Elvis: What Happened? The bodyguards – Red West, his cousin Sonny West, and David Hebler – had been fired purportedly for cost-saving reasons, though many suspected it was because they had been heavily critical of Elvis' increasing dependence upon various drugs.
No, Elvis Didn't Fire Colonel Tom Parker From the Stage at Las Vegas. In the later years of his life Elvis performed several Las Vegas residency shows after the Colonel made a deal to keep him there in order to pay for his large gambling debt.
As Elvis's career went on, Red an Sonny West were fired by the singer's dad. They had started speaking out about Elvis's drug problems, eventually publishing a book about it called Elvis, What happened?. It came out a few weeks before Elvis died in August 1977.
Delbert Bryant West Jr. (July 5, 1938 – May 24, 2017), known professionally as Sonny West, was a friend and bodyguard of the singer Elvis Presley along with his cousin Red West for sixteen years, as part of the Elvis entourage at the Elvis Memphis home Graceland, which became known as "The Memphis Mafia".
Elvis' entourage and firing
Elvis's father, Vernon Presley, who hated the members of his son's entourage, fired West, his cousin Sonny, and bodyguard David Hebler. The three subsequently wrote the book Elvis: What Happened?, claiming to be an attempt to warn and obtain help for Elvis.
Although they were the two most prominent loves of his life, Elvis Presley did not leave his ex-wife Priscilla Presley or Ginger Alden anything in his will, even though the latter co-signed the final version of the document.
While Presley's star rose, his band remained on a fixed salary, causing increasing dissension. In a joint interview with The Memphis Press-Scimitar in late 1956, his three sidemen said they were being paid $200 a week when on tour (the article called that “good money for sidemen”) and $100 a week the rest of the time.
Lisa Marie became the the sole owner of the mansion when the trust holding her inheritance dissolved on her 25th birthday in 1993. Graceland has become a popular tourist attraction over the years, with public tours on offer as well as sprawling museum exhibits.
Parker didn't care; he saw that he could extract maximum profits out of Presley by keeping him on a rigorous film schedule and using the accompanying soundtracks to fulfill his contractual obligations to RCA.
However, a few years later, Phillips betrayed Elvis's trust, and although the two men were able to put the incident behind them, the betrayal left a deep impression on the singer's psyche. As a result, Elvis began building a wall to shield his personal life from the outside world.
Elvis' Rebellious Image in '56. Fueled by Gas Station Fight. That's what Elvis Presley said on October 18, 1956, after posting bail on an assault and disorderly conduct charge in Memphis. Presley participated in a relatively minor scuffle at a service station that afternoon.
No, Elvis didn't fire the Colonel from the stage at Las Vegas in real life.
The Colonel travelled to Memphis for the funeral, where he turned up dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and baseball cap, and smoked his trademark cigar. It was reported that at the funeral, he persuaded Presley's father to sign over control of Presley's career in death to him.
Colonel Tom Parker was likely moved to tears for two reasons. One, was that he loved seeing "his boy" do so well at his craft. But the other reason was purely financial.
The Upstairs Remains Off Limits
Presley's primary suite on the second floor of Graceland was his most private refuge, where only his closest confidants were allowed. It was there, in his bathroom, that Presley's body was found on Aug. 16, 1977.
After Lisa Marie's death in 2023, Graceland and her trust were inherited by her daughters, Keough and Harper and Finley Lockwood, a representative for Graceland confirmed to People.
The fate of Elvis Presley's Graceland mansion has been revealed. The Memphis, Tenn. estate will be inherited by Lisa Marie Presley's three daughters—Riley Keough and Harper and Finley Lockwood—following her death at age 54, a representative for Graceland confirmed to E! News on Jan. 17.
Towards the end of his career, the Colonel was taking a 50% commission, which was considered completely exploitative. Elvis Presley's performance in Hawaii in 1973 was the first performance telecast via satellite to the world.
The money. It has been widely reported that the colonel took more than half of Presley's income in return for negotiating merchandising deals, TV appearances and acting roles.
What was Colonel Tom Parker Worth When He Died? Because of his crazy commission from Elvis' career the question of the Colonel Tom Parker net worth is one many have asked. At the time of his death in 1997, Elvis' Manager, Colonel Parker was worth approximately $1 million, the same as $1.8 million in 2023.
Sources told TMZ that Priscilla wanted a burial spot next to her ex-husband – who died in 1977 – at his Graceland estate. His final resting place is flanked by the graves of his beloved mother and father. Her request was described as a “non-starter”, so Priscilla backed down without much of a discussion.
On the morning of his death, Elvis woke and went to the bathroom, telling Ginger 'I'm going to the bathroom to read'. They would be the last words he would ever speak.
Priscilla was asked on her official Facebook: “Did Elvis ever call you and Lisa Marie by other names? Nicknames?” To which The King's former wife revealed: “He would call me 'Little One' and her 'Yittle'.