It is one of the most infamous conspiracies of all time – did Elvis Presley fake his own death to escape superstardom?
When the King of Rock and Roll died on August 16, 1977, the music industry and his millions of fans were stunned.
But speculation started to grow among a small group of sceptics that Elvis may not have died after all – with some pointing out supposed discrepancies with the iconic photo of his corpse.
Since then, the bonkers theory has developed into an urban legend, with countless books and even feature-length documentaries produced to examine whether the King of Rock and Roll is still alive.
And believers have even shared numerous “sightings” of the Hound Dog singer.
Here, Daily Star Online takes a look at five of the most baffling “sightings” on what would have been the King’s 86th birthday.
Home Alone appearance
Yes, you heard that correctly. One of the most famous “sightings” of Elvis came in the legendary 1990 Christmas film Home Alone.
The legendary singer supposedly made a brief appearance during an airport scene behind the mum of Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) as she desperately tried to return home to her son.
The extra in a grey blazer does have some similarities to Elvis – a similar hairline and facial complexion.
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And a quick Google search on “Elvis in Home Alone” returns millions of results showing just how popular the theory is.
But it does seem to have finally been debunked thanks to a comment made on the website Behind the Curtain, a weekly blog by conspiracy fiction author C.R. Berry.
The comment, posted by Kathryn Rydz, states: “Sorry I knew this extra and still friends with his ex. We laughed about this. This is Gary Grott. Unfortunately he passed away recently.”
In a restaurant
The conspiracy reignited in 1992 with the release of documentary Live Special: The Elvis Conspiracy. It featured several testimonies of people who had supposedly come into contact with Elvis since his death.
One of those “witnesses” was Kelly who, on the night of August 23, 1991, claimed she saw a man fitting the description of the singer in a restaurant with two “bodyguards”.
She quickly whipped out her camera and took two photos of “Elvis” which apparently “shocked him”.
Kelly's pictures showed a man resembling Elvis – with his trademark sideburns – using his hands to cover his face as he tries to duck out of shot.
And despite looking the same as just an average impersonator, the woman was convinced it was the man himself.
“When I took my first picture and the clip went off, I shocked him,” she recalled on the documentary.
“The bodyguard ran towards me and then he ran around the side and grabbed the stuff from the table and then they started running out to the back door.
“I thought, maybe I can get a couple more good shots.”
As a gardener at Graceland
Graceland, in Memphis, Tennessee, US, is often a hive for “sightings” of its former owner.
One particular theory which has gained huge popularity surrounds its gardener who is often likened to Elvis himself.
Footage captured in 2016, and shown above, shows a man looking suspiciously like Elvis strolling across the green at the mansion.
In the video, the man (who is wearing a blue polo shirt) stares at the camera briefly before tending to the garden.
The YouTube channel behind the strange video – known as “TheShadow” – was certain the man in the video was 86-year-old Elvis Presley.
And he’s not the only one. England cricketing legend Freddie Flintoff recently told Daily Star : “There’s rumours that he is the caretaker of Graceland.
“There’s security footage of a man in the garden, he looks like Elvis would like right now. I promise you. Go on YouTube and look up Elvis Presley as a gardener or security guard.
“If you’re there, look at Flat Earth as well.”
At his own vigil
Back in 2019, hundreds of Elvis fans flocked to Graceland to commemorate the 42nd anniversary of his death as part of the annual vigil.
But popular conspiracy page Evidence Elvis Presley is Alive noticed two “familiar” people in the crowd.
In a livestream of the event, a white-haired man in a red shirt walks through the back of the crowd.
And a separate image from the same event captured a similar man wearing a blue shirt and with a white beard.
The admin of the Facebook page wrote: “Notice that man in the blue shirt walking behind Argo at the candlelit vigil? Also, notice the man in the red shirt is walking from the left side to the right side of the podium?
"Too bad I can't get a close-up of the faces (as I could identify them better)!
"It's possible that one could be Elvis and the other a brother."
While not mentioning him by name, this brother could hint at Jesse Aron Presley – Elvis' sibling who died at birth.
At a Donald Trump rally…?
One of the most recent sightings of “Elvis” was posted to Twitter at the beginning of last year.
It showed a man bearing a slight resemblance to the singer wearing a red Trump hat and holding a “Trump Pence” sign.
He was seen standing next to Angie Marchese, the director of Archives for The Elvis Museum.
Twitter user @ProfMelonhead wrote: “Elvis(?) and Angie Marchese – Director of Archives for The Elvis Museum both spotted at Trump Rally…Could this be her father? Uncle, relative friend or The King? Picture supplied by a Patriot.”
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