The King of Rock and Roll is still leaving people ‘all shook up’ nine decades on from his birth – in fact he’s not left the building at all and still pops up all over the place
22:42, 05 Jan 2025Updated 22:47, 05 Jan 2025
Tourists at the singer’s former Graceland home have reported some strange occurrences (Image: Getty Images)
Born on January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi, the famous All Shook Up singer would have marked his 90th birthday this week. He sadly died in 1977, aged just 42.
But the ghost of the Return to Sender crooner does not seem to have left the building. In fact, he’s been popping up all over the place.
Haunted home
It was at his Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, that Elvis passed away. He was found on his bathroom floor by his fiancée Ginger Alden, after suffering a heart attack.
There have since been rumours that he didn’t really die, following multiple ‘sightings’ of the star. Even more chillingly, his ghost has apparently appeared to some at Graceland itself.
There have been chilling rumours that Elvis didn’t actually die (Image: Michael Ochs Archives)
His cousin Billy Smith eventually moved out after he repeatedly heard Elvis “calling” him and spotted the rocker looking out of his office window. Billy’s son, Danny, says he once felt Elvis touch him on his shoulder, admitting: “It really freaked me out.”
The star’s presence has also been felt in the kitchen and former cook Nancy Rooks reckons he caused unexplained slamming doors. One visitor even claimed to have seen the King in there, eating a cheeseburger before vanishing.
Elvis with a Rolls Royce in front of his villa ‘Graceland'(Image: ullstein bild via Getty Images)
Back in 1988 a group of tourists reported encountering the ghost of a young Elvis in the grounds, while others claimed to have snapped him among some trees.
Actress Paz de la Heurta reckons she encountered the departed icon in a saucy mood in Graceland’s recording studio. She says: “I felt his spirit go through me and give me pleasure.”
Even the Hound Dog singer’s former wife, Priscilla, claims Elvis’ spirit is still living at Graceland and that she can feel his presence. But she adds: “It’s not scary, it’s beautiful.”
Even the Hound Dog singer’s former wife says she can feel his presence (Image: Getty Images)
Strip Spook
Elvis often performed in Las Vegas, so it’s perhaps no wonder that his spirit has been seen lurking there since his death too.
Singer Wayne Newton claims that he saw the King’s ghost smiling down at him from a balcony as he performed at the Las Vegas Hilton, now the Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, a few months after Elvis passed away.
Another celeb pal, British singer Engelbert Humperdinck, reported spooky goings on when he stayed in Elvis’ old penthouse suite at the hotel. They included new tape machines not working and lights switching on and off for no reason.
But the star believes it wasn’t a sinister presence. He says: “I think he was just making himself known and wanted to say, ‘Thank you for being in my suite and thank you for being my friend.”
The home is a popular tourist destination(Image: Getty Images)
Elvis’ stepbrother and ex-bodyguard David Stanley reported similar experiences, with lights and doors creaking inexplicably in his room. He says: “I feel his presence and an energy like the spirit of Elvis is here at The Westgate.”
There are other reports of Elvis roaming the venue’s corridors and the basement where he used to hang out with musicians. His ghoul is even reckoned to still use the freight elevator he travelled in to escape mobs of fans.
Elvis has also been seen at the wheel of a ghostly red Cadillac driving along Vegas’ famous strip – which then disappears through a wall.
Suspicious finds
Elvis stayed at the Knickerbocker Hotel, in Hollywood, while making his first film, Love Me Tender, in 1956. In fact, he became a regular resident in room 1016 during filming.
Guests who followed used to find the room ice cold, even on the hottest days and his spirit is still said to be felt there, in what is now a retirement home.
Studio spectre
Elvis recorded scores of his songs, including the hit Heartbreak Hotel, at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee.
Over the years staff there reported that whenever his name was mentioned, lights flickered and equipment like ladders suddenly fell over. Mysterious noises and bangs would also be heard.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.