Elvis Bust 'Weeps' in Dutch Town
Fri Aug 16, 3:01 PM ET
DEURNE, Netherlands (Reuters) - A plaster bust of Elvis Presley wept "miracle" tears Friday on the 25th anniversary of his death, its Dutch owner said.
The 50-year-old professional Elvis impersonator in the small town of Deurne in the southern Netherlands also said the ghost of the "King of Rock n' Roll" appeared in his house last week.
Wearing a tasseled black leather jacket, a wig and sunglasses, Toon Nieuwenhuisen said the bust, which he keeps in a spare room he has converted into a shrine to Elvis, started weeping just shortly after breakfast Friday.
The room is plastered in photographs of Elvis and has candles flickering beside the white statue, which has a rhinestone collar. Beside it are a pair of white slip-on leather shoes that Nieuwenhuisen said were once worn by his idol.
"Everybody is thinking about Elvis today. He's been dead for 25 years. This is my special room," he said, pointing out a trickle of moisture running from the eye-socket of the bust he has owned for 15 years.
"The tears you can see started at 10 o'clock. When you taste it, it's salty. It's a miracle," he said.
Nieuwenhuisen, a spiritual medium who says he speaks regularly to Elvis, said he believes the statue was weeping tears of gratitude for the adoring fans around the world.
The bust started shedding tears five years ago and has cried several times since then. Hundreds of curious visitors have come to see the shrine, Nieuwenhuisen said. |
