Since Elvis Presley tragically died in 1977, hardcore fans have been convinced the king of rock and roll staged his death to live outside the spotlight. Some believed he was hiding from the mafia, appeared as an extra in the 1990 blockbuster Home Alone, toured California’s Legoland, tended to the grounds of Graceland, and now lives under the guise of a humble preacher in Arkansas.
Despite the doppelganger’s repeated denials, fans insist that Bob Joyce is “getting ready to explain” his faked death “very soon.”
On August 16, 1977, the world was ‘All Shook Up” when it was announced that 42-year-old Elvis Aaron Presley died of cardiac arrest. Since his death almost 50 years ago, a group of skeptics refused to accept the king of rock and roll was dead.
To this day, Elvis-obsessed fans refuse to let go and choose to believe the gyrating gent faked his own death to go into hiding. And now they are convinced they spotted the “Jailhouse Rock” singer living as Bob Joyce, a 72-year-old preacher in Benton, Arkansas.
Joyce looks like an older, silver-haired version of Elvis, speaks like Elvis, and sings with the same soothing baritone that Elvis was adored for. When a YouTube video of Joyce singing the gospel song “How Great Thou Art,” a song recorded by Elvis in 1967, surfaced, conspiracy theorists went wild.
“This is truly Elvis. No one else could sing this favorite hymn of mine like Elvis,” writes one fan in the comments section. A second offers, “His voice will never change. We love you and hope you tell us one day the story of your life. I know who he is and so does everyone else.” Another shares, “Not even the imitation Elvis sings like Bob Joyce. Sir, I believe you are him. That rhythm and tone of voice is none other than Elvis.” Another writes, “I love you Elvis, Bob Joyce. I know, but it’s okay, no more big lights. You have your peace of mind now. You still have my heart (SIC).”
Destroying these theories, the gospel singer and preacher at The Household of Faith Church insists he is not the king of rock and roll and instead a messenger of God. “No, I’m not Elvis. Lots of people ask me that…I got started and I was trying to tell everybody, ‘No, I’m not Elvis,” says the man who points out he’s almost 20 years younger than the “Don’t Be Cruel” singer, who would be 89 in 2024. “Most of these folks know I am not Elvis, but to them, it doesn’t matter. They are only so grateful that God is blessing them and reviewing their lives.”
“Perhaps God is using Elvis’ voice to minister to broken hearts and broken lives…If Elvis were alive, I would say to him, my friend and brother, we are of kindred spirits.”
Still, many of Joyce’s fans are adamant in saying he hasn’t come out yet and will soon reveal his big secret to the world. “All his [members of the congregation] know it’s him as well as the many visitors to his church every Sunday from around the world know it’s him. He’s getting ready to explain it all (why he faked his death & changed his name) very soon,” writes Alabama’s Samantha Drummond Dunn, who plans on traveling to Arkansas to meet Joyce. Encouraging others to watch his YouTube videos, which she says serves as proof, she demands, “It is him!”
Poking fun at her statement, another netizen writes, “If it’s on the Internet it must be true.”
Addressing the several fake accounts on social media– including the one copied by Drummond Dunn in her post – a statement on the Bob Joyce website warns online users against believing what they see on the Internet. “People have pretended to be Bob Joyce on multiple occasions. He does not send private messages through any online account. The only Facebook account for Pastor Bob Joyce is: facebook.com/bob.joyce.75/ All other Bob Joyce accounts on Facebook or anywhere else online are not him.” The message adds he is not on Instagram or TikTok.
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