The Mysterious, Four-Decade Tale of Elvis Presley Sightings

On August 16, 1977, a pivotal event unfolded in Memphis, Tennessee. It marked either the passing of Elvis Presley at the age of 42, as over 80% of Americans believe, or the beginning of one of the most extraordinary vanishing acts in history.

The “Elvis is alive” theories are as diverse as they are numerous, circulating ever since his death. He has transcended the world of popular entertainers to join the ranks of Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, and in some minds, even Jesus. What follows is a quick look at why some people just can't let this American legend rest in peace.

THE FIRST ENCOUNTER

On the afternoon of August 16, 1977, a man who closely resembled Elvis is rumored to have bought a one-way ticket from Memphis International Airport to Buenos Aires. He allegedly used the name Jon Burrows, a pseudonym that Elvis often used when checking into hotels. Patrick Lacy, the author of *Elvis Decoded*, claims to have disproven this widely circulated, yet entirely unverified story by interviewing airport officials and discovering that international flights weren't available from Memphis in 1977. Additionally, the question arises: why would the most famous man in the world risk going into a public place in his hometown to book a flight for the purpose of faking his own death? Perhaps Elvis thought his acting chops would help him go unnoticed.

THE FUNERAL

Much of the “Elvis is alive” speculation centers around August 18, 1977, the day of Presley's funeral. Footage from the service shows pallbearers struggling with a 900-pound copper coffin. While the King had gained some weight in his later years, it seems implausible that he weighed half a ton. One theory suggests that the casket was equipped with a cooling system, similar to those used to prevent wax figures of famous personalities from melting in the heat. Does that sound insane? Presley's cousin, Gene Smith, thought the body looked a bit odd. “His nose seemed unusually pug-shaped, and his right sideburn was sticking out—it was about an inch long,” Smith mentioned in the 1991 special *The Elvis Files*. “And his hairline looked like a wig or something glued on.” Smith was also disturbed by the unusual smoothness of Presley’s usually calloused hands and the sweat on his forehead.

Fans were even more unnerved when they saw the King’s gravestone. The inscription reads “Elvis Aaron Presley,” even though he was originally given the middle name “Aron,” likely in memory of his stillborn twin brother, Jesse Garon. The theory is that Elvis intentionally used the incorrect spelling to secretly inform fans that he was still alive. Another one of Elvis’s cousins, Billy Smith, claimed the singer simply preferred the more common double-A spelling, as evidenced by legal documents bearing Presley’s signature.

THE DEATH ITSELF

Typically, a funeral follows a death, and the question of what caused the King's death is a major topic of debate. The medical examiner’s official diagnosis was 'hypertensive heart disease associated with atherosclerotic heart disease.' Elvis weighed at least 250 pounds in his last days, and a Baptist Memorial Hospital staff member told *Rolling Stone* that he had 'the arteries of an 80-year-old man.' So, a massive heart attack seems plausible. However, toxicologists discovered more than 10 different drugs in Presley’s system, sparking theories that 'polypharmacy' contributed to his death.

The general ambiguity surrounding these medical explanations has undeniably fueled conspiracy theories. Add to that the confusion over official paperwork. Elvis’s death certificate will remain sealed until 2027, 50 years after his passing. While this may seem like evidence of a cover-up, it's actually in accordance with Tennessee law. As for Presley’s autopsy report, it's a private family document that’s unlikely to ever be made public.

THE POOL HOUSE PHOTO

The second major sighting of Elvis appeared in the form of a photograph taken on December 31, 1977. While visiting Graceland with his family, a man named Mike Joseph snapped some casual photos of Presley’s pool house. A few years later, while examining them with a magnifying glass, Joseph noticed a shadowy figure resembling Elvis sitting in the doorway. Experts at Kodak confirmed the images hadn’t been altered, suggesting that someone was indeed peering through the window. In an interview with Larry King, Elvis’s close friend Joe Esposito speculated that the figure was another Presley associate, Al Strada. Joseph accepted this explanation, but many still question the sighting.

