[4] After a lifetime that saw him earn in excess of $100 million, Parker's estate was worth barely $1 million when he died. [4] A year later at 18, with enough money to sustain him for a short period, he entered America illegally by jumping ship from his employer's vessel. Despite earning over $100 million during his lifetime, at the time of his death Colonel Tom Parker was reportedly worth less than $1 million. [15] Over the next few years, he helped Arnold secure hit songs, television appearances, and live tours. He wasn't a colonel and he wasn't even born in America. [65], Others, however, had doubts about whether they were legally married at all. [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. After all the money he took from Elvis???? [16] Parker had intended to mold Sands into the next Roy Rogers, but Sands had no interest in such a plan. None of the rules of the relationship was operative any longer, yet neither had the courage to walk away, for a variety of reasons." Parker made several attempts to have it stopped, but failed to do so. He would call his flamboyant manager, Col. Tom Parker, and ask Parker to book another tour (Presley's average concert gross in the mid-'70s was $130,000 a night) or schedule another recording . During this time, Parker secured him long-term deals with film studios. He was 87. [53] Despite this, however, the deal never materialized. His mother was giving him a pep talk to calm his nerves. [48] (During Presley's career, except for a few concerts in Canada in 1957, he never performed outside the United States.) The two had become almost strangers, and false reports in the media suggested that Presley's contract was up for sale. After a heated argument between the two, Presley told Parker he was fired. 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. At the time of his death in 1997, he was worth $1 million. The world's music and pop culture changed forever when the greatest performer of them all joined . Colonel Parker died of a stroke on January 22, 1997, aged 87. . [53] Seeing it as a chance to finally be taken seriously as an actor, Presley agreed to take the role if the contracts could be worked out. [50] Presley's main doctor, George C. Nichopoulos, would often replace Presley's medication with placebos in an attempt to wean him off the drugs. Stick around for t. The opposing counsel responded by presenting into evidence a copy of Parker's U.S. Army enlistment form which stated, through a legal loophole, that because Parker signed his enlistment papers under his alias "Thomas Andrew Parker" and once he took the oath by swearing allegiance to the United States of America, he unofficially renounced his Dutch citizenship, although it is claimed that he died a Dutch citizen. [58], Following Presley's death, Parker set up a licensing operation with Factors Etc. This led Parker to insist that films be made cheaply, on a strict schedule, and with as little hassle as possible. [54] He phoned Presley's father once to suggest taking time off, but Vernon Presley told him they couldn't afford to stop touring due to Presley's constant and lavish spending of money. [53] Streisand's production company, First Artists, offered Presley a salary of $500,000 ($2,517,934 in 2021 dollars[11]) and 10% of the profits. "That didn't come out in this country until 1981." What was Colonel Tom Parker worth when he died? His origins were steeped in mystery. Tom Parker. [44] At the time, Presley's back catalog was not considered very important and RCA initially calculated it at being worth much less, but in later years it would become one of the most valuable record catalogs in the music business. The first major artist with whom he worked was popular crooner Gene Austin. [45], By 1972, Parker had managed to increase Presley's weekly wage in Las Vegas to $150,000 ($971,718 in 2021 dollars[11]), and secured $50,000 a year ($323,906 in 2021 dollars[11]) for himself as a "consultant to the hotel chain". During the week-long visit, Parker was informed by Adam van Kuijk that their mother had died three years earlier in 1958, never knowing what happened to her son after he left the Netherlands for good in 1929. [52], Although many around Presley were worried about his worsening drug dependency, Parker appeared to ignore the problem. [69] In October 1990, Parker married Loanne Miller, his secretary since 1972. After being discharged, Parker returned to carnival work, working as a carnie with Royal American Shows from 1931 to 1938. Both Priscilla and Jerry said he was a lovely man". Presley remembered the event as one of the worst moments of his career. Elvis Presley shot to stardom as a rock 'n roll legend, a legacy that still continues almost 50 years after the King's death. Their's was probably the most unique artist-manager relationship ever in show business, clearly