Officially, Elvis Presley died on August 16, 1977, at the age of 42, yet there are thousands of fans across the globe who remain convinced that the King is still alive and kicking.
Some say Presley faked his own death and bailed out of the music business to concentrate on flipping burgers to earn an honest buck.
Others swear he gave up the good life to rent jet-skis in Hawaii. A few remain convinced that Presley left Memphis, Tennessee, to become a nomadic door-to-door insurance salesman. And some have even suggested that the boy from Tupelo found refuge in a monastery in China and trained to become a Shaolin monk.
Although if you were one of the most famous people on the planet and decided to fake your own death, surely there would be better false flag scenarios to put out there than dying on the toilet with an impacted colon?
A new theory proving very popular with “Elvis spotters” is that the burger-loving hound dog didn’t meet his end on a porcelain throne due to an overdose of prescription drugs, but disappeared, only to resurface years later as a singing pastor who preaches to a small parish in central Arkansas.
As fan fiction goes, it’s a bit beyond the pale, but as the Daily Express reports, many believe Pastor Bob Joyce from Benton, Arkansas, is Elvis in disguise.
The preacher is renowned for his deep baritone and rocking the house of God with his velvet tones.
Elvis fans have watched pastor Bob doing his “thang” on YouTube and are convinced he’s the Mississippi maestro.
Madeline McCall commented, “I’ve listened to Elvis all my life and there is a unique way in which he sang from his diaphragm to his very heart. And the way his voice was portrayed in each song with heart.
“I say yes It’s Elvis. No one can have these values or uniqueness that was his own. No one could ever take that from him.”
Richard Abney wrote, “Definitely looks and sounds like Elvis to me! If it is, I wish he would come out of hiding. I’m sure the fans would understand.”
Yet not all Elvis fans are singing from the same hymn sheet. Many have pointed out that pastor Bob looks way too young to be Elvis, who had he lived, would have turned 84 yesterday.
And others have pointed out that the pastor has brown eyes where Elvis’s were, of course, baby blue.
As for pastor Bob, he has repeatedly denied he’s the king of rock n’ roll and has strived in vain to put the conspiracy theories to bed.
The humble preacher explained, “Most of these folks know I am not Elvis but to them, it doesn’t matter.
“They are only so grateful that God is blessing them and reviewing their lives.
“Perhaps God is using Elvis voice to minister to broken hearts and broken lives.
“If Elvis were alive, I would say to him, my friend and brother, we are of kindred spirits. We are one in Christ.”