Reflections of a Baby Boomer

August 16^th. Elvis died today.

It was a long time, ago, but it’s still hard to believe. It caught everyone off guard.  Sure, he was getting fat and looked bloated.  But nobody thought he was dying, not even him.

Thinking about EP’s story recently I realized that he had some things in common with another legend – Mickey Mantle.

That’s right. Think about it. They were both great talents in their fields, shot to stardom in the 1950s, were great looking and had girls swooning over them. Heck, even guys admired their looks, in a manly way.

The bad news is that they both burned themselves out. Neither one took care of themselves and let their bodies waste away. And neither one was bright enough to change their ways. I read once that Mickey got scammed often by sharks after his money. He once invested in a mine of some sort that didn’t exist. Elvis made a fortune, but not as much as he should have. In a business where managers got fifteen or twenty per cent, Elvis paid his manager, Tom Parker, fifty per cent. He was scamming Elvis all the way.

Imagine what they might have done if they only knew and appreciated what they had. Imagine. That’s all we can do.