independent medical experts concluded that he had died of “poly-pharmacy,” the lethal interaction of these controlled substances. He had been battling lupus for more than a decade. Over the years, many people have claimed to have seen Elvis Presley in person and photographs. After Burdon’s announcement, a Warner’s VP accosted him: “You f—er, don’t open your mouth again — that’s our insurance policy!”. “There were millons and millions of dollars wrapped up in Elvis’s various insurance policies,” he later wrote. In 1988, a woman named Louise Welling from nearby Vicksburg claimed she had seen Presley standing in line at the local Felpausch supermarket. To date, two autopsies have been completed. Though Dr. Nicholpoulos was ultimately cleared of charges, he lost his medical license. The inscription reads “Elvis Aaron Presley,” even though he’d been given the middle name “Aron,” possibly in memory of his stillborn twin brother, Jesse Garon. In the 1980s and 1990s, there were rashes of sightings in various places including Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Ottawa, Canada. TAEYEON My Voice - The 1st Album ℗ SM Entertainment Released on: 2017-02-28 Auto-generated by YouTube. In the summer of 2016, video of a Graceland groundskeeper purported to be Elvis got the internet all shook up. Sound crazy? As for Presley’s autopsy report: It’s a private family document unlikely to ever see the light of day. But why, at age 43, would the world’s most popular entertainer take his own life? Two years later, on September 13, 1979, ABC-TV's news magazine 20/20 aired a report called "The Elvis Cover-Up," and the details surrounding Elvis' death began to take on the character of a mystery novel. He’s left the realm of popular entertainers and joined the ranks of Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and to some, Jesus. Two years later, investigators discovered that 10 major narcotics had been found in Elvis’ system. "Elvis is alive” theories are as varied as they are plentiful, and they’ve been circulating since just after his death. In the clip, a gray-haired dude in a baseball cap and Elvis Week T-shirt fusses with some wire and holds up two fingers—apparently some type of numerological clue—as he walks past the camera. Kolb came forward with an original color version of the image proving that it was him—not Elvis—in the shot, but that’s hardly laid the matter to rest. Should final autopsy results indicate drugs as a cause of death, the pay-out will be nonrefundable; but an additional $17.5 million Lloyd’s policy taken out by Jackson’s London promoter, AEG, could be rendered null and void. Believers of this bizarre theory contend that a 55-year-old Presley turned up in the background of the scene where Catherine O’Hara’s character is stuck at the Scranton airport while trying to get home to her son. "What gives this account eerie credibility,” expert David Adler told the Los Angeles Times in an interview promoting his Presley-themed cookbook, “is that Burger King was by far Elvis's favorite fast food chain.”. Rumors of a cover-up soon began to flourish. Recently, the passing of the the King of Pop — the son-in-law Elvis Presley would never know — was greeted with similar incredulity. The medical examiner’s notes, toxicology report, and photos disappeared from official files. HBO Special airing on August 15, 1985. I agree with TheWrap's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy and provide my consent to receive marketing communications from them. Thank you Steve. “I’m not really 81,” says Barmer, who then compares himself to a Pokémon Go character. Elvis Presley’s death was all a massive cover-up!The hit new Reelz Channel show National Enquirer Investigates is taking an in-depth look into that shocking claim and other allegations surrounding The King’s demise. On August 16, 1977, something momentous happened in Memphis, Tennessee. An historic record recommended for anyone interested in what happened around August 16, … Traditionally, you can’t have a funeral without a death, and what killed the King is another major source of controversy. Columbus and Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin laugh about the theory in the DVD commentary, but the identity of the extra remains unknown. Suicide allegations, however, were nipped in the bud, and Elvis’ life insurance policies were paid out in full. Elvis’ version from the 1960 movie GI Blues was played for jokes, with the singer cranking up the vibrato and German lyrics while crooning to a puppet. His liver was found to contain 23 times the average therapeutic dose (equivalent to the entire bottle). A full autopsy was performed, requiring the removal of the star’s brain and organs. Elvis is a 1979 American made-for-television biographical film directed by John Carpenter, and starring Kurt Russell as Elvis Presley, originally aired on ABC.It marks the last role on television for Russell, and the first collaboration between him and Carpenter. It was either the death of Elvis Presley at the age of 42, as more than 80 percent of Americans believe, or the start of the most spectacular disappearing act in the history of