AsThe Washington Postnotes, Parker took home a hefty fee for managing Presley's career. He became a sensation, and his music and performances reverberated across the country. He is passionate about film, comics, TV and spends way too much on collectibles. On January 20, 1997, Parker suffered a stroke, and died the following morning in a Las Vegas hospital. He attended Elvis funeral dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and baseball cap, avoiding any display of emotion. King, who worked as a DJ in Memphis at the time,would certainly have been aware of Elvis, and vice versa, but they would not have been hanging out and catching acts such as Little Richard as the movie portrays,says Nash. Nobody felt like taking him to the hospital; nobody cared if the golden goose lived or died, until it kept creating gold for them. All of that missed the point, however: Parker was an incredibly secretive man who managed to somehow remain mysterious despite spending decades as one of the most famous people in the country. He took really great care of us. . Does The Batra Family Reconcile Their Differences. After Parker's death in 1997, the home was used as a law office. Toward the end of his life, Parker began to lose control of both Elvis Presley's legacy and his own story, however, and today, we know the truth about Elvis Presley's manager. One of the biggest mysteries surrounding Colonel Tom Parker is his extreme paranoia and secrecy. 10 Days Of A Good Man Ending, Explained: Did Sadik Find Tevfik And The Mastermind Behind His Disappearance? Considering how Parker lied about every aspect of his life, it's certainly possible that his "psychotic state" was a convenient way to escape his service when simply walking away hadn't worked out for him. On January 20, 1997, Parker's wife heard a crashing sound from the living room, and found him slumped over in his chair after having a stroke. Paul Shirey is a senior news writer for Screen Rant. His first wife, Marie, died in 1980. 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. The Masked Lookalike Explained. He was a carny and Elvis was his cash cow, nothing more. He also grew estranged from his family: The South Florida Sun-Sentinel writes that his mother did not hear from him between 1933 and her death in 1958, while The Smithsonian describes his sister Nel Dankers-van Kuijk discovering that he was Elvis Presleys manager after seeing them together in a magazine in 1960. The following discusses plot points from the new "Elvis" movie and the real life of Elvis Presley. Astrological Sign: Cancer Nacionalities Dutch Death Year: 1997. The Presley estate sued Parker for fraud in 1981, specifically over the deals he had with RCA in addition to his contract with Presley which, needless to say, amounted to a conflict of interest. Show director/producer Steve Binder turned to songwriter Earl Brown to write an emotional ballad, "If I Can Dream," that reflected Elvis hopes that the nation could get through such a crisis and heal. All in all, the manager was known for some appalling behavior towards his star client, and Elvis tries its best to portray that accurately. The immigrant Colonel Tom Parker, manager of musician Elvis Presley, pictured smoking a cigar, circa 1955. In the early 1940s, he was a dogcatcher in Tampa. The Colonel seized on the moment and put Elvis back on tour, eventually settling on a residency in Las Vegas and a non-stop barrage of venues and recordings that took the singer to the brink, as he deteriorated into a mockery of his former self. Colonel Parker had never witnessed such an electrifying presence of any artist in his life till then. Colonel Tom Parker, as played by Tom Hanks in Elvis, was the controversial manager of singer Elvis Presley (played by Austin Butler) with a mysterious past who had a key role in both The King's success and downfall. He also managed pop singer Gene Austin, who recorded the hit "My Blue Heaven." The epic biopic Elvis covers a lot of ground 42 years, to be precise from the iconic singers birth until his death in 1977. These branded Elvis products included jewelry, record players, and lipstick that bore the slogan, Keep Me Always On Your Lips. But Parker didnt stop there: He even arranged for the sale of buttons that read I Hate Elvis and Elvis Is a Jerk. In other words, hed monopolized the Elvis merchandise market and raked in 50% of the millions of dollars in profit. One of the suits was filed by a lawyer for Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie. He had become a salesman, who sold anything and everything. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. In fact, as Smithsonian Magazine writes, Parker was born in Breda, in the Netherlands, in 1909, and his birth name was Andreas van Kuijk. Their original contract gave Parker an unheard-of 25 percent of Presley's earnings and he was eventually getting anastounding 50 percent. The connection isn't nearly as directas the film implies, which presents Elvis residency at the International Hotel as a way for Elvis' managerto settle his sizable gambling debts at the hotel's casino. Col. Tom Parker, the former carnival barker who helped guide Elvis Presley to stardom, died Tuesday of complications from a stroke in Las Vegas. They gave him a choice. "I had the luxury of essentially recreating somebody who no one really knew. Despite Parkers troubling exploitation of Presley, though, he undeniably succeeded in catapulting him into a new echelon of fame and, now, legend. He seemed to exercise firm control over Presley, who affectionately called Parker "admiral." He became Presley's manager in 1955. . That year, the small, struggling label sold Presleys contract to RCA Victor for $35,000. He had a matter-of-fact method of speaking and didn't suffer fools lightly. In 1953 Parker bought a house in Madison, Tennessee, where Presley would visit and stay while recording. The epic biopic "Elvis" covers a lot of ground - 42 years, to be precise - from the iconic singer's birth until his death in 1977. Parker died on January 21, 1997, of complications from