Despite Parker's troubling exploitation of Presley, though,. Imagine owing anyone $146.6 million dollars. [53] Despite this, however, the deal never materialized. He claimed Parker negotiated side deals with RCA that defrauded Presley of $2.8 million. Andreas Cornelius Van Kuijk ("Colonel Tom Parker"), manager and promoter: born Breda, Holland 26 June 1909; twice married; died Las Vegas 21 January 1997. In 1994, following the marriage of Lisa Marie and Michael Jackson, Parker stated that Presley would not have approved. [53] Hulett's company had managed tours for Presley, and he had worked with artists such as Led Zeppelin. Following his discharge, Parker worked at a number of jobs, including food concessions and gaming carnivals. He had booked Presley into a four-week Las Vegas engagement, misjudging the reaction of the slightly older, more reserved audiences that Las Vegas attracted. Elvis Presley had his own struggles, particularly in his later years, as his lavish spending, addiction issues, divorce, and declining health took a toll on The King. [72] Priscilla Presley attended the funeral to represent the Elvis Presley Estate and gave a eulogy that, to many in the room, summed up Parker: "Elvis and the Colonel made history together, and the world is richer, better and far more interesting because of their collaboration. [1][4], At age 15, Van Kuijk moved to Rotterdam, gaining employment on boats in the port town. Parker's net worth when he died was $1 million. Tt was this, rather than his entrance into the Army or the later death of Gladys, from which Presley never truly recovered and which ultimately killed him. Thomas Andrew Parker (born Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk; June 26, 1909 January 21, 1997),[1] commonly known as Colonel Parker, was a Dutch musical entrepreneur, best known for being Elvis Presley's manager. Instead, he found employment as a field agent with a local animal shelter, the Hillsborough County Humane Society. [53], From 1974 onward, Presley's weight gain and prescription drug abuse became too much to be controlled. While Presley was serving in West Germany, Parker was hard at work keeping Presley's name known to the public. However, they had a dispute over an incident Presley had done on stage, and Parker was about to get fired. [5] During a second, more detailed investigation, Tual discovered that all earnings were paid directly to the Trust instead of Parker. [14] Parker served in the peacetime army as a precondition for taking advantage of that stipulation, but he never subsequently applied to become a citizen. [48], Aloha from Hawaii proved to be the last great moment in Presley's career. [53] Presley was beginning to consider new management, with Concerts West co-founder Tom Hulett being the clear favorite for the job. During the 1960s, after many years of ill health, Marie began to display signs of dementia. Elvis is signed exclusively to the Colonel. Mourners recall being surprised at his wearing a Hawaiian shirt and baseball cap, smoking his trademark cigar, and purposely avoiding the casket. Despite the fact that no one is certain what actually happened on that tragic day in 1977, it is clear that Colonel Parker had a significant impact on the singer's life and death. [33] He also realized that it would be a great opportunity to promote Presley by having the media witness his induction day, including the Army haircut that would see the most famous hair style in the world destroyed.[33]. [53] Promoters in South America also made offers, as much as $2.5 million, and all of them were turned down by Parker; "Well, whenever I need $2.5 million I'll call you," he once said to them. The document that was signed on November 21 pertained to the record label transfer. This deed on the part of Vernon and Gladys Presley marked a permanent separation of Elvis from his mother, and as Elvis was a classic "mama's boy". [59] Due to an ill-advised agreement between Parker and Presley that gave RCA sole ownership of all his recording royalties prior to 1973, the estate was relying heavily on the income from Factors Etc. At that point, Moore and Black had no contractual ties to either Phillips or Presley. Inc, to control Presley merchandise and keep a steady income supporting his estate. [60] On the surface, however, relations between the two were as good as ever, with Parker helping the Hilton to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Presley's death. [citation needed], After the success of Presley's return to live performing in Las Vegas, Parker decided it was time to take him back out on tour for the first time in 13 years. What happened to Colonel Tom Parker? Parker struggled with a gambling addiction while keeping Elvis on a short leash, halting the singer from touring overseas and pushing him into cheap projects that were frequently averse to what the artist wanted to be a part of, eventually taking 50% of Elvis' earnings, of which they both agreed upon. Inc.[4] However, because Parker was still entitled to 50% of all Presley's income, and after taxes were taken off, the overall amount going towards the upkeep of the estate was less than $1 million a year.[4]. I said no." Yet, in the end, standing up to the Colonel proved to be an expert . [65] However, there is no definite proof that anything other than romance led to their marriage. Presley's acting career was originally intended to be a serious one, but after seeing a chance to cross-promote singles and albums with the films, Parker persuaded Presley to sing in his films. [56], In September 1978, shortly after the first anniversary of Presley's death, Parker arranged a fan festival, Always Elvis, where he, Vernon, and Presley's ex-wife Priscilla, dedicated a bronze statue of him in the lobby of the Las Vegas Hilton. By 1980, the cost of running the estate was estimated to be as much as $500,000 a year. Adam van Kuijk died from emphysema in 1992, never seeing or visiting Parker again.