Elvis Aaron Presley was born 89 years ago today, and after recent business travels took me to his birthplace, Tupelo, Mississippi, I began to wonder: what happens to the cult of Elvis once those alive while he was have also all passed on?
What happens to the Elvis impersonators, like former Louisiana attorney general (2008-2016) Buddy Caldwell? Who will attend impersonation shows or festivals, as my late mother-in-law did so faithfully?
What will happen to the manifold ministers, attired in sequined jumpsuits and/or blue suede shoes, currently conducting weddings at numerous Las Vegas chapels? Signs of decline are already showing, as Elvis themed weddings are on sale for as low as $59. (Prince and even mobster officiated nuptials start at $189.)
What happens to all those Elvis-on-black-velvet oil paintings and the Mexican artists who created them? Several dozen currently languish for bidders on eBay.
Formerly, an Elvis acolyte might have sought solace by checking in at the First Presleytarian Church of Elvis the Divine website. It has gone away.
Dare I say it? These worries leave me “All Shook Up.”
Other people from history
MARY STUART: Death of an anointed queen
JOHN MORRISSEY: ‘Old Smoke’
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE: Old Will
MUHAMMAD ALI: The greatest of the hurricanes
ARCHIMEDES: Fan girls for Archimedes
CHARLES MINGUS: And the tuba player disappeared
ROY BEAN: The Honorable Judge Roy Bean
Don’t be cruel. But you are correct: It’s now or never.