Colonel Thomas Andrew Parker was a Dutch-born musical entrepreneur who was the manager of Elvis Presley. Parker had emigrated illegally to the United States at the age of 20. He resided in the country without legal status for the rest of his life and never left the country's borders.

How did Parker die?

The cause was complications from a stroke, said Bruce Banke, a longtime friend and a former executive at the Las Vegas Hilton. Perhaps the best-known manager in show business, Mr. Parker -- universally known by the honorary title Colonel -- oversaw Presley's rise from a phenomenon in the South to a worldwide superstar.

Did Colonel Parker ruin Elvis career?

The standard line on the Colonel is that he ruined Elvis` career by the way he let Elvis become a bland shadow of himself during the `60s. ... Elvis Presley was the biggest star in the world. The point is: What Parker did worked to perfection.