Elvis announcer killed in car accident
Al Dvorin, the announcer responsible for coining the phrase 'Elvis has left the building', has been killed in a car accident on his way home from an Elvis convention in California.
The 81 year old was travelling in a car with Elvis photographer Ed Bonja when the accident occurred. He died from his injuries after being thrown from the car.
Dvorin first met Elvis Presley in 1955 after working with his manager Colonel Parker. He continued to work with Presley for the next 22 years, helping to organise music tours and public appearances.
In the early 1970s Dvorin took to the stage at an Elvis concert to announce that the singer would not be returning for an encore, giving birth to what has become a worldwide catchphrase when he spoke the words; "Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building. Thank you and goodnight".
While the phrase had been used at concerts before that night, Dvorin's idiosyncratic delivery ensured that it became a hit with the fans and immediately became a widely used catchphrase.
