Elvis Death Hoax : The King is Dead. Long Live the King!

Come on! It’s time to take a breather from all those ultra serious political and social issues threads. Lighten up for for 5-10 mins.
You don’t have to believe a word of the “Elvis Death Hoax Conspiracy “ but I hope you will at least enjoy reading about its origins, how it built up through the years and has never quite gone away. If you’ve never got beyond the jokes about Elvis being alive then join the ride and see why the story seems both utterly ridiculous and strangely compelling......

It has got to be one of the most well known of 20th century conspiracies. Even into the second decade of the 21st century surveys would still state around 7% of Americans believed Elvis Presley was still alive. Its longevity is surely due to its continuation as a social meme and some of the more humorous aspects to the story. So let’s embrace everything and go back to how it all started.

The Day the King Died?

Elvis Presley was born on January 8th 1935 a birthday he still shares with North Korean supremo Kim Jun-Un if the stories of his death were all faked.



On the afternoon of August 16th 1977, Elvis Presley fell to the floor of the bathroom at his home in Graceland mansion and never regained consciousness. He was taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Shortly after arrival Elvis was pronounced dead at 3:16 p.m. His body was taken to the morgue. The autopsy was conducted that same afternoon.

On August 19th Elvis's death certificate was issued by the coroner stating the cause as "hypertensive cardiovascular disease with atherosclerotic heart disease" - an arrhythmia, or heart attack for short.

However, toxicology results identified a number of drugs in Elvis's system.

And then the madness started.........................

Long Live the King! What an Absolute Joke!

As late as last year (2015) stories of 80 year old Elvis were still circulating. Although this time he was finally being reported as dead some 38 years after his first death!

Earlier this month, an 80-year-old, homeless, white-bearded man was found deceased under an overpass in San Diego, California.............The DNA results of ‘Jessie Doe’ were an exact match to the one and only, Elvis Aaron Presley...........

Now, weeks later, FBI spokesperson Philip Hunter has revealed that the deceased man’s body was actually the body of Elvis Presley, who had been in the witness protection program since 1977.

Source : empirenews.net...

It seems that Elvis had truly lived out his life as a country song. He lost his wife and his home and somewhere along the way I bet he lost a canine friend. No matter how much he sang that song backwards there was no way he was getting Priscilla, a hound dog or Graceland back in this life.

Not too long after his death had been announced there were many reported sightings of Elvis in late 70s America. Mainly in fast food chain restaurants. Although nothing more than circumstantial evidence this does have some logic to it. When you have a 40 cheeseburger a day habit to feed then burger restaurants are probably the places you frequent most. Most “Elvis Sighters” reported him being a man of very few words and many, many pounds.

But when he did speak it was almost like his words would be repeated across the globe in the future to come.


The sightings never stopped and began pouring in from all over the world. Elvis’s personal expansion of his waist line was coinciding with the global growth of fast food restaurants during the latter half of 1970s. He was now being spotted further afield in places like Scandinavia. One sighting inspired a song about him working in a chip shop in Britain.



In Ireland the “Burger King” chain was thought to have been named in tribute to Elvis and they still play all his old hits there to this day. A particular favourite is Elvis’s vocal rebellion against diets - “In the Gateau”.

By the 21st century it was even being rumoured that Elvis had visited us many times in the past. The King wasn’t dead; he had been here for a very, very long time.

It all started with references to ancient “Kings” in the Bible......


Then a young German Scholar, Herr Groȅther, began to see other mentions and symbols from the ancient world that seemed to hint that Elvis had influenced more than just the latter half of the 20th century.

The Nazca lines show that ancient people couldn’t really draw very well. Not on a large scale in the desert anyway. But they drew the King in detail.


Even ancient Roman art depicts the King in statue form.


Strangely Egyptian sculptures show a different King. But a king who is linked to ‘Ancient Elvis’ via Da Vinci’s “The Mona Lisa Marie”


Then rumours began that Elvis had probably crashed in Roswell in 1947. Although the 1990s official government report “It’s Now or Never in a New Mexico Dessert” concluded something huge and full of gas did indeed fall to earth but it was simply a blimp..........

