Esposito a regular in Penticton
LOS ANGELES — Elvis Presley’s close personal friend and professional aide “Diamond” Joe Esposito has died. He was 78.
Esposito’s daughter Cindy Bahr said Tuesday that he had dementia and died Nov. 23 of natural causes in Calabasas, California.
Esposito met Presley in 1959 while both were serving in the Army. After they completed their service, Esposito became Presley’s assistant in professional matters, from keeping his calendar to functioning as road manager when the King was on tour.
Esposito was one of two best men at Presley’s 1967 wedding to Priscilla Wagner and a pallbearer at his funeral.
After Presley’s death, Esposito worked as a road manager for the Bee Gees, Michael Jackson, John Denver, The Carpenters, and other artists.
Along with Bahr, Esposito is survived by his daughter Cindy, son Anthony, a brother, sister and three grandchildren. He along with Col. Tom Parker and Jerry Schilling served as consultants for the 1981 documentary “This Is Elvis.”
Esposito can be seen in six of Presley’s movies and was portrayed by Joe Mantegna in the 1979 made-for-TV movie “Elvis.” Comedian Chris Farley spoofed him on a now-classic episode of “Saturday Night Live.”
Esposito was a regular attendee at the Penticton Pacific Northwest Elvis Festival for many years where he shared stories about the King of Rock and Roll.
In a 2010 interview withThe Penticton Herald, he told editor James Miller that one of the reasons he and his friends continued returning to Penticton was their fondness for a road trip to Okanagan Falls for ice cream from Tickleberry’s.