Just the opposite. Parker's main role during these tours was to plan the logistics and make sure tickets were sold. Much of the money went to Col. Tom Parker, the King's enigmatic, cigar . [14], Through the fundraising, Parker headed to Tennessee to find acts to perform at his charity events,[14] among them stars such as Minnie Pearl and Eddy Arnold. Answer (1 of 2): The gravy train for Col. Parker ended after Elvis died, and the executor that was appointed for Lisa Marie Presley's interests began to go over Parker's deals with Elvis, was appalled, and the estate threatened to take Parker to court, and paid him 2 million dollars to end his as. Elvis Was Not Nearly As Rich As You Might Guess When He Died. She said she was at home with him when he had his stroke. Held at a Hilton Hotel, his funeral was attended by the likes of Sun Records boss Sam Phillips and Parker's former client . But he had less than $750,000 in his savings account when he died, and his estate was valued at less than $10 million. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Colonel_Tom_Parker&oldid=1141644408, This page was last edited on 26 February 2023, at 02:32. Elvis had just as many white influences and announced as early as seventh grade that he was going to sing at the Grand Ole Opry . The show, titled "Welcome Home, Elvis", was Presley's first national television appearance since The Ed Sullivan Show in January 1957. In 1994, following the marriage of Lisa Marie and Michael Jackson, Parker stated that Presley would not have approved. With 1956 coming to a close, Parker had made Presley one of the most well-known, well-paid entertainers in the world. According to Presley's friend, Jerry Schilling, Presley was excited about the opportunity to take on a new challenge. "[72] She reiterated her positive opinion to Tom Hanks in 2022 when the actor prepared to play Parker for Elvis (2022). [51], After the Aloha special, Parker made a deal that would later be used in court to prove that he had not acted in the best interests of Presley. Tom Parker was born on 26 June 1909 in Breda, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands. "There would have been no Elvis without Colonel Tom Parker; there would have been no Colonel Tom Parker without Elvis. [16] He arranged live appearances and became something of a father figure to the then-15-year-old Sands. After all the money he took from Elvis???? By his final public appearances in 1994, Parker was suffering from a number of health problems such as gout and diabetes. The 30th Anniversary of the death of Elvis' father, Vernon Presley. The contract, dated July 12, 1954, eight days after their first recording session, was signed by Presley and his parents. [39], For the remainder of the 1960s, Presley made films that relied heavily on exotic locations and mundane songs, and he was tied into contracts that he could not escape. The 32nd Anniversary of Elvis' final concert in Indianapolis. [26] By the summer Presley had become one of the most famous new faces of the year, causing excitement among the new teenage audience and outrage among some older audiences and religious groups. Parker appeared to be in complete control during Presley's time away, but he was worried about the outside influence that . According to Presley's biographer Peter Guralnick, Presley and Parker "were really like, in a sense, a married couple, who started out with great love, loyalty, respect that lasted for a considerable period of time, and went through a number of stages until, towards the end of Presley's life, they should have walked away. Soon, he secured Presley a record deal with RCA Victor. For his part, Parker himself died with a net worth of $1 million, or roughly $1.8 million in today's money (via Dollar Times ). [53] Parker turned the offer down, and Presley was overjoyed when they replied with another offer of $10 million. He left the estate to his father, Vernon Presley, and Lisa Marie. But as time went on, as the Beatles began their dominance of the music charts and the worldwide phenomenon known as Beatlemania began, Presley became less significant. Parker then managed a series of highly successful tours for Presley. "[24], With his first RCA Victor single, "Heartbreak Hotel", in 1956,[25] Presley became a recording star. However, after his re-enlistment, he went AWOL and was charged with desertion. RCA was eager for Presley to record in West Germany, but Parker insisted that it would ruin his reputation as a regular soldier if he was able to go into a recording studio. Net Worth: $1 Million; Date of Birth: Jun 26, 1909 - Jan 21, 1997 (87 years old) What happened to Tom Parker after Elvis died? According to several people who knew Presley at the time, the talks with Hulett got so far along that it seemed almost inevitable the deal would be done. However, that was not the case since Elvis was still under contract to Bob Neal. Net