Thankfully the world was spared watching a whole decade of “Ancient Elvis” on the History Channel.

Joking apart the ‘Elvis is not dead’ meme prevails. It has never been taken as seriously as something like the JFK assassination conspiracy. But all good conspiracy mysteries have something to make them believable on the surface.

So is there really any truth in it?

Is there something more than just Elvis Presley buried amongst all of this?

Here are the reasons why some still believe Elvis to be alive. Or at least did in the years after his officially announced death.

===================================================================================================

Elvis sighting August 1991, Clyde Ohio 
===================================================================================================

A Grave Error


Yes, Elvis's middle name ‘Aron’ was spelled wrong on his gravestone. It is actually spelled “Aaron” on the gravestone. The argument goes that Elvis’s father, who had made efforts to ensure the name was correct on Elvis’s birth certificate, would not leave the gravestone with such a mistake unless of course Elvis was not really buried in it. Another factor is that Elvis had specifically requested to be buried next to his mother. His current ‘resting place’ lies between his father and his grandmother.

The Death Certificate

Elvis was very concerned about his looks and embarrassed about his rapid weight gain of around 50 pounds in the month before his ‘supposed’ death. He allegedly weighed around 250 pounds in August 1977. But his death certificate lists him at a spry 170 pounds. The original death certificate has supposedly disappeared.

===================================================================================================


Elvis Sighting December 1989 Grand Blanc, Michigan
===================================================================================================

The Wax Corpse

This theory is based on Elvis’s coffin weighing some 900 pounds requiring numerous pall bearers and that those in attendance at Presley’s funeral described cool air seemingly surrounding the coffin. Some say the coffin contained an air conditioning unit to keep a wax body replica of the King himself cool. The wax replica of Elvis would allegedly fool funeral-goers but break the backs of the pall bearers.

National Enquirer reportedly paid one of Presley’s cousins $18,000 to smuggle a camera into the funeral home in order to take photos of the body. The National Enquirer went on to publish these photos. The particular issue of the magazine became the top selling issue ever.


The next question is also how the Presley family rapidly acquired a 900 pound, custom made, coffin ready for the funeral? Surely there was no time for this to happen? Elvis was buried the day after his death was announced. Why was the funeral arranged so quickly?

Some think this was to make it as difficult for Elvis's biggest fans to attend the proceedings and recognize the flaws in his ‘wax replica’.

Another noted part of the theory is that Elvis was an 8th degree black belt whose hands were rough with calluses. The hands on Elvis’s body in the coffin were supposedly soft and pudgy. He had a pug nose and arched eyebrows (unlike Elvis) and cementing the conspiracy theorists’ views, one of Presley’s sideburns appeared to be falling off.

The Strange Circumstances
Further factoids multiplied over time concerning the strange circumstances around the passing of Elvis Presley :

Two hours after Elvis's death was announced publicly, a man who reportedly looked remarkably like Elvis purchased a ticket for Buenos Aries, Argentina, paid in cash, and used the name John Burrows: the same name Elvis had used as an alias several times before.


Despite the fact that Elvis was about to embark on an extensive US tour. He ordered no new suits after piling on the pounds since last touring. He also bid "adios" to the audience at his last show in Hawaii. The significance is seen as him signing off with a final good-bye and not "Until next time" kind of good-bye.

Elvis signed a lucrative TV deal with NBC to cover the tour. An unprecedented amount for a network to pay in cash, up front. Elvis’s huge weight gain had made him reluctant to appear in public making the deal even stranger.

RCA showed an unbelievable foresight in producing millions of Elvis's recordings and merchandise. Yes, Elvis was about to go on tour, but allegedly the volume of manufactured product was way beyond any reasonable expectations. Elvis's death announcement resulted in a mass spike in record sales.

Oh and finally a reverberating story is that no one has ever collected on Elvis Presley’s life insurance policy with Lloyd’s of London.

================================================================================================



Elvis Sighting, 1988 Kalamazoo, Michigan follow up.

================================================================================================

Why Did Elvis Fake His Death?

