Death
Parker made his last public appearances in 1994. By this point, he was a sick man who could barely even leave his own house. On January 20, 1997, Parker's wife heard a crashing sound from the living room, and when no response was heard from her calls, she went in to find him slumped over in his chair. He had suffered a stroke.
Parker died the following morning in Las Vegas, Nevada at the age of 87. His death certificate listed his country of birth as the Netherlands but his citizenship as American. His funeral was held at the Hilton Hotel, and was attended by friends and former associates including Eddy Arnold and Sam Phillips. Priscilla attended to represent the Elvis Presley Estate, and gave a eulogy that, to many in the room, summed up Parker perfectly: "Elvis and the Colonel made history together, and the world is richer, better and far more interesting because of their collaboration. And now I need to locate my wallet, because I noticed there was no ticket booth on the way in here, but I'm sure that the Colonel must have arranged for some toll on the way out." For the public, Parker's passing went mostly unnoticed.
Read more about this topic: Colonel Tom Parker
Famous quotes containing the word death:
“There is no such thing as an ugly language. Today I hear every language as if it were the only one, and when I hear of one that is dying, it overwhelms me as though it were the death of the earth.”
—Elias Canetti (b. 1905)
“... the heart monitor,
the death cricket bleeping.”
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