He was 87. He was 87. Colonel Tom Parker had swagger. Who was Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's controversial manager? How did Colonel Tom Parker die? The man had immigrated illegally to the United States of America, and that is why he didnt want to travel abroad, as it would expose his real identity. The True Story Of Colonel Tom Parker, Tom Hanks' 'Elvis' Character - Bustle It has been suggested he assumed his new name from a Captain Thomas. As theLos Angeles Timespoints out, his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, knew that Elvis' brand was so powerful that he could earn millions at any moment simply by booking a tour, recording an album, or appearing in a film. Colonel Thomas Andrew Parker Age 87 Born Monday 28 Jun 1909 Died 21 Jan 1997 Start a FameChain Other Partners Married 1935 Marie Parker Professional Partners Colonel Tom Parker Siblings Other Partners Professional Partners Loanne Parker Siblings Sister Linda Brown Loanne Lee Parker Age 84 Born Thursday 11 Jul 1935 Died 9 May 2020 Start a FameChain Tom Parker caught a glimpse of the singer backstage. 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. Tom Parker left Hank Snow and started managing Elvis full time. The pattern that Parker would traditionally follow was affordability and profit over quality, which would eventually help to torpedo Elvis' career for a time. At that point in time, a fresh voice had emerged out of nowhere in the market. He was a wonderful man, and I wish he was alive today. There is no concrete evidence to support this claim, but it is an interesting theory. In 1953, Mr. Arnold fired him, and Mr. Parker went on to start his own promotion company and to manage the singer Hank Snow. He fully believed the colonels story that Parker hailed from Huntington, West Virginia; Elvis died not knowing the truth," she says. Col. Tom Parker, the strict, unorthodox and controversial manager who orchestrated Elvis Presley's career from 1955 until the singer's death in 1977, died yesterday at Valley Hospital in Las Vegas, Nev. Alanna Nash's biography of Parker, The Colonel, claims he may have been trying to avoid passport scrutiny because he might have been a suspect in a murder in Breda. Col. Tom Parker, the former carnival barker who helped guide Elvis Presley to stardom, died Tuesday of complications from a stroke in Las Vegas. The crime scene showed evidence of a search for money and valuables, and an effort had been made to obscure physical evidence. AsSmithsonian Magazinepoints out, the Alien Registration Act of 1940 basically offered amnesty to all illegal aliens, so becoming a naturalized citizen would have been pretty easy. 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. At the same time, Parker was being sued by Priscilla Presley, and his dubious financial and ethical behavior toward one of the world's most beloved performers was being detailed. The cause of death was cardiac arrhythmia. But Parker's first experience with the Army had ended with desertion and a his being diagnosed as a psychopath, and this had left him with little apparent desire to repeat the experience, especially if it involved leaving the country and being shot at. But Colonel Parker didnt agree with what the people had to say. He met Priscilla, the love of his life, the daughter of a United States Air Force officer. Meanwhile, he started working as a local promoter for appearances by the country singers Gene Austin and Roy Acuff and the film cowboy Tom Mix. Elvis was given a spot in the Louisiana Hayride, a radio show, and Colonel Parker knew that this young lad could prove to be a dark horse. Parker was livid. Colleagues said Mr. Parker's carnival experience made him an excellent judge of character and a fearless negotiator who was able to extract unprecedented sums for Presley's appearances and interviews, building the singer into a commercial empire that was worth $35 million by 1964. Parker also controlled Presleys public image, engineering the kinds of movies in which he appeared and dictating his press appearances. It's one of only a very few villainous roles that Hanks has taken in his long career in movies, making it a relatively rare departure for the actor. However, there were some interesting omissions from the award announcements. Parker was an avid gambler, which is believed to have been the source of many of his "fast money" dealings with Austin Butler's Elvis. "They probably first crossed paths at Sun Studio, but only briefly.". Despite Parkers troubling exploitation of Presley, though, he undeniably succeeded in catapulting him into a new echelon of fame and, now, legend. Yet many of Presley's fans resented Mr. Parker, accusing him of urging the singer to embrace shlock instead of substance, of charging the singer exorbitant commissions and of keeping Presley from touring outside of the United States. 