There were supposedly a number of reasons why Elvis may have chosen to fake his death. Here are a handful of them:

His life was in mortal danger. A business deal with an organization called the "Fraternity"(with Mafia links) had seen Elvis lose $10,000,000. Speculation has it that, in exchange for protection, Elvis was working with government to expose organized crime. He needed a new life and new identity.



By the 1970s Elvis had received a number of threats on his life and felt trapped by his fame. After falling ill in Las Vegas he was unable to get medical treatment because of the number of fans who had descended on the hospital to see him. Concerned for the safety of his family it had come to the point where he would often send out ‘look-alikes’ to distract press and fanatics before leaving Graceland. Even then he would sometimes hide in someone else’s vehicle to avoid being spotted.

It was the end of an era. Elvis at 42 was obese, with greying hair and well aware that his voice was weakening. He knew he couldn’t carry on and didn’t want to fade away disgracefully.

Colonel Tom Parker, Presley’s manager had created a new identity for himself (he was never a Colonel). Parker was from the Netherlands, but managed to create a whole new (and illegal) identity for himself including a passport, birth certificate, drivers license, and even social security number. He had the means and knowhow to do something similar for Elvis.

===================================================================================================


Elvis sighting June 6th, 1989 Blount County, Alabama

===================================================================================================

Orion



The story of Orion, represented to some, Elvis returning to sing without his real identity being revealed. A masked singer by the name of Orion emerged shortly after Elvis ‘disappeared’. He had a build similar to Elvis and a voice exactly like Elvis.

Orion was actually a guy called Jimmy Ellis but his true identity was obscured because of the mask. Some fans believed that Elvis was actually working as a double with him.

One fan swore that Orion left the stage reappearing moments later with the sweat no longer showing at his armpits and wearing slightly different attire. Mr. X then left the stage after the song and the original Orion returned.

Another fan claimed to see two Orions in the back of a tour bus and one suddenly disappearing into the bathroom when he noticed her staring. He appeared to look like Elvis Presley.

A fictional story called ‘Orion’ by Gail Brewer-Georgio was written after Elvis's death and before the real Orion had performed. The story is about a legendary singer who wanted to fake his own death.

Then in 1981 20/20 investigated the circumstances surrounding the alleged death of Elvis Presley. : link

Within two weeks of the report Orion had disappeared never to be heard from again. The book, ‘Orion’ also vanished from bookstores recalled by the publisher. The publisher was associated with the William Morris Agency. The same agency that represented Elvis Presley.





The Pool House Photo


Mike Joseph took his family to Gracelands for a 1978 New Year break. They took a number of pictures there. The film was developed after they returned home and Mike noticed a figure sitting inside the doorway of Graceland near the swimming pool. After blowing up the picture there was an uncanny resemblance to Elvis. Many believe that this photo, taken in early 1978, shows a still very much alive Elvis, sitting in his pool house, watching as mourners walk through Graceland.


The 1984 Elvis, Jesse Jackson and Muhammad Ali Photo

Elvis was known to be a friend of boxer Muhammad Ali and they had been pictured together in the 1970s as this photo shows.



Here is supposedly another photo of them both taken together along with Jesse Jackson. . Muhammad Ali is said to have been asked who this man was and replied “..my good friend Elvis Presley”.


The only problem is that this photo was taken in 1984. The man claimed to be Elvis looks on the verge of unconsciousness in the photo.

The Elvis Phone Call



Allegedly this is a tape of Elvis talking on the telephone in 1981. The president of the Elvis’s original fan club claimed to have received an audio cassette. The cassette contained a telephone conversation of Elvis speaking with someone about what he had been up to since faking his death.

Priscilla Slips Up?


On the Oprah Winfrey show in 2005 Priscilla Presley was talking about how her life with Elvis and then appears to slip up saying “It's exactly what he [Elvis] said the other day”.

What was she concealing? Did she really know the whole truth? Was she an accomplice in Elvis faking his own death? Or was it a simple verbal slip up.



Colonel Tom Parker also said in a press conference shortly after Elvis’s death was announced.

