Elvis Presley Faked His Death

One of the most persistent conspiracy theories is the idea that Elvis Presley faked his own death and is in fact still alive. The famous singer known to his fans as The King was a huge personality and much-loved icon, and when he died in 1977 many of them refused to believe he was really gone. The original source is unknown, as is so often the case with rumours, but fans focused on the spelling of his middle name as a sign, it was spelt Aron on his birth and death certificates but appears as Aaron on his gravestone. They claim there is no way this would have been allowed to happen if he was really buried there despite the fact that his estate has used Aaron as the official spelling ever since.

Newspapers and frequent reported sightings fuelled the idea that Elvis was still alive after 1977. Of course, considering that Elvis spawned a frightening number of impersonators it should come as no surprise that he has been frequently ‘sighted’ across the globe. In 2005 author Bill Beeny drove sales of his book with claims that he tested DNA samples from Elvis when he was alive and from the dead body and that they didn’t match; of course you’ll have to take his word for it that the samples are genuine.

There are other stories and fictional works that suggest the idea of a double or impersonator taking his place before 1977 and that it was the impersonator who died, but there is no evidence to support this idea.

Elvis was 42 when he died, his hair was greying and he had put on a great deal of weight because he liked to eat incredibly unhealthy snacks. He also used drugs extensively throughout most of his career. The prevailing theory is that he used a cocktail of drugs and had a heart attack while sitting on the toilet before crawling across the floor and dying. He was found on the bathroom floor by his fiancé. There was an autopsy performed which revealed the extent of his drug abuse and the heart attack.

The idea that Elvis faked his death and escaped has been suggested for various reasons including the suggestion that the mafia was after him, the idea that he was working for the Drug Enforcement Agency and, most believably, that he was just sick of the fame and wanted to retire gracefully in seclusion.

None of the conspiracy theorists seem to agree about the specifics of Presley’s plan or where he went afterwards. There are reports that two hours after his death a man who looked like him used one of his aliases and bought a plane ticket to Buenos Aires. There are also suggestions that he later performed as Orion wearing a mask and sneaking away after performances. He has been sighted in virtually every country of the world, although the most persistent rumours seem to suggest that he fled to South America. If he were still alive he would be 74 years old.