Introduction
Was the Man in the Casket at Graceland Really Elvis Presley? An Untold Story from His Closest Cousin
“Elvis Presley was an icon, but behind that image was a real human being – and it’s not easy to live up to an icon.” These were the heartfelt words Elvis once shared in an interview, not long before the world was told he had died on August 16, 1977.
Just hours after news of his passing broke, thousands of grieving fans flocked to Graceland — Elvis’s legendary Memphis home — to pay their respects. The funeral was solemn, and his body was placed in an open casket for public viewing. However, no cameras were allowed, as strictly requested by the Presley family.
Gene Smith, Elvis’s close cousin and longtime companion throughout his years of fame and turmoil, was one of the few family members to say a private farewell. But what he saw that day left him deeply unsettled.
“I looked very closely,” Gene recalled. “I looked at his hands, because Elvis had very distinctive hands — rough, callused from breaking bricks and practicing karate. But the hands in that casket… they were smooth, like a newborn baby’s.”
Gene also noticed that the right sideburn on the body appeared unnatural, sticking straight out, and the hairline looked artificial — like a glued-on wig. Around the forehead, there seemed to be moisture. “It could’ve been sweat,” Gene said. “Or it could’ve been glue.”
“I just didn’t believe it was him,” he added firmly.
This account has never been verified through official sources. But the strange details of the funeral, combined with the raw observations of a man who knew Elvis intimately, have kept the question alive: Did Elvis really die that day — or did he simply walk away from the spotlight he never truly felt comfortable in?