”Elvis didn’t die. The body did. We’re keeping up the good spirits. We’re keeping Elvis alive. I talked to him this morning and he told me to carry on.”

Reality Bites

Of course it’s hard to believe Elvis didn’t really die back in August 1977 and there has been much done to counter the claims of the “Alivers” :

The spelling of Elvis’s middle name on the gravestone certainly does not match his birth certificate. That clearly shows ‘Aron’as the spelling.


His marriage certificate also displays the same spelling.



# Whilst the spelling of Aaron on Elvis’s gravestone is certainly inconsistent does it really prove he was still alive?

# The supposed sightings of Elvis down the years have been written off as lookalikes and tribute acts.

# The story that Elvis left on an international flight from Memphis International Airport, headed for South America has been countered with the argument that no international flight tickets were sold at the Memphis airport in August of 1977.

# The life insurance policy that no one has claimed is also another unproven ‘story’. The facts it seems are that no insurance policy with Lloyd’s was ever taken out by Presley.

# The rumour that Elvis worked for the government and faked his death as part of his own witness protection program is thrown out as well. Elvis was never a Federal agent. President Richard Nixon awarded Elvis the status of “Special Assistant” for the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD) furnishing him with an appropriate badge. This was nothing more than an honorary position and was simply a gesture on Nixon’s part. Elvis’s father Vernon was more involved with the investigations against the “The Fraternity” and testified against them. If lives were really in danger then surely Vernon would have become part of a witness protection program as well.

# The “Pool House Picture” is not a picture of Elvis but claimed to show Al Strada. Elvis hired Al to guard the Graceland home at night while Elvis was away on tour and protect Priscilla and Lisa Marie.


Rare pic : Al Strada

# The 1984 photo depicting Muhammad Ali, Jesse Jackson and (supposedly) Elvis is a case of mistaken identity. It was shown to be Larry Kolb, Muhammad Ali’s then agent. He had checked Ali into a New York hospital under a pseudonym so he could undergo tests for Parkinson’s disease.


# The 1981 recorded telephone conversation alleging to be Elvis was the work of David Darlock . Darlock claimed he was paid to mimic Elvis’s voice on the Geraldo show. He stated that in 1981 he was paid $250 by the (Steve Chanzes/Steve Crown) organisation know as “Eternally Elvis” .

# The strange observations about Elvis’s body lying in his coffin are also explained. An autopsy had been performed and most of Elvis' internal organs, including his brain, had been removed. They were not replaced before he was sewn back up again. No wonder he didn’t look the same. This would also explain the sideburns that were quite possibly "glued on". Elvis had to be made to look presentable in his final appearance on this world.

# As with many conspiracies the volume of ‘circumstantial evidence’ is used to convince people. But sometimes when you take it apart piece by piece, very little, if anything, can be used to prove the real conspiracy.


Performance : Remembering Elvis in the 1968 Comeback Special.

And now it’s time to leave the building.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.


In case you want an Encore.

I see him at the gas station at least once a year. Never at BP tho

a reply to: mirageman


Lets not forget our good ole friend Jon Cotner

Nice thread, but the King is dead, long live me.

A 40 cheeseburger a day habit? I really don't think so.

It doesn't matter if he didn't die in 1977 and to in all honesty, I really hope he didn't. I really hope the guy had a great second half of his life, without being mobbed and continuously followed by desperate people.

From what I remember, Elvis is a no no topic on the boards. I think once a thread got close to some answers if not answered the what happened to Elvis and was 404ed. I wouldn't be surprised if this one went the same.

a reply to: mirageman

Maybe it was a hoax (his death) to instantly increase the value of his records? Some are worth a literal fortune.

Or, maybe it wasn't a hoax and he actually died.

Since I met him while he was panhandling in front of the the Smith's Grocery in Lake Havasu City, AZ, how can I not say his death was faked? I gave him a dollar.

To be honest, this particular conspiracy seems to me to have survived and grown more due to it being fun than people actually believing it to be true. I'm stating the obvious I know.