[63]. According to Presley's friend, Jerry Schilling, Presley was excited about the opportunity to take on a new challenge. Austin Butler won the Golden Globe for Best Actor, beating out favorite Brendan Fraser (The Whale), and he picked up a nomination for the same award at the Oscars. By this time, Parker was aware that Presley needed a rest from touring and the chance to deal with his prescription drug addictions. Parker did not appear to care if the films were good or bad but only about the profits. [67] According to interviews given by Parker to the Associated Press many years later, he and Marie were married in Tampa, Florida, during the winter of 1932,[67] but the Florida Office of Vital Statistics had no record of such a marriage any time between 1927 and 1946. [4] He enlisted in the United States Army a few months later, taking the name "Tom Parker" from the same name of the officer who interviewed him, to disguise the fact he was an illegal alien. Elvis Presley expressed his desire to go overseas frequently, but he was kept at bay with easy and fast money arranged by The Colonel on projects in the U.S. By the time they reached the final years of Elvis' career, the two were so intertwined and invested that it made more sense to stay in business than to walk away. Second, for a movie about a musician, Elvis also didn't receive any music nominations at the Oscars. [15] However, RCA Victor producer Steve Sholes was convinced that Presley's style of music would be a huge hit with the right label, and he began talks with Parker. What's amazing is this, after Elvis' death, Parker is said to have owed $30 million in gambling debts to the Las Vegas Hilton. So clearly the rock star never worked up the will to actually go through with the firing. [54] He phoned Presley's father once to suggest taking time off, but Vernon Presley told him they couldn't afford to stop touring due to Presley's constant and lavish spending of money. what happened to jackie bradley in heartbeat. During the week-long visit, Parker was informed by Adam van Kuijk that their mother had died three years earlier in 1958, never knowing what happened to her son after he left the Netherlands for good in 1929. As a reward, Davis gave him the honorary rank of "colonel" in the Louisiana State Militia.[2][3]. After a lifetime of earning well over $100 million managing Elvis, The Colonel's estate was barely worth $1 million upon his death. In general, fans of the icon think that Colonel Parker never let Elvis fully shine. Parker realized early on the bigger potential of Austin Butler's Elvis and transitioned to managing him full-time. [4], In 1935, Parker married 27-year-old Marie Francis Mott. [5] Parker countersued. p. 258. The pattern that Parker would traditionally follow was affordability and profit over quality, which would eventually help to torpedo Elvis' career for a time. [15] Parker and Snow eventually formed Hank Snow Enterprises and Jamboree Attractions, a successful promotional outfit for up-and-coming country singers. On top of that, Parker found venue upon venue for Elvis to perform in, be it recording studios, Hollywood films, TV specials, and even satellite broadcasts, immersing the artist into the cultural zeitgeist while keeping him landlocked in North America. Played by Tom Hanks in the new biopic Elvis, directed by Baz Luhrmann, Colonel Tom Parker remains, 25 years after his death, and nearly half a century after the death of his only client, the most memorable and divisive manager in the history of show business.It was the Colonel who propelled his "boy", as he would refer to him, from being a local celebrity in Memphis to being the most . The actor has talked about the project, what drew him to it, and how he felt about the overall story. Parker's main role during these tours was to plan the logistics and make sure tickets were sold. In 1958, Parker encouraged Elvis to voluntarily enlist in the Army (part of Elvis' true story) after he received a draft notice and serve a two-year stint as a regular soldier, showing the world that he was just like any average American. His death certificate lists his birth name as Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk, his country of birth as the Netherlands, and his citizenship as American. But according to Alanna. During this part of Presley's career, Parker and Presley agreed to a 50/50 "partnership", which, with Parker controlling merchandising and other non-music related items, resulted in Parker earning more than his client. And Priscilla Presley confirmed those rumors while chatting with Good Morning America. He was given the honorary title of "Colonel" in the Louisiana State Militia from Governor Jimmie Davis as thanks for the work he did on his political campaign. Later in 1975, the government of Saudi Arabia offered Parker $5 million for Presley to perform there. [15] RCA Victor, Hank Snow's current label, also showed an interest, but they were put off by the cost of the contract. [14] With the Society in need of funds, Parker set about using his promotional experience to raise money and awareness for the shelter. Asked by a journalist what he would do now, Parker responded: "Why, I'll just go right on managing him! [59] Experts in the field at the time estimated that it had potentially cost Presley millions of dollars[59] and worse for Parker, it had also potentially cost him those millions of dollars. "[24], With his first RCA Victor single, "Heartbreak Hotel", in 1956,[25] Presley became a recording star. The Colonel was well-known as a strong promoter that frequently leaned into exploitation. [44] At the time, Presley's back catalog was not considered very important and RCA initially calculated it at being worth much less, but in later years it would become one of the most valuable record catalogs in the music business. Parker held another press conference on September 4, 1972, in Las Vegas to confirm that the concert, now titled Aloha from Hawaii, would be broadcast on January 14, 1973. [15] However, Parker remained involved in many of Arnold's live tours and demanded a buyout of $50,000 (US$506,405 in 2021 dollars[11]) to settle their contract. 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