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Charlie Hodge, Loyal Longtime Friend of Elvis, Dies at 71 3/6/2006
Charlie Hodge, longtime friend of Elvis Presley, EPE and Elvis fans worldwide, died Friday, March 3, 2006 after a bout with cancer. He was 71.

Elvis and Charlie met early on their careers when Charlie was singing with group called The Foggy River Boys. They met again in 1958 when both were shipping out to Germany for service in the U.S. Army. Charlie and Joe Esposito, a fellow service man Elvis met while stationed in Germany, joined Elvis's personal staff after their duty was up. Charlie appeared in several of Elvis's movies in the 1960s, joined Elvis on stage in his triumphant 1968 TV special, and appeared with Elvis on stage throughout the "concert era" of 1969 to 1977, playing rhythm guitar and providing harmony vocals and serving as Elvis's general assistant on stage, handing him his water and scarves, cueing songs and so forth. Through the years, Charlie also worked with Elvis on his self-taught vocal training.

Charlie will be remembered for his talents, his gentlemanliness, his humor, and for his absolute loyalty to his friend, Elvis Presley. We have lost one of the good guys.

Funeral services are at 2:00 PM tomorrow, Tuesday, March 7 at Rose Lawn Funeral Home, 741 Danville RD Decatur, Alabama 35601. Phone (256) 353-2996. Visitation is tonight 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that one make a donation to one's favorite charity in Charlie’s memory.

Click here to see an article in Charlie's hometown newspaper.

We regret not posting this acknowledgement of Charlie's passing sooner, but the news came after business hours at Graceland/EPE on Friday. Our staff who handle news postings did not have computer access over the weekend. Thus, this posting comes first thing Monday morning.