#how else would they have the phone number of Joanie Esposito 👀

[doll-elvis]

Elvis on stage: the death threats

“These people paid good money to see me perform and I’m not going to disappoint them… most of all, I’m not going to let some sick sonofabitch scare me off the stage” - Elvis Presley

In 1971, Elvis had just begun his engagement at the Hilton in Las Vegas when word of a death threat reached the group

An anonymous caller had informed Joanie Esposito, wife of Joe Esposito, that a man was driving to Las Vegas with the intention of shooting Elvis on stage. The anonymous caller said he had the name of the man along with the license plate of the vehicle, for this information the caller demanded $50,000

Joe Esposito promptly contacted the FBI, which put a listening device on Joanie's phone in case any further calls were made. They also had agents inspect the Hilton and take residence nearby. And Joe, not wanting to create any false panic, managed to keep this threat hidden from Elvis until it became too clear to conceal

Someone had placed a hotel menu with a portrait of Elvis on the cover in Elvis' personal mailbox (meaning the culprit was inside the hotel). The threat became very real when they discovered Elvis' face was scratched out and a gun was drawn that was pointing to his heart, with the words “Guess who?” and “Where?”. More FBI agents were dispatched to the location, as was the Secret Service, along with a medical team that had an ambulance equipped with bags of Elvis' blood type. Despite this, Elvis refused to cancel the performance ⬇️

“Before going on stage, Elvis called Priscilla and Lisa in Los Angeles. He didn’t tell them what was going on but just that he was thinking of them and wanted them to know he loved them. He spent some time alone with Vernon, and then went on stage, not knowing how he would come off…”

(story courtesy of “Portrait of a Friend” by Marty Lacker)