George Wagner, 44, Elvis impersonator dies
wazzzy
George Wagner wasn't a guy who'd glue on a black pompadour wig and
sideburns at showtime.
His Elvis impersonation went deeper. From his eye-catching hairdo to
his Southern accent and gentlemanly charm, Wagner conveyed the Presley
persona onstage and off.
"It's like he was born to play the part," said Sue Jeske, office
manager of ESPN Radio 990, which hired Wagner to do his Elvis show
four years running at downtown Massillon's Cruise-On-In and Dance
Party.
Wagner, 44, was found dead Monday night at his home on Overlook Drive
SW in Pike Township.
His death is being investigated as a possible prescription-drug
overdose, said Harry Campbell, chief investigator for the Stark County
Coroner's office.
"There were a lot of medications at the scene," Campbell said.
Investigators found no evidence of foul play.
Wagner had spoken with a neighbor Friday morning, Campbell said, and
it appears he had been dead since shortly thereafter. There were 16
cats in the home, Campbell said.
WEEKLY SHOWS AT MOUNTAINEER
At the Mountaineer Gaming Resort in Chester, W.Va., Wagner had built a
loyal following with his weekly shows.
"He was absolutely loved by our patrons down here," Tamara Cronin,
Mountaineer's director of public relations, said Tuesday. "He
performed here on Monday nights for years. We had groups of people
who'd come in for the express purpose of seeing and hearing George. He
certainly drew crowds in."
Wagner's wife, Linda Moffet Wagner, died of cancer on July 15, 2005.
"He loved his wife dearly. She kept his life in order," Jeske said.
"He personally said, 'I don't know how I'm going to make it without
her.' "
Jeske said the last time she saw Wagner - when he performed at the
Cruise-On-In party in June 2006 - "he looked good. He was laughing and
smiling. He looked like life had come back into him again."
Wagner "was down here a couple of weeks ago. He seemed fine," said
Warren resident David Jones, Linda Wagner's son. Wagner's funeral
arrangements will be handled by Roberts-Clark Chapel in Warren, he
said.
A native of Foscoe, N.C., George Wagner moved to Canton in 1993. He
met his wife after her name and Canton address appeared in a
newsletter for Presley fans. He wrote her a letter, they began
corresponding and then chatting on the phone. After three years, he
persuaded her to fly down to North Carolina and meet him. They married
in Canton in August 1994.
CAREER PROSPERED AFTER MOVE HERE
George Wagner has an adult son, Josh, who lives in Boone, N.C.
"When I moved to Canton, things really began taking off," Wagner said
in a 2002 Repository interview. A good-humored and sincere guy, he
talked about overzealous female fans - in Vegas "they call them
'sideburn chasers,' " he said - and expressed discomfort at being
compared to Presley.
"There will never be another Elvis Presley," he said with reverence.
"I just want to give people back the music and let them relive it
through me."
In 2002, Wagner placed second out of 42 contestants at the King of
Contests, a national Elvis impersonator showdown held in Las Vegas. In
June, he won an Ultimate Elvis Extravaganza Impersonator Contest in
Bryant, Ind.
A fan to the end, Wagner was wearing Elvis pajamas when he died.
Wagner's singing can be sampled online at:
www.myspace.com.gwagner
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
BY Dan Kane
REPOSITORY ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
Charlene
> http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=369264&Category=9&subCategoryID=0
>
> George Wagner wasn't a guy who'd glue on a black pompadour wig and
> sideburns at showtime.
>
> His Elvis impersonation went deeper.
...
> Wagner, 44, was found dead Monday night at his home on Overlook Drive
> SW in Pike Township.
>
> His death is being investigated as a possible prescription-drug
> overdose, said Harry Campbell, chief investigator for the Stark County
> Coroner's office.
...
> A fan to the end, Wagner was wearing Elvis pajamas when he died.
That's taking impersonation to a new level.
wd43
wazzzy
> > His death is being investigated as a possible prescription-drug
> > overdose, said Harry Campbell, chief investigator for the Stark County
> > Coroner's office.
>
> ...
>
> > A fan to the end, Wagner was wearing Elvis pajamas when he died.
>
> That's taking impersonation to a new level.
>
> wd43
I'm surprised he didn't wait till Aug. 16th
Charlene
Suspicious minds want to know why.
wd43
R H Draney
>
>On Aug 8, 3:53 am, wazzzy <enter23...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> I'm surprised he didn't wait till Aug. 16th
>
>Suspicious minds want to know why.
He was in a hurry to Return To Sender, figured it was Now Or Never, and it had
him All Shook Up....
Are *YOU* Lonesome Tonight?...r
--
"You got Schadenfreude on my Weltanschauung!"
"You got Weltanschauung in my Schadenfreude!"
peterpuck86
Don't Be Cruel........
The Kentucky Wizard
consultations with my Joint Chiefs of Staff, being briefed by members of my
Cabinet and many telephone conversations with various World Leaders, I have
come to the following conclusions:
He wanted to do it his way.
--
Never argue with an idiot; they'll drag you down to their level and
beat you with experience.
© The Wiz ®
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