a stroke. He did not give 2 shits about Elvis. He was the manager of country singers Eddy Arnold from the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s and Hank Snow from 1954 to 1956. How did Colonel Tom Parker die? ", 'Where has this been hiding? His reasoning was that he'd served in the U.S. military without permission from the Dutch government and thus had forfeited his Dutch citizenship. Col. Parker was credited with getting Presley a $35,000 recording contract with RCA Victor in the mid-1950s when Sam Phillips of Sun Records in Memphis decided to sell Presley's contract. Second, for a movie about a musician, Elvis also didn't receive any music nominations at the Oscars. The cause of death was not immediately known, but it was later revealed that he had been suffering from a number of health problems in recent years, including Alzheimer's disease. After incredible success in the 1950s, a period during which Presley came to define the new sound of rock and roll, his popularity plummeted in the 1960s after a stint in the Army and a series of lazy, poorly received films. Related: Elvis Cast Guide: What The Characters Look Like In Real Life. The hold that Parker had over Presley did not extend to Presleys family. but was then declared dead from cardiac arrest at 3:30pm. "Mob involvement is suggested in the film. First, Baz Luhrmann joined a list of directors including Joe Wright, Frank Darabont, and Lawrence Kasdan as someone who had two Best Picture nominations but didn't get a Best Director nomination either time. According to The Washington Post, Parker turned down offers for Presley to star in several films that went on to be huge hits and establish their stars as legitimate actors. He idolized B.B. He dreamt of donning the same suit that B.B King wore, one day. He had toured with carnivals, worked with elephants and. He is survived by his wife, Loanne, of Las Vegas. Parker quickly set to work promoting Presley, arranging tour dates and television appearances (including Presleys famous performances on The Ed Sullivan Show), and by the end of 1956, he and Presley had signed a contract making Parker the musicians sole and exclusive adviser, personal representative and manager.. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading The Colonel: The Extraordinary Story of Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley. Parker returned to the U.S . The colonel was said to be worth $1 million a year to the International because of his gambling, according to onetime International executive Alex Shoofey, Nash says. Colonel Tom Parker was best known for being the . However, Parker claimed that his issue with overseas performances was over security issues, as well as poor venues not suitable for the star's stature. Parker did serve in the Army but only attained the rank of private asBiographynotes, his rank of colonel was ceremonial, bestowed on him by the governor of Louisiana in 1948 as a reward for his efforts on the election campaign. And, notably, Parker did not accompany Presley on the trip, fearing being exposed as an illegal immigrant with an assumed name. Col. Parker stayed in the position until "the King of Rock 'n' Roll" died Aug. 16, 1977. Coupled with the fact that the character of Tom Hanks' Tom Parker isn't his usual role, and Hanks was eager to play the part. He made a mockery out of the life of the best-selling solo recording artist of all time. He was 87 years old. He gained weight and looked awful, sweating through his rhinestone jumpsuits. But Parker, even later in life, was unrepentant: In The Daily News of Los Angeles obituary, hes quoted as saying, I sleep very good at night. He claimed to have been born in Huntington, West Virginia. King, his music, and his style. Colonel Parkers financial abuse came to light, and it ended his ties with the Presley Estate. Elvis had reached the state of exhaustion. He worked with traveling carnivals and eventually got into music promotion, changing his name to Tom Parker (taking the name from his Army recruitment officer) and erasing any mention of his true origins. He was tired of life. Parker became known as a shrewd, showy, and manipulative businessman who was able to work out lucrative deals at minimal overhead while making sure his pockets were lined healthily along the way. Elvis' manager was obsessed with money and reveled in the sheer amount of it he could extract from his only client's enormous success. However, Hanks, who has six prior nominations and won twice, was snubbed for his role as Colonel Tom Parker. It has been suggested he assumed his new name from a Captain Thomas. This took a mental toll on Parker. Elvis was infuriated, but he realized that he didnt have an out. The police investigation uncovered no clues, and it's impossible to place Parker in any specific place in 1929. Elvis hung out in Beale Street and was heavily inspired by Mahalia Jackson, the gospel legend. Nobody cared about what Elvis wanted. And even if there were difficulties, by the 1960s, Parker was rich and famous and probably had the connections to get any problems smoothed out. Mr. Parker was widely reported to have come to the United States as an illegal immigrant from the Netherlands and to have feared that he would not be allowed back into the country if he went abroad with Presley. Who would account for that mental and physical fatigue? The new contract also allowed Parker to charge additional fees for services he provided, eating away at the money that should have gone to Elvis instead. More: Does Elvis Have An After Credits Scene? This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Elvis' movie fact check: What's true, what's fiction in new biopic? After Elvis' death in 1977, the Elvis Presley manager continued on as if The King were still alive. Frequently photographed with Presley, Parker became a celebrity in his own right, usually pictured chomping on a cigar. His second stint in the Army didn't go so well:Smithsonian Magazinereportsthat he walked off his post and was officially declared "absent without leave" (AWOL) in 1932.