A few years later, a similar case of mistaken identity sparked some excitement when sports agent Larry Kolb was photographed alongside his client (and Elvis’s friend) Muhammad Ali and Jesse Jackson in a 1984 newspaper image. Kolb later came forward with a color version of the photo, proving it was him, not Elvis, in the picture. But that hasn't fully resolved the matter. When asked in an interview to identify the man in the background, Ali supposedly replied, 'That’s my friend Elvis.'

THE KING OF KALAMAZOO

In the late '80s, Kalamazoo, Michigan, became the new hotspot for the 'Elvis lives' legend, a city where Elvis had performed just months before his death. In 1988, Louise Welling, a woman from nearby Vicksburg, claimed to have seen Presley standing in line at a local Felpausch supermarket. He was wearing a white jumpsuit, of course, and buying an electrical fuse. Welling’s daughter later spotted him enjoying Whoppers at Burger King. 'What makes this story strangely convincing,' expert David Adler told the *Los Angeles Times* in an interview promoting his Elvis-themed cookbook, 'is that Burger King was by far Elvis's favorite fast food chain.'

BACK ON THE BIG SCREEN?

The Kalamazoo commotion led to a wave of late-’80s Elvis sightings, many of which depicted the King doing everyday things, like pumping gas or buying junk food. These sightings fit the theory that he faked his death to escape public attention (or the mafia, as some theorists claim) and return to a simpler life. But given that Elvis loved movies—he starred in 31—and Christmas, it almost makes sense that he’d risk exposing himself by appearing in the 1990 holiday film *Home Alone*.

Proponents of this peculiar theory assert that a 55-year-old Elvis made a cameo in the background of a scene where Catherine O’Hara’s character is stranded at the Scranton airport while trying to reunite with her son. Behind her is a bearded figure who bears a resemblance to Elvis from *Charro!* (1969) and tilts his head in a way that conspiracy theorists believe matches Presley’s onstage mannerisms. Interestingly, director Chris Columbus had just completed *Heartbreak Hotel* in 1988, a film about kids attempting to kidnap Elvis. Columbus and *Home Alone* star Macaulay Culkin joke about the theory in the DVD commentary, but the identity of the extra remains a mystery. Even if the real bearded man were to come forward, it likely wouldn’t extinguish the legend.

GROUNDSKEEPER PRESLEY

In the summer of 2016, a video featuring a Graceland groundskeeper who some claimed was Elvis went viral. The footage shows a gray-haired man wearing a baseball cap and an Elvis Week T-shirt as he fiddles with some wire and flashes a two-finger sign—seemingly a numerical clue—as he walks past the camera.

The video has been watched over 2 million times on YouTube—far more than the one where a clever Elvis fan *debunks* the whole idea by talking to the real Graceland employee, a friendly man named Bill Barmer. 'I’m not really 81,' says Barmer, who goes on to compare himself to a *Pokémon Go* character.

THE FUTURE

The 'Elvis is alive' theories can’t go on forever. By now, the man would be in his 80s, and the oldest person ever on record lived to 122. That gives us maybe another 40 years of stories about the King *living it up* in Argentina, *enjoying a coffee* at Tim Hortons, or doing whatever it is an elderly man who's been in hiding since the Carter Administration does. Unless, of course, it turns out Elvis is immortal.

In an interview accompanying *The Beatles Anthology* DVD, George Harrison described a brief 1972 meeting with Elvis at Madison Square Garden, comparing it to 'meeting Vishnu or Krishna or something.' Elvis’s hair was jet black, his skin bronzed, and his presence made Harrison feel like 'a snooty little nobody.' Harrison’s sentiment might echo what Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper subtly captured in their 1987 track *Elvis Is Everywhere*. Whether alive or dead, Presley remains a pop culture deity that we continue to revere.