Worth: $1 Million. All net worths are calculated using data drawn from public sources. Parker made his last public appearances in 1994. When he was 15, Parker moved to Rotterdam, where he worked on boats. [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. [48] The press were told that an audience of one billion was expected to tune in to see the "first entertainment special to be broadcast live around the world",[48] although Parker had not taken into account the fact that many countries, including parts of Europe and America, would not see the concert live due to the time of the broadcast. [46] Originally planned as three performances, demand was so high that Parker decided to add a fourth performance, making Presley the first performer to sell out the venue four consecutive times. [53] Parker later claimed that Presley had asked him to make the contract so demanding so that they would not offer him the part, although many of Presley's friends have contradicted Parker's statement because they had said Presley was furious at losing the role.[53]. Profession: Elvis' manager. With Parker's help, Presley signed a recording contract with RCA Victor, leading to his commercial breakthrough in 1956 with his sixth single "Heartbreak Hotel" and propelling him to become one of the most popular and commercially successful entertainers in the world. [16] He suggested to Sholes that Sands could record material similar to Presley's style. [53], From 1974 onward, Presley's weight gain and prescription drug abuse became too much to be controlled. [50] As well as being their employer and paying their wages, he was also their main source of access to drugs for themselves. Later, in 1990, Parker married his longtime secretary Loanne Miller. Parker, 33, died in March, surrounded by his family and bandmates, 17 months after he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour. [15] RCA Victor, Hank Snow's current label, also showed an interest, but they were put off by the cost of the contract. 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. His Dutch birthplace and immigrant status were not revealed for many years. He said 'Well then there ain't no doubt about it. [53] Presley was beginning to consider new management, with Concerts West co-founder Tom Hulett being the clear favorite for the job. In reality, Nash told USA Today that Presley would "never do that." Presley apparently never knew that Parker wasn't . He also lost a large portion of Elvis' personal wealth. It took a probate court to remove Parker and his 50% fee from future dealings. [54], In July 1976, three of Presley's personal bodyguards and members of the "Memphis Mafia", Robert Gene "Red" West, his cousin Sonny West and David Hebler, were fired by Vernon Presley and decided to write a tell-all book about their life in his inner circle, Elvis: What Happened? [29] While Presley was a hit among the youth of America, the middle-aged audiences found him an oddity. While Neal was originally the singer's official manager, Parker was the one most involved in running Presley's career. Parker was consequently sent to solitary confinement. You're going to be a star.'"[71]. In November, Parker and Snow persuaded RCA to buy Presley out from Sun for $40,000, and on November 21, Presley's contract was officially transferred from Sun Records to RCA Victor. While the film shows Elvis firing his manager during a show after realising he's being deceived by the Colonel, this is not what happened in real life. [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. [56] Shortly afterward, he traveled to Memphis for Presley's funeral. [16] Remembering his previous experience with Sands, Sholes dismissed Sands as a viable replacement for Presley.[16]. . [56] At the funeral, he persuaded Presley's father to sign over control of Presley's career in death to him. Published Jan. 22, 1997 | Updated Sep. 30, 2005. Meanwhile, his gambling habit increasingly eroded the huge fortune he had built up, and he died worth only US$1,000,000. He first met the future star in 1955, when Elvis was already being managed by the guitarist in his band. I wanted to punch him in the face. [55] According to Presley's friend, Larry Geller, Parker secretly wanted the book to be published, hoping that it would help Presley realize the severity of his situation and persuade him to do something about it. On March 26, 1956, after Presley's management contract with Neal expired, Presley signed a contract with Parker that made him his exclusive representative. [60] However, he did occasionally bother them by criticizing some decisions. 