Joseph Carmine Esposito (January 22, 1938 – November 23, 2016) was

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

's road manager and friend. After Elvis' death, Joe became an

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

and

publisher Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

of several Elvis books.

Association with Elvis Presley

Esposito is best known for his association with

(see

Memphis Mafia The Memphis Mafia was the nickname given by the media to a group of Elvis Presley's friends, associates, employees and cousins whose main functions were to accompany, protect, and serve Presley from the beginning of his career in 1954 until his de ...

). He first met Presley while serving in the military in 1958 at an Army base in Friedberg, West Germany. They both went through basic training at

Fort Hood, Texas Fort Hood is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. Named after Confederate General John Bell Hood, it is located halfway between Austin and Waco, about from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. The post is the headquarter ...

, but did not meet face to face until a year later when they were both stationed in West Germany, where they quickly became lifelong friends. Esposito became Elvis's road manager and friend beginning in 1960. Esposito served as co-best man, with Marty Lacker at Elvis's wedding while Esposito's wife, Joanie, served as the matron of honor. Esposito, Col. Tom Parker and Jerry Schilling served as principal consultants in the movie ''This Is Elvis''. Esposito was a consultant on multiple Elvis projects and was considered one of the most respected sources on Elvis. His home movies are featured in many projects including the CBS Primetime Special, "Elvis By the Presleys".

Personal life

Esposito had three children: daughters Debbie and Cindy with his first wife Joan, who later married into the

Kardashian family The Kardashian family, also referred to as the Kardashian–Jenner family, is an American family prominent in the fields of entertainment, reality television, fashion design, and business. Founded by Robert Kardashian and Kris Jenner (née Ho ...

; and son Anthony from his second marriage to Martha Gallub, who died on March 19, 2012, after a long fight with cancer. Esposito died November 23, 2016, after a year of declining health. His daughter mentioned the cause to be complications of dementia.

Published books

*
Elvis Intimate and Rare
http://www.tcbjoe.com/store/p6/elvis-intimate-rare-book], by Diamond Joe Esposito, (1997) Darwin Lamm, Elvis International Forum books(ASIN B0006QR02Y)'' *'' Remember Elvis'' Produced by Diamond Joe Esposito and Daniel Lombardy, (2006) TCBJOE Publishing () *'' Elvis Straight Up, ''Produced by Diamond Joe Esposito and Joe Russo o
The Soft Parade
(2007) Steamroller Publishing (097971320X) *'' Celebrate Elvis - Volume 1, ''Produced by Diamond Joe Esposito and Daniel Lombardy, (2006) TCBJOE Publishing () *'' Celebrate Elvis - Volume 2, ''Produced by Diamond Joe Esposito and Daniel Lombardy, (2007) TCBJOE Publishing ()

Interviews

Larry King Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger; November 19, 1933 – January 23, 2021) was an American television and radio host, whose awards included 2 Peabodys, an Emmy and 10 Cable ACE Awards. Over his career, he hosted over 50,000 interviews. ...

Interview with Joe Esposito
www.rareelvispresley.com

Movie appearances

*''

Kid Galahad ''Kid Galahad'' is a 1962 American musical film starring Elvis Presley as a boxer. It was released by United Artists in August 1962 and opened at #9 at the American box office. ''Variety'' ranked it #37 on its list of the top-grossing films of 19 ...

'' (1962) - Bit Role (uncredited) *''

It Happened at the World's Fair ''It Happened at the World's Fair'' is a 1963 American musical film starring Elvis Presley as a crop-dusting pilot. It was filmed in Seattle, Washington, site of the Century 21 Exposition. The governor of Washington at the time, Albert Rosellin ...

'' (1963) - Carnival Man (uncredited) *''

Kissin' Cousins ''Kissin' Cousins'' (stylized onscreen as ''KISƧIN' COUSINS'') is a 1964 American musical Panavision Metrocolor comedy film directed by Gene Nelson and starring Elvis Presley. Written by Gerald Drayson Adams and Gene Nelson, the film featur ...

'' (1964) - Mike (uncredited) *''

Viva Las Vegas ''Viva Las Vegas'' is a 1964 American musical film directed by George Sidney and starring Elvis Presley and Ann-Margret. The film is regarded by fans and film critics as one of Presley's best films, and it is noted for the on-screen chemistry be ...

'' (1964) *''Roustabout'' (1964) *'' Spinout'' (1966) - Shorty's Pit Crew (uncredited) *''

Clambake The clambake or clam bake, also known as the New England clambake, is a traditional method of cooking seafood, such as lobster, mussels, crabs, scallops, soft-shell clams, and Hard clam, quahogs. The food is traditionally cooked by steaming the i ...

'' (1967) - Bit (uncredited) *'' Stay Away, Joe'' (1968) - Man Who Takes Joe's Car Away (uncredited) *''

Live a Little, Love a Little ''Live a Little, Love a Little'' is a 1968 American musical comedy film starring Elvis Presley. It was directed by Norman Taurog, who had directed several previous Presley films. This was to be Taurog's final film, as he went blind shortly after p ...

'' (1968) - Workman in Newspaper (uncredited) *'' The Trouble with Girls'' (1969) - Gambler (uncredited) *'' Elvis: That's the Way It Is'' (1970) - Himself (MGM Office Manager / Memphis Mafia / Friend) *''

Elvis on Tour ''Elvis on Tour'' is a 1972 American concert film starring Elvis Presley during his fifteen-city spring tour earlier that year. It is written, produced, directed by Pierre Adidge and Robert Abel and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Follow ...

'' (1972) - Himself *''

This is Elvis ''This Is Elvis'' is a 1981 American documentary film about the life of Elvis Presley, written and directed by Andrew Solt and Malcolm Leo. It combines archival footage with reenactments, and voice-over narration by pop singer Ral Donner, imitat ...

'' (1981) - Himself - Narration (voice)

In popular culture

*He was portrayed by

Joe Mantegna Joseph Anthony Mantegna (, ; born November 13, 1947) is an American actor. Mantegna began his career on stage in 1969 in the Chicago production of the musical ''Hair''. He earned a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play and a Joseph Jeff ...

in 1979's '' Elvis: The Movie'', alongside Kurt Russell. *He was also portrayed by Ian Leson in the 2005 CBS mini-series ''

Elvis Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...

'', alongside

Jonathan Rhys Meyers Jonathan Rhys Meyers (born Jonathan Michael Francis O'Keeffe; 27 July 1977) is an Irish actor, model and musician. He is known for his roles in the films ''Michael Collins'' (1996), '' Velvet Goldmine'' (1998), ''Titus'' (1999), '' Bend It Like ...

. *He was spoofed by

Chris Farley Christopher Crosby Farley (February 15, 1964 – December 18, 1997) was an American actor and comedian. Farley was known for his loud, energetic comedic style, and was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and later a cast member of the ...

as the driver for "Tiny Elvis" on ''Saturday Night Live'' in 1992 hosted by

Nicolas Cage Nicolas Kim Coppola (born January 7, 1964), known professionally as Nicolas Cage, is an American actor and film producer. Born into the Coppola family, he is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Gui ...

. *He was portrayed b
Wayne Powers
(with Dale Midkiff as Elvis) in the 1989 ABC Mini-Series, "Elvis and Me," which was based on the best-selling book by Priscilla Presley, who was also Executive Producer.

References

External links

*
Interview with Joe EspositoTCBJOE - The Official Joe Esposito Elvis Fan Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Esposito, Joe 1938 births 2016 deaths Writers from Chicago Elvis Presley