one of the most successful. When he was 15, Parker moved to Rotterdam, where he worked on boats. This proved very lucrative, especially when the single for Presley's first film, Love Me Tender, sold over one million copies in advance sales. He influenced Presley's personal life, including Presley's decisions to accept military service in 1958 and to marry Priscilla Beaulieu in 1967. Parker held another press conference on September 4, 1972, in Las Vegas to confirm that the concert, now titled Aloha from Hawaii, would be broadcast on January 14, 1973. While Neal was originally the singer's official manager, Parker was the one most involved in running Presley's career. [40] These deals were sometimes so harsh on the studios that it led producer Hal Wallis to state: "I'd rather try and close a deal with the Devil. to control the singer's merchandise. He was best known for being the manager of Elvis Presley. [5] However, Judge Joseph Evans, aware that Lisa Marie Presley was still a minor, appointed attorney Blanchard E. Tual to investigate Parker's management. [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. Phillips told them to make a separate deal with Elvis. Parker began 1956 intending to bring his new star to the national stage. [16] Remembering his previous experience with Sands, Sholes dismissed Sands as a viable replacement for Presley.[16]. In 1935, while travelling with a circus, Parker met and married 27-year-old Marie Francis Mott. Luhrmann hasn't really . and he was hired as a hotel consultant for $50,000 per year (323,906 in 2021 dollars). [61], As Presley's fame grew, people became interested in Parker as well. By the time Elvis died, the "Can't Help Falling In Love" singer's estate was in poor condition with only about $5 million. He cared about making sure that his boy didn't just have a million dollars worth of talent . Following this, he entered the music industry as a music promoter. Later, Davis says "He remembered me, and he said 'I told you you were going to be a star.' [52] Angered by this outburst, Parker declared: "You can't fire me. Colonel Tom Parker was astonished to hear that Elvis Presley was a white man. Parker appeared to be in complete control during Presley's time away, but he was worried about the outside influence that . Although Parker infrequently saw Presley over the ensuing years, he remained his manager until Presley's passing in 1977. Many Parker biographers, including Dirk Vellenga and Alanna Nash, have stated that Parker's gambling habit began to get out of control in the mid-1960s. I said, 'Yeah, you rubbed my head.' In addition to its considerable value, the estate of Elvis . [29] Some viewed him as a clown-like figure, wiggling his hips for screams, while others found him vulgar and more suitable for late-night gentleman's clubs. [4] He would often spend 1214 hours at a time gambling in the casinos, betting large sums. Later in 1975, the government of Saudi Arabia offered Parker $5 million for Presley to perform there. 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. Potomac, was going to be salvaged. It was also reported that he had up to $ 30 million in gambling debts several times in his life. He said 'Well then there ain't no doubt about it. [53] Promoters in South America also made offers, as much as $2.5 million, and all of them were turned down by Parker; "Well, whenever I need $2.5 million I'll call you," he once said to them. On January 20, 1997, Parker suffered a stroke, and died the following morning in a Las Vegas hospital. 2. [53] They discussed the possibility of Presley's co-starring with Streisand in a remake of the film A Star Is Born. While Presley was serving in West Germany, Parker was hard at work keeping Presley's name known to the public. Nearly as legendary as his famous client was Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's manager. [65] Unbeknown to Parker at the time, she had a second son from her first marriage, but had given him up for adoption at birth due to his disability (a club foot). [4], In The Colonel, her 2003 biography of Parker, Alanna Nash wrote that Parker may have been a suspect or a person of interest in an unsolved murder case in Breda. [10] Parker later said that at times they had had to live on as little as $1 a week (US$20 in 2021 dollars). He also reportedly had as much as $30 million worth of gambling debts at various times in his life. He facilitated Presley's rise to superstardom in the 50s, and also influenced his decisions to accept his military draft and to marry his wife Priscilla, among other things. [55] Worried about the impact such details might have on his career, Presley, through his father, asked Parker to stop the publication. [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. As per reports, Colonel Tom Parker's Cause of Death was revealed that he died of stroke . Parker managed his career with an iron fist. But he had less than $750,000 in his savings account when he died, and his estate was valued at less than $10 million. Colonel Tom Parkerthe title was awarded to him by Louisiana Governor Jimmie Davis in 1948 for political services renderedclaimed until 1982 to have been born in West Virginia. 