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. This is because Elvis' manager, Colonel Tom Parker, had previously arranged a deal to sell those to RCA for $5.4 million, out of which only $1.35 million went to Elvis after Parker's 50% fee and income taxes. The King supposedly earned $100 million during his limelighted lifetime, which ended 10 years ago today. . The killing happened a few streets from where the Van Kuijk family lived, and Parker had been hired to make deliveries from this and other grocery stores in the area. Colonel Tom Parker was born as Andreas Cornelis van Kuijk on June 26, 1909 in Breda, Netherlands as the seventh of eleven children of Adam and Maria. During this time, Parker secured him long-term deals with film studios. [50] In later years, several of Presley's inner circle would tell of how difficult it was to persuade Presley to quit the drugs. By this time, Parker was aware that Presley needed a rest from touring and the chance to deal with his prescription drug addictions. Returning to music, he began managing such singers as Eddy Arnold and Tommy Sands. Loanne Parker, wife of Colonel Tom Parker, passed away earlier this week.Loanne had a strong connection to Las Vegas, Nevada - even though she was from southern Ohio - and she had an even stronger connection to Elvis. In addition to its considerable value, the estate of Elvis . [53] Yet, despite Presley's eagerness to do the shows, Parker again turned them down. Due to his years of excessive spending and being bilked by his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis' estate was . Meanwhile, his career began stagnating as the British Invasion took over the United States. Into his late 80s, Colonel Tom Parker began to struggle with various illnesses including diabetes and gout. After Parker's death in 1997, the home was used as a law . and he was hired as a hotel consultant for $50,000 per year (323,906 in 2021 dollars). [53] Parker, who had always dealt with Presley's film contracts and viewed the offer as a starting bid to earning more money, instead asked for a salary $1 million ($5,035,869 in 2021 dollars[11]), 50% of the profits, plus another $100,000 ($503,587 in 2021 dollars[11]) for expenses, and spoke of needing to arrange details of a soundtrack deal. [41] In Houston alone in one afternoon, 40,000 people paid to see it, with one woman offering to have sex with the tour manager if he would allow her to sit in it. [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. June 30, 2022. [21] In return for a larger financial stake in the deal, Neal agreed not to renew his management contract with Presley after it expired in March 1956,[22] allowing Parker the opportunity to claim the job for himself. What was Colonel Tom Parker worth when he died? His mother was giving him a pep talk to calm his nerves. Submit a correction suggestion and help us fix it! 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. We welcome all corrections and feedback using the button below. [52], Although many around Presley were worried about his worsening drug dependency, Parker appeared to ignore the problem. Colonel Tom Parker was best known as Elvis Presley 's manager. Nor did he ever suggest onstage that he knew of the colonel's immigration issues. Breda, Breda Municipality, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands. Austin had spent much of his fortune on partying, cars, mansions, and women, and his popularity had been eclipsed by other singers, such as Bing Crosby. Presley's first manager was Scotty Moore, the guitarist in his band, who was encouraged by Sun Records owner Sam Phillips to become Presley's manager to protect Elvis from unscrupulous music promoters. That's $35 million (28m) today and considerably less than what they were actually worth. [4] It is believed that Parker lost at least $1 million a year from gambling. [50] This would be successful for a short time, but when Presley discovered the trick, he simply found himself other doctors. [64] In 1993, in one of his last media appearances, Parker appeared in a television interview with Dutch TV director Jorrit van der Kooi where they spoke to each other in Dutch about the Netherlands and about Elvis Presley's life and career. The interviews of Elvis' Parents are well worth hearing too . Colonel Tom Parker was astonished to hear that Elvis Presley was a white man. [37] After that, until 1968, Presley gave no live performances, and had very little contact with his fans. Answer (1 of 2): In addition to what is noted in the other answer, he had legal disputes with the Presley estate but ultimately continued to earn money from Elvis's legacy. According to Priscilla, Elvis was happy to pay 50% to Parker to manage him.[73]. Parker's net worth was estimated to be $50 million as of 1977. In 1953 Parker bought a house in Madison, Tennessee, where Presley would visit and stay while recording. Parker served two years in the 64th Coast Artillery (United States), at Fort Shafter, in Hawaii, and shortly afterwards re-enlisted at Fort Barrancas, Florida. [50] Author Alanna Nash suggests that one of the reasons Parker didn't do more is because he may have just not known how to handle the situation.