Why Some Blamed Colonel Parker’s ‘Lack of Humanity’ for Elvis’ Death

Elvis Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker, ran the singer’s career with rigid control. He exercised a similar level of oversight over Elvis’ personal life. He encouraged him to get married, cut friends out of Elvis’ life, and directed him away from certain interests. Because of this, some people in Elvis’ life did not believe Parker wasn’t aware of his drug use. They believe Parker should have done more to help him.

People who knew Elvis thought Colonel Parker should have done more for him

By the mid-1970s, everyone in Elvis’ life was concerned about his well-being. He took increasing amounts of drugs and began to look unwell. Elvis’ bass player, Duke Bardwell, wished Parker would have stepped in to help Elvis. He believed his unwillingness to do so came down to Parker’s “lack of humanity … because Colonel was the only one that could help” (via The Colonel by Alanna Nash).

Byron Raphael, a William Morris agent who worked with Elvis and Parker, believed the manager deserved some blame for Elvis’ death.

“There’s no question in my mind that the Colonel knew Elvis was dying,” Raphael said. “And not only did he do nothing to stop it, but in a way, through omission, he was a coconspirator. There was really no strong relationship between the Colonel and Elvis anymore. He had lost his control, and that had to be a terrible thing for him.”

He believed Parker knew something was wrong and chose a hands-off approach, something he did not do for much of the singer’s career.

“So he just stepped out of the way and let fate take its course,” Raphael said. “That way, he and Vernon [Presley] could continue making the kinds of deals that the Colonel had always dreamed of making.”

Elvis pushed back when Colonel Parker pried in his life

Parker said he had been very concerned about Elvis’ wellness.

“I suppose I began to get concerned at the beginning of 1974,” Parker said. “I got worried. He’d gained too much weight and he looked terrible.”

According to Parker, he did try to help Elvis, but the singer did not appreciate his interference. 

“Now I spoke out … told him he did not look well,” Parker said. “He said, ‘No disrespect, Colonel, but I know what I’m doing. Stay out of my personal life.’”

He typically did not push back against his manager

This was one of the few times that Elvis pushed back against Parker’s leadership. Typically, he quietly went along with what his manager told him.

“Elvis was scared to death of the Colonel’s power,” director Steve Binder said. “He felt shamed. He was very, very submissive.”

Priscilla Presley felt similarly. She explained that even when Elvis was unhappy about the direction Parker was steering his career, he didn’t feel he could say anything. This led him to feeling despondent and uninterested in his work.

How to get help: In the U.S., contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration helpline at 1-800-662-4357.