mankind. For details see: http://www.rockandrollbookofthedead.com. One widely circulated photo supposedly depicts Elvis behind a screen door at Graceland after his death. To continue reading for free, provide your email below. "There is obviously a cover-up of how Elvis Presley died!” 5 of 13 Instead, signs point to a fatal decision by Elvis’ dentist, Dr. Lester Hofman , who worked on the superstar the day before Elvis’ corpse was found on the floor of his bathroom in his Memphis mansion, investigators said. 1979. It was written by Hugo Peretti, Luigi Creatore, and George David Weiss and published by Gladys Music, Inc. Officials said Wednesday that one of the wildfires that ravaged California last year was deliberately set to cover up a suspected murder. Presley’s cousin Gene Smith thought the body looked a little strange. Experts at Kodak verified that nothing had been doctored, so it seems someone was peering out the window. Another American icon, Howard Hughes himself, had suffered a fatal codeine overdose the year before, in 1976. And his fiancée, Ginger Alden, was threatening to leave him. And Vernon Presley, refusing to believe that his son was ultimately responsible for his own fate, tried to have his enabler assassinated. He was deeply in debt, his record sales at an all-time low. In the clip, a gray-haired dude in a baseball cap and Elvis Week T … David Comfort is the author of three popular Simon & Schuster titles, and the recipient of numerous literary awards. A similar case of mistaken identity led to some excitement a few years later, when sports agent Larry Kolb was captured looking uncannily Elvis-like alongside his client (and Elvis’s pal) Muhammad Ali and Jesse Jackson in a 1984 newspaper photo. Moreover, the King was in desperately poor health. Meanwhile, nearly 100,000 stunned mourners showed up for his funeral procession. It was 32 years ago, on Aug. 16, that the world was devastated by the news of the sudden death of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. The song became such a huge hit that the film was retitled to "Love Me Tender" to capitalize on the song's success 📽The full @theedsullivanshow performance from October 1956 is available on YouTube. Special airing in 1979. Elvis Presley was at his Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, resting between concert appearances. But in the chaos immediately following the icon’s death, certain dark facts related to his actual cause of death were overlooked and the question of how did Elvis die loomed over the remembrances and tributes. Patrick Lacy, author of the book Elvis Decoded, claims to have debunked this popular and wholly unsubstantiated story by interviewing airport officials and determining that international flights weren’t available from Memphis in 1977. So have issues concerning official paperwork. Now Jackson’s mother, suspecting “foul play,” is demanding a third. It was 32 years ago, on Aug. 16, that the world was devastated by the news of the sudden death of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. His estranged bodyguards had just published a scathing tell-all — "Elvis: What Happened" — depicting their boss as a terminally addicted and deranged prescription junkie. On the afternoon of August 16, 1977, a man bearing a striking resemblance to Elvis is said to have purchased a one-way ticket from Memphis International Airport to Buenos Aires. Weeks later, Janis Joplin’s body was found in her L.A. hotel room. ... Use my little example as a base to illustrate Elvis fans of all ages going to see "The Truth About Elvis", film it, upload it to YouTube or your preferred social network. They alleged that the singer had intentionally OD’d, nullifying the policy. But to date, publication of Jackson autopsy results has been delayed “indefinitely.” In the meantime, it is likely that Dr. Murray will be scapegoated and tried for murder, just as was Elvis’s physician. A few years later, while studying them with a magnifying glass, Joseph spotted a shadowy Elvis-like figure sitting in the doorway. That explanation was good enough for Joseph, but not everyone is satisfied. David Comfort is the author of three popular Simon & Schuster titles, and the recipient of numerous literary awards. Elvis recorded "Love Me Tender" for a movie he was set to star in originally titled "The Reno Brothers." Geraldo Rivera's 'The Elvis Cover-Up' airs on ABC TV's new show, "20-20" sparking a wave of interest . But the contents of his stomach were destroyed without being analyzed. Elvis Sightings . "Can't Help Falling in Love" is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley for the album Blue Hawaii (1961). (1969) and cocks his head in a manner that conspiracy theorists swear is identical to Presley’s onstage mannerisms. Even if the real bearded man were to come forward, it probably wouldn’t kill the story. The Elvis Cover-Up. Never-before-seen evidence, interviews and shocking details about his tragic death will blow the case wide open at last! Attentive fans were further spooked when they saw the King’s headstone. The Markley Fire began near a dam in Solano County, in Northern California, on August 18.