Weirdest Elvis conspiracy theories on the anniversary of his death
Fans around the globe were left devastated when Elvis Presley was found dead in his bathroom on 16 August 1977 – and intrigued when the circumstances of his death were revealed.
The King of Rock, morbidly obese by the time of his death, fell from his toilet and tried to crawl to the door for help.
His ill health was no secret, nor a mystery – with a hunger for banana, peanut butter and bacon sandwiches, he suffered from a number of problems. Among them was poor eyesight, high blood pressure and even an irregular heartbeat.
In the 42 years since his death, many have refused to believe the story – and resorted to conspiracy theories instead.
Here are the most bizarre ones.
Elvis took his own life deliberately
Elvis' ex-wife Priscilla, who he divorced in 1973, made the bold new claims ahead of a new documentary into the legend's life.
Opening up for HBO's Elvis Presley: The Searcher, Priscilla said Elvis "knew what he was doing" with his drug addiction and refused to accept help from desperate family members who wanted to save him.
"He knew what he was doing and people go, 'why didn't anyone do anything?' Well, that's not true," said the now 72-year-old.
"People there in the inner group did – but you did not tell Elvis what to do. You'd have been out of there faster than a scratched cat. They would try and – no way."
Her comments lent oxygen to the theory that Elvis was intent on suicide and had left two notes to that effect shortly before he died.
In recently discovered notes to his friend and road manager Joe Esposito Elvis wrote: "I'm sick and tired of my life" and "I need a long rest".
His stepbrother Rick Stanley said: "To me, it's a clear indication that suicide was on his mind."
Elvis went into hiding to escape fame
A considerable number of people believe that The King did not die in 1977, but went into hiding for various reasons and is still alive.
Several people claim to have seen Elvis after he was supposed to have died. One rash of alleged sightings took place in Michigan in the late 1980s.
In 1988, the downtown Burger King attracted international attention after a story in the Kalamazoo Gazette identified it as one of two places that a local woman and her daughter claimed to have seen the late king of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
A reporter interviewed Louise Welling , of Vicksburg, who said she had seen Elvis at the Felpausch supermarket in Vicksburg, and that her daughter had seen Elvis at the Burger King.
He faked his own death and was picked up by helicopter
There were reports at the time that a black helicopter landed at Graceland just before Elvis' body was discovered.
Some have claimed Elvis was picked up, and flew to Bermuda to fake his own death because he got fed up with fame.
Elvis changed careers to become a background actor
Some people even claimed Elvis appeared as an extra in the 1990 blockbuster Home Alone and say he appeared in the background of the scene when Kevin McCallister's mum unsuccessfully attempts to fly to Chicago.
It's quite far-fetched, but rearrange the letters in Kevin McCallister and you’ll be able to spell 'I. Mr Elvis. Act'.
Mafia involvement and witness protection
Some believe Elvis was connected to the mafia.
According to Time Magazine , one of the biggest theories on why Presley may have faked his death is because he had to in order to escape the mob.
Gail Brewer-Giorgio, the author of the 1988 bestselling book Is Elvis Alive, said in an interview with TIME that she pored through thousands of FBI documents to come to the conclusion that Presley was an American hero who had to go into witness protection.
"Do I know if Elvis is alive today? No, I don't know," she said. "But I know he didn't die on August 16."
Apparently he was friendly with mobsters and used to help the FBI – and when the criminals found out, he had to go to ground forever.
The weird mis-spelled grave
In his resting place at Graceland, Elvis' gravestone gives his full name as Elvis Aaron Presley.
But his middle name is actually spelled Aron – a pretty huge error for whoever was working on his tombstone – and conspiracists believe it was done deliberately because putting his real name would have been taboo since he was really alive.
His wife's admission
In a 2005 interview with Oprah on the TV host’s show, Presley’s wife Priscilla was addressing how Presley spoiled their daughter, Lisa Marie.
Priscilla said: “It’s exactly what he said the other day” before correcting herself and saying, “you said,” to Oprah.
They also say Lisa Marie evaded Larry King’s question during a 2003 chat when the host asked if she ever feels "communication" with her father.
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