He may have passed away 40 years ago today, but that hasn't stopped some Elvis fans insisting that The King is alive.

Over the years, there have been numerous outlandish conspiracy theories about why one of music's most iconic figures might have had cause to fake his death and go into hiding, as well as apparent 'proof' that he is still alive. We take a look at some of them below.

1. THAT HE FAKED HIS OWN DEATH TO AVOID THE MAFIA

One theory claims that before he died, Elvis was enlisted by the FBI as an undercover agent, charged with infiltrating a crime family called 'The Fraternity' – whom he first dealt with in regards to selling an airplane. When they found out that he was a mole, he was forced to go into a witness protection programme and the only way for such a known public figure to get the mafia off his back was by faking his own death.

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2. THAT HIS COFFIN WAS SO HEAVY BECAUSE IT CONTAINED A 'COOLING SYSTEM'

Elvis wasn't exactly in the best shape of his life when he died, with some estimates putting him at 250lbs+. The National Enquirer famously bribed a photographer to smuggle a hidden camera into Graceland to take a snap of Elvis in repose (above), and the resulting photo only added fuel to the fire that the 'real Elvis' was not dead, with many arguing that his face looked remarkably thin for a man who was essentially obese and some suggesting that it was a 'wax likeness' of the musician. Another theory suggests that his 900lb copper coffin was so heavy because it contained an elaborate 'cooling system' to preserve the wax likeness.

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3. THAT HE'S ALIVE AND WELL AND WAS EVEN SPOTTED AT GRACELAND THIS YEAR

You may be familiar with this story: at the annual celebration of his birthday in January 2017, a bearded sunglasses and baseball cap-wearing figure standing in the background was spotted and judged to be The King himself. Makes sense; why would you wanna miss your 82nd birthday, even if you have been in hiding for four decades?

4. THAT HE WAS AN EXTRA IN 'HOME ALONE'

This is one of our favourites. Apparently, Elvis was spotted in the background of a scene from Home Alone (1990) – more specifically, when he's queuing at the airport behind Catherine O'Hara as she frantically tries to buy a ticket back to KEVINNNNN! (Top comment on the video: “it is interesting how the other lady in the queue turns round to elvis when she says she is prepared to sell her soul to the devil to get home, and he does not make eye contact. when the mother is shouting it is notable how elvis drops his head and appears to to be pondering about his own life after hearing the mother explain her siuation"). Talk about Suspicious Minds...

5. THAT HIS STILLBORN TWIN JESSE DID NOT DIE AT BIRTH


(Pic via Evidence Elvis Presley is Alive)


Most people will know that Elvis was actually a twin – but his identical twin brother Jesse Garon Presley was sadly stillborn. Not according to conspiracists, though, who cite several errors with dates on his birth/death certificates as proof that he did not die at birth. Apparently there are photos of Elvis pictured with Jesse in 1981 and a 2014 film called 'The Identical', starring Ray Liotta, is even loosely based on their story (and the premise that Jesse survived).

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6. THAT ELVIS WAS ACTUALLY A TRIPLET AND THAT HE ALSO HAD A THIRD BROTHER WHO STOOD IN FOR HIM

One particularly off-the-wall theory is that not only was Elvis a triplet – that he had a second brother by the name of Clayton – but that his mother Gladys went on to have a fourth son, Franklin, and that both Clayton and Franklin took turns filling in for Elvis at public appearances (and that it was actually Franklin who died in 1977). We can't find any other source for this other than this Facebook group - so we'll take this one with an extra-large helping of salt...

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7. THAT HIS GRAVESTONE SECRETLY INDICATES THAT THE 'REAL' ELVIS IS NOT BURIED THERE

Apparently the fact that Elvis's birth certificate spells his middle name as 'Aron', and the fact that his gravestone spells it 'Aaron' is enough to convince some people that the real Elvis does not lie in that grave at Graceland. In reality, Elvis preferred the more biblical spelling of 'Aaron' and had been using it on legal documents throughout his life. When that was discovered after his death, his father Vernon went with his son's preferred spelling.

 

What do you think? Is The King alive?