The famous National Enquire Elvis coffin photo. Heres what some people say about the photo: The photo ran on the cover of the National Enquirer on September 6, 1977, just weeks after Elvis passed away. Who took the photo was the object of speculation for years, but it was later confirmed by a tell-all book by Enquirer editor Iain Calder that Elvis’ cousin Billy Mann was paid $18,000 to sneak a photo of Elvis in his coffin. Elvis’ cousin Billy Smith also corroborated this claim. (Some sources erroneously claim the cousin was “Bobby Mann” which is inaccurate. Some sources claim it was $10,000, some say $30,000, and others say $75,000.) This cousin should not be confused with Billy Smith, who was a first cousin and close confidant of Elvis. Body Too Thin? It has been said that Elvis looks too thin in the casket photo. Some reports claim that those who attended the funeral claim that Elvis did not resemble the photo that was on the cover of the National Enquirer. One defense of the photo states that Enquirer retouch artist Robert Stevens may have been a little too generous in his retouching efforts. Others claim that he merely appears thin because he is laying on his back. Nose Not Right? It has been claimed that the nose seen in the casket photo is not the same as the nose of Elvis Presley. This bolsters the claim by some that it was a wax dummy in the coffin, and not Elvis. Those who defend the photo have said that the “wrong nose” is again due to over-retouching by Robert Stevens. It has been claimed that Elvis collapsed face-first and broke his nose when he died, which could explain the pug nose in the coffin. Other Rumors There are so many other rumors about the death of Elvis Presley, that volumes of books have already been written on the subject. We, however, are focused purely on the dead body photo that appeared in the National Enquirer. We believe that the body in the photo was the body in the casket at the funeral of Elvis Presley. We won’t touch the debate on whether or not that was a wax dummy or a lookalike. But as far as the photo representing what was in the casket, we believe it to be true. Unless the body is exhumed, it’s doubtful that the debate on the contents of the casket and the infamous photo will ever end. For those of us on the sidelines, both sides of the debate are fascinating.
Posted on: Sat, 16 Aug 2014 20:58:38 +0000
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