I suppose there may be a tiny number of people who are serious about it, but I've never met one. I did however meet a second Elvis in Pocatello, ID at a Biker Bar. I miss that place as it had great Bluegrass music. That Elvis had long fingernails painted black, studs all over his clothing and he truly believed he was Elvis, as did the one in Lake Havasu.

As long as there are people who think they are Elvis, in a way he's still with us.

originally posted by: PlasticWizard
From what I remember, Elvis is a no no topic on the boards. I think once a thread got close to some answers if not answered the what happened to Elvis and was 404ed. I wouldn't be surprised if this one went the same.

Depends if you take it seriously.

This was not meant to be anything but a bit of fun and look at how the flakiest of rumours can grow. I made up the bit about the 40 cheeseburger a day habit by the way. It was only 12.

a reply to: Blaine91555

I kind of agree, but differently.

I think he'll always be alive as long as his music is still with us and the memories of him are still there. Even if the memories and music are passed on from generation to generation.

That, in my mind, is what makes someone immortal.

originally posted by: Cobaltic1978
Nice thread, but the King is dead, long live me.

A 40 cheeseburger a day habit? I really don't think so.

Did I miss your sense of sarcasm or did you really leave your sense of humour behind when you wrote that?

I enjoyed that thread very much, well presented.

As for the date of his death, i'm still up in the air.

"Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away." Elvis Presley.

a reply to: TerryDon79

Well put and I agree Although I'm not truly an Elvis fan.

I also think in some cases people just don't want to accept the loss of someone very important to them. Convincing themselves that the person is still here is a protective device of sorts and keeps them from facing the truth, that the person has passed on.

a reply to: Blaine91555

Completely agree with all you said.

I'm not a big fan of his either. I can listen to his music if it's on though. I don't like any of the films with him in. But I understand why people do. Everyone has different tastes.

S&F nice thread for a break from the political BS. While I can't say I was ever really interested in Elvis or celeb death hoax CTs, thanks for the presentation. That is minus the Jim Morrison one: In particular where "Jim is still alive in Oregon".

a reply to: mirageman
Great presentation of the conspiracy. Sadly, I believe he died that day in August. My reason for the belief is that a friend of mine was doing his medical training at the hospital at that time and was in the ER when Elvis' body was brought to the hospital. He saw and worked on him. He didn't recognize him at first due to his size. According to my friend, he had been dead for a while when he was found. The declaration of his death was made at the hospital, but it was pretty clear when he came in that resuscitation wasn't an option.
I liked his later stuff but can't honestly say I was a "fan" to any great extent but the news of his death is one of those moments that stays with me like the announcement of JFK's death.
Thanks for the presentation.

originally posted by: combatmaster
a reply to: mirageman


Lets not forget our good ole friend Jon Cotner

Jon Cotner was caught on video at Lisa Marie's album release party in France.

He's allegedly the one who held the door for the other guests.. looks like him..


Here's Jon's YouTube channel

www.youtube.com...

claims to share the same birthdate with Elvis as well.

a reply to: mirageman

I agree there is the possibility the homeless man may have been Elvis Presley, especially when I was young, I did see a man singing at Hard Rock Cafe that I was positive was indeed him. Then again, I was so young, and at that age, we tend to believe more things. But I do not believe Lisa would allow her Daddy to be homeless.
Who gave the reports that Jessie Doe had the exact DNA Match to Elvis Presley? A reliable source or a liar source?
I was born August 16th, 1964. Elvis died on my 13th Birthday for which we were on Holiday in the USA. When we arrived back home, we learned that the day Elvis died, between 5 pm and 5 pm, about 30 people in the region
had taken the news so hard, they committed suicide. I'm guessing a few other areas and different Country areas had the same tragic thing occur. If surviving families found out their loved one's committed suicide over a faked death, there would be a lot of angry people out there now, wanting some sort of retribution and THAT would be hitting News Headlines.
Otherwise a very intriguing post.
S&F
Best of luck on this one.
I was too young to be a big fan, and none of my family had been really big fans either. So none of my family or friends were affected by his death or supposed death, but the people who were, well.... Again, best of luck.