ELVIS: WHAT REALLY HAPPENED?

DID ELVIS PRESLEY FAKE HIS DEATH?

Elvis Presley, the legendary singer and movie star who became known as the king of rock and roll, died of heart failure 40 years ago this week.

His death on Aug. 16, 1977 stunned the music industry and devastated millions of fans worldwide. In the days following his funeral, speculation grew among a small group of skeptics that Elvis might not have died after all. Despite clear statements from doctors and a coroner that the 42-year-old superstar was dead, disbelievers were adamant that the gyrating beloved baritone had faked his own death to go into hiding.

Over the past four decades, fans across North America have insisted they’ve spotted Presley out and about. In 1989, three so-called Elvis enthusiasts even created The Elvis Sighting Society to monitor these apparent incidents. Some people even claimed he appeared as an extra in the 1990 blockbuster, Home Alone.

Presley isn’t the first famous figure our nostalgia-obsessed pop culture has been unable to fully let go. Conspiracy theories have cropped up after other high-profile deaths, from Hollywood star James Dean’s demise in a car crash in 1955 to Michael Jackson’s prescription drug death in 2009, as fans insist their favorite celebrities must still be alive.

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