Is Elvis Presley alive? All the weirdest Elvis sightings and conspiracy theories

24 June 2022, 15:45

Ever since his tragic demise in 1977, there have been countless sightings of the King, who would be 87-years old if he were still alive today. Picture: Alamy/Facebook/Youtube

By Giorgina Ramazzotti

When you become as popular as Elvis Presley, you will also get a certain air of mystery and intrigue.

In the 45-years since Elvis Presley's death, many Elvis fans have remained certain that he actually faked his passing so he could enjoy a relaxed life away from fame.

Ever since his tragic demise in 1977, there have been countless sightings of the King, who would be 87-years old if he were still alive today.

Here are the most bonkers and fascinating Elvis Presley theories and sightings in the years since his death:

The very first Elvis Presley sighting

Elvis Presley was reportedly spotted flying to Buenos Aries shortly after his death. Picture: Getty

On the afternoon of August 16 1977 – the day Elvis Presley died – a man travelled to Memphis airport and purchased a one-way ticket to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Allegedly, the man looked quite like the rock legend, and gave the name ‘Jon Burrows’, which was known to be an alias that Elvis used when booking hotels.
Since then, many fans have posted images online of a man walking around Buenos Aries who looks uncannily similar to The King himself...
The Elvis Presley poolside photo

The photograph that reportedly shows Elvis Presley in his Graceland pool house. Picture: Mike Joseph/thepresleyassignment.com

On December 31, 1977, this photo was taken by Mike Joseph (who was visiting Graceland with his family), and rumoured to show Elvis Presley sitting in his pool house.
Speaking to Larry King, Joe Esposito declared that the person in the photo was Al Strada, but still some fans are not convinced.
Elvis Presley in 'Home Alone'

Elvis in 1977 vs Extra in Home Alone 1990

One mad theory claims that Elvis Presley actually made an appearance in the 1990 film Home Alone, 13 years after his death.
When Kevin's mother Kate checks flight availability, a bearded man can be seen in the background, and theory states that the bloke is actually Elvis.
He does indeed resemble an older Elvis (he would have been 55-years-old by then), even down to the eyes and hair. Could it be??
The 1988 Elvis Presley phone call

ELVIS IS ALIVE - POOL HOUSE DOOR PHOTO JAN. 1978 Newer interviews with Mike Joseph & Gail B-Giorgio

Gail Brewer-Giorgio, author of the 1988 book Is Elvis Alive, claims to have had a phone call with Elvis Presley in the summer of 1988.
The writer, who birthed the theory that Elvis had mafia connections and had to go into witness protection, claimed the phone call was recorded after Elvis contacted her directly.
Gail explained to TIME that she had seen what she claimed to be FBI documents that 'proved' his underworld connections, after the goevernment orgnisation reportedly enlisted Elvis to help take down a criminal organisation called “The Fraternity”.
You can decide for yourself - the recording in question starts at 02:48 in the above video link.
Elvis Presley spotted on his 82nd birthday

The photo of the grey haired man at Graceland that drove Elvis fans wild. Picture: Facebook

This one is pretty far fetched, mainly because the man looks NOTHING like Elvis.
This photo appeared on the Elvis Presley Is Alive Facebook page in January 2017, showing a man with a white beard at Graceland on the King's 82nd birthday, and with security guards around him.
Thus, it led to some fans reckoning they were actually guarding the real Elvis. Oh dear.
Elvis Presley Hanging out in Michigan

Eager eyewitnesses said they spotted Elvis Presley wearing a white jumpsuit in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Picture: Getty

By the late 1980s, Elvis Presley spotters pointed towards Kalamazoo, Michigan, a city The King played at four months before his death.
In 1988, a woman named Louise Welling claimed she had seen Elvis standing in line at the local Felpausch supermarket.
He had a white jumpsuit (obviously) and purchased an electrical fuse. Welling’s daughter later saw him eating Whoppers at Burger King.
"What gives this account eerie credibility,” expert David Adler told the Los Angeles Times, “is that Burger King was by far Elvis's favourite fast food chain.” CASE SOLVED.
Elvis Presley as a groundskeeper at Graceland

Possible Elvis Sighting 6/1/2016

In 2016, a video of a Graceland groundskeeper alleged to be Elvis Presley aged 81, went viral.
In the clip, a silver fox in a baseball cap and 'Elvis Week' T-shirt fiddles with wire and holds up two fingers, before walking past the camera.
While many people still believe this is Elvis, it's since been revealed to be Graceland employee Bill Barmer. “I’m not really 81, Ok” he said at the time.
The Elvis Presley headstone theory

Tributes and momentoes are seen next to the grave marker for Elvis Presley in the Meditation Garden where he is buried alongside his parents and grandmother at his Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee. Picture: Getty

Elvis Presley's middle name was originally spelled Aron rather than the usual Aaron, possibly to make it similar to the middle name of Elvis' stillborn identical twin, Jesse Garon Presley.
Towards the end of his life, Elvis apparently wanted to change the spelling of his middle name to the biblical Aaron.
However, he learned that official state records had actually listed it as Aaron, and not Aron as on his original birth records.
Realising his son's plans for his middle name, Aaron is the spelling his father chose for Elvis' tombstone.
But some fans believe that the misspelling was intentional, and a way of letting them know that Presley faked his own death. Hmm.
And finally...The Elvis Sighting Society

'Elvis Lives Lane' in Ottawa, Canada. Picture: Elvis Sighting Society

An increased number of Elvis Presley 'sightings' in Ottawa, Canada in the 1970's and 1980's gave three friends Earl McRae, Moe Atallah, and Ervin Budge the idea to start The Elvis Sighting Society in 1989.
The society's central tenant is that the The King is alive and well, and alongside getting a street in Ottawa named 'Elvis Lives Lane', the group have also do a huge amount of philanthropic work in the Canadian city in Elvis' name.
Much of the societies work is concentrated on fundraising activities for community causes, particularly 'what it can for other youngsters and their parents as they encounter life’s challenges'.

Elvis movie: Baz Luhrmann and Austin Butler on the King's journey to big screen

The group are inspired by Elvis' struggles in his childhood and claim to be directly influenced by the following description gave of his childhood:
"My Momma, Daddy and I moved many times when I was a child in Tupelo and Memphis. We were dirt poor, and we kept getting evicted because Daddy couldn't pay the rent. Often I wouldn't know in the morning where I'd be laying my head in the night. I know what it's like to be hungry, to be in need.".
Who said all conspiracy theories are a waste of time...