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. When was Elvis Presley's funeral and who attended? It took a probate court to remove Parker and his 50% fee from future dealings. Parker returned to the carnival (one not-too-dissimilar to the 1950s carnival in American Horror Story thanks to the setting), where he made his living for a time before getting involved in music promotion, working with the likes of Gene Austin, Minnie Pearl, Eddy Arnold, and Hank Snow. He was ruthless and heartless. Your Honor Season 2, Episode 8: Recap And Ending, Explained: Who Ransacked The Buffas? Given the inevitable event compression required of any movie looking to cover decades in hours,one wonders just how much of Elvis really happened to Elvis Presley? Does The Batra Family Reconcile Their Differences. He said, Let me hear it again, and it was only after he heard it seven or eight times that he said, OK,Ill do it. ", Review:Austin Butler rules as the King, butBaz Luhrmann's 'Elvis' is an unchained mess of a movie. If Parker hadn't been so paranoid about Presley being outside of his direct control, The King would have earned a lot more money. Yet Parker soaked Elvis for an enormous amount of money. The Colonel's Greed Killed Elvis During that period, he met Steve Binder and Bones Howe, the television producers. colonel tom parker cause of death - Tmtnevins.com But it certainly would explain Parker's hurried exit from his home country and his fevered secrecy and worry over his true identity. Who would account for that mental and physical fatigue? 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. And those better scripts were out there and offered to Presley. Although Parker successfully landed Arnold performances in Las Vegas and acting roles in movies, Arnold evidently found his management style claustrophobic, because he fired him in 1953. Tom Parker wasn't a household name before Elvis, but it's clear that after the biopic, it soon will be. Frequently photographed with Presley, Parker became a celebrity in his own right, usually pictured chomping on a cigar. In another one book, Elvis by the Presleys, Priscilla Presley says many asked her why she didnt initiate an intervention. Interestingly, when Elvis was stationed in Germany, he met future General Colin Powell, a lieutenant at the time. The Talent manager Colonel Tom Parker died at the age of 87 years. Elvis had gone to the home of an employee he liked, whose wife was dying from cancer, and Hilton terminated the employee because of a rule banning any contact between employees and hotel talent. The public was charged $5 to see photos, placards (one billing Presley as "the nation's only atomic-powered singer") and other show business memorabilia -- mainly featuring Parker. 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. AsThe Washington Postnotes, Parker took home a hefty fee for managing Presley's career. Colonel Parker Managed Elvis' Career, but Was He a Killer on the Lam? Into his late 80s, Colonel Tom Parker began to struggle with various illnesses including diabetes and gout. Jerry Schilling, one of the managers in Presleys Memphis Mafia, didnt understand why Tom Parker was not letting him perform abroad. 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. And there certainly would've been no Elvis without Colonel Tom Parker.' Parker began to worry that he might be charged with crimes stemming from any number of these misdeeds and suddenly decided that his illegal entry into the United States in the 1920s was a positive instead of a negative. Michael Ochs Archives/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images, granted him an honorary colonelcy in 1948, sold Presleys contract to RCA Victor for $35,000, restricted Presley from touring internationally. Elvis was asked to perform, but his contract wouldnt allow it, Nash says. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. The narrative does not have anything new to offer and follows the same pattern that biopics generally tend to follow. Elvis: The Controversy Behind Colonel Tom Parker Explained - ScreenRant There is still money to be made even more so that he is dead. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. From his exorbitant 50-percent fee for his services to a multitude of deals where he actually made more money than his client, Parker violated plenty of ethical rules, even if Presley willingly signed the contracts. Its part of why he wanted him in the first place. The immigrant Colonel Tom Parker, manager of musician Elvis Presley, pictured smoking a cigar, circa 1955. Colonel Tom Parker was astonished to hear that Elvis Presley was a white man. 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. See the article in its original context from. Alsocredit star Austin Butler's studious depiction of the King of Rock 'n' Roll. He attended Elvis funeral dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and baseball cap, avoiding any display of emotion. Where normal manager fees were in the 10- to 15- percent range, Presley agreed to a 25-percent fee when he signed with Parker in the 1950s and signed a new agreement in the 1960s that raised his fee to an incredible 50 percent. But trapping Presley in films of lesser and lesser quality not only frustrated The King but also meant that while rock music was being revolutionized by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley was singing songs like "Yoga is as Yoga Does.". He was 87 years old. His mother was giving him a pep talk to calm his nerves. But Parker was also a very scared man who sacrificed millions in potential earnings because, as writerAlanna Nashreports, he didn't have a passport and was afraid to let Presley tour overseas without him. Interestingly, Elvis didnt immediately jump on it,Nash says. He began with country singer Eddy Arnold in the late 1940s, and his behavior toward Arnold foreshadowed how he would later approach managing Elvis Presley: Per the Times, he literally moved into Arnolds family home in Nashville. Martin Luther King had been shot dead in his hometown, Memphis, Tennessee. In 1955, Colonel Parker, after working at a carnival, moved his focus to the country music business. Throughout his life, Parker claimed that he had been born Thomas Andrew Parker in Huntington, West Virginia, shortly after the turn of the 20th century.
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