1. He died on 21 January 1997 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. Asked by a journalist what he would do now, Parker responded: "Why, I'll just go right on managing him! I said 'Yeah'. A few actors have tackled Parker on screen, most notably Beau Bridges in 1993s "Elvis and the Colonel: The Untold Story" and Randy Quaid in the 2005 miniseries "Elvis." Tom Parker caught a glimpse of the singer backstage. Net Worth: $1 Million. Answering Presley's desire to appear in films, Parker was able to secure him a seven-picture contract with Paramount Pictures. 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. Parker's net worth when he died was $1 million. . He also assisted Jimmie Davis' campaign to become Governor of Louisiana. [44] However, Presley had asked him to raise funds to pay for his upcoming divorce settlement, and Priscilla divorced Elvis in 1973. "[42] Parker used the argument that Presley was his only client and he was thus earning only one fee.[42]. [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? . He suggested to Parker that, as Presley had recorded and was still performing the song "I'll Remember You" written by Kui Lee, the donations could go to the Kui Lee Cancer Fund that had been set up following the death of the songwriter in 1966. [67] According to interviews given by Parker to the Associated Press many years later, he and Marie were married in Tampa, Florida, during the winter of 1932,[67] but the Florida Office of Vital Statistics had no record of such a marriage any time between 1927 and 1946. "Last Train to Memphis". . Presley had a singing style different from the current trend, and Parker was immediately interested in the future of this musical style. He negotiated Presley's lucrative merchandising deals, TV appearances, and acting roles in films. But the Colonel quickly got to work, starting as Elvis' advisor before they signed a contract giving him sole rights . During this time, Parker also served as a field agent for the Hillsborough County Humane Society, helping to raise funds and awareness for its work. ELVIS PRESLEY's ex-wife Priscilla Presley vehemently defended The King's manager Colonel Tom Parker to Elvis movie's Tom Hanks, shutting down rumours he was 'an evil puppet master like Rasputin'. Subsequently, Parker managed the singer's successful return to live performing, with several dates set up in Las Vegas. At the time of Elvis' death, he was worth just $5 million, a relatively-modest amount considering his enormous level of success and fame. He was subsequently in "Loving You," "Jailhouse Rock," and "King Creole." By Alanna Nash. On January 20, 1997, Parker's wife heard a crashing sound from the living room, and when she heard no response to her calls, she went in to find him slumped over in his chair after suffering a stroke. [4], On August 14, 1981, Judge Evans ordered Elvis Presley Enterprises to sue Parker for mismanagement. Col. Tom Parker dies. [65] However, there is no definite proof that anything other than romance led to their marriage. [18] A one-year management contract with Presley provided Moore with a 10-percent commission, which Moore said he never took. [4] Fans and biographers alike believe that one of the main reasons Parker signed Presley to a Vegas hotel in 1969 for his live comeback was to help cover losses he experienced in their casino. [26] He had even come up with the idea to market "I Hate Elvis" badges. 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. [36] If Parker had had any doubts about his return, they were soon gone when he witnessed the turnout along the route. [15] Although Neal remained Presley's official manager, Parker was becoming increasingly involved in the running of his career, and by the summer of 1955 he had become Presley's "special advisor". Additional Crew: Spinout. [15] Eventually, Parker began getting more involved in music promotion again, this time for himself rather than the Society. [8] This may have motivated Parker to avoid seeking a passport, as the Netherlands has an active extradition treaty with the United States, and he may have wanted to avoid criminal arrest by Dutch authorities. "That didn't come out in this country until 1981." [17] In the beginning, Presley, Moore, and the bassist Bill Black were a trio, the Blue Moon Boys. [7] As a boy, he worked as a barker at carnivals in his hometown, learning many of the skills that he would require later while working in the entertainment industry.