Elvis Tribute Artist Recalls Presley's Death 40 Years Ago In August 1977

PALOS HEIGHTS, IL -- Joe Elvis Tirrito still remembers where he was on Aug. 16, 1977, when he learned of Elvis Presley’s sudden, shocking death. Growing up in Arizona, his dad came in off the road and broke the news that Elvis had died. Tirrito, who was 12, remembers the sadness in his father’s eyes when he told him his hero had passed away.

“My dad was a big Elvis fan,” Tirrito recalled. “My dad had the hair and sideburns. He looked quite a bit like Elvis. My dad was my best friend and because he was an Elvis fan, I was too.”

Known today as one of the Southland’s most preeminent Elvis tribute artists (he’s not an impersonator), Tirrito will be performing a tribute show commemorating the 40th anniversary of Presley’s death this Friday, Aug. 11. “The Essence of Elvis” starts at 6 p.m. at the Lansing Knights of Columbus, 17800 Lorenz Ave., Lansing. The show is a benefit for Parents and Friends of LARC, a sheltered workshop for intellectually challenged adults.

At age 52, the Palos Heights tribute artist has been performing as Elvis for 35 years. Tirrito focuses more on Elvis’s later career beginning with the famous 1968 comeback TV special to his Vegas years.

“I used do all eras from the early years to Las Vegas Elvis,” Tirrito said. “Now that I’m older I can’t do young Elvis. I do the ’68 comeback special. I still look young enough to pull it off. That’s as early as I go.”

Tirrito inherited his love of Elvis from his father, who passed away in 2010. He learned to sing Elvis’s songs listening to his music on 8-track tapes accompanying his trucker father on road.

“I’ve been doing Elvis longer than Elvis,” Tirrito laughs, who produces the Windy City ETA Contest, which attracts Elvis tribute artists from around the world. The seventh annual contest is set for March 2018 at the Arcadia Theater in St. Charles.

“We get a lot lot of very well-known tribute artists,” Tirrito continued. “As we get bigger we get more top notch talent, including guys from the Legends shows in Las Vegas.”

In addition to the ETA contest, Tirrito, a great singer in his own right, plays gigs and hosts karaoke nights around the Chicago area. While it doesn’t feel like 40 years since Elvis permanently left the planet, what Tirrito finds even more disbelieving is that Elvis is still as popular as ever.

“Elvis had such a big impact on the world. He was a phenomenon,” Tirrito said. “I have young children coming to my shows. It carries from generation to generation. I’m 52 and I can continue doing this for who knows how long.”

As for Elvis’s premature death at age 42, Tirrito thinks Elvis’s long-time manager Col. Tom Parker may have played a role in the king’s early demise.

“No doubt he used Elvis,” Tirrito said. “Col. Tom worked Elvis like a dog and took 50 percent of what Elvis made his entire career. Elvis didn’t do drugs to get high, he did them in order to work.”

Friday’s “Essence of Elvis Show” is $20 and includes a buffet dinner. Seating is reserved and space is limited. Tickets can be purchased by emailing the Parents and Friends of LARC at parentsandfriendsoflarc@yahoo.com.