One of the biggest Elvis collectors ever, Jim Curtin, passed away on June 25, 2011. Jim gave Elvis a black Gibson with EP in the neck and Elvis gave him a jumpsuit to thank him. At the highlight of his collection, Curtin got 3 jumpsuits, memorabilia and thousands of pictures and vinyl. The largest part of the collection was sold at different auctions in the past years. Jim also released 7 Elvis books, among them was 'Unseen Elvis'.
Jim Curtin Passed Away
June 28, 2011 | Peopleandrew1 wrote on
June 28, 2011
This is sad news. I especially enjoy his book "Christmas With Elvis" and have made it part of my holiday tradition to page through it. I believe he also was editor for an excellent magazine series "Exclusively Elvis". He'll be missed.
STRICTLY*ELVIS wrote on
June 28, 2011
It is always sad when we see another human being pass away. However, I heard he tricked Elvis into giving him that first jumpsuit and that it was not Elvis' idea to give it to him and therefore it was not done "from the heart" as most of Elvis' gifts were. I also heard he cheated a lot of memorabilia sellers out of money. He would talk them into sending their items up front and then would never pay in full. I heard he actually threatened people and scared them into selling their items for near nothing. If these claims are true then he was not a very honorable man.
Lefty wrote on
June 28, 2011
Wasn't Curtin the guy that presented Elvis with the "cow bell" at the New Years Eve concert in Pittsburgh?
Sirbalkan wrote on
June 29, 2011
R.I.P. Jim Curtis. I have your book Unseen Elvis. You'll be missed.
Tony C wrote on
June 29, 2011
Very sad news, Jim produced some nice books. I think we should limit our accusations over a person's honesty to what we actually know to be true and have witnessed rather than repeating rumours and gossip. I have heard people say that NASA faked the moon landings, but that does not mean it is true.
Steve V wrote on
July 01, 2011
Poor guy, he auctioned off his whole collection because of his girlfriend, but she left him anyway. RIP
renata70 wrote on
June 04, 2013
Jim Curtin was in fact a truly great guy! He would never cheat anyone, but felt more times than not, that the Elvis fans thought he was rich, therefore raising the prices of any collectible sold to him. Because he was Jim Curtin, the original Elvis freak (as many referred to him in the past), he was being overcharged. In all the years I have known him, he paid more for what the items really cost.
Jim was also a true fan and NO he did not push Elvis into giving him a jumpsuit. I have heard the story thousands of times over the years, and it was always the same. When Jim was with Elvis, after he gave him the guitar, he and Elvis talked about everything from songs to collectibles. As Elvis always did, when getting a compliment on something (clothing, jewelry, etc.), he had Joe go into his dressing room and pick out a suit to give to Jim. Jim DID NOT ask for one, the conversation lent itself to Elvis wanting to surprise Jim with what he thought was the ULTIMATE Elvis collectible -- the white nail studded suit. Jim was floored when Joe came out of the room with the suit on a hanger.He covered his face and started questioning Elvis' intentions and when Elvis took the suit from Joe and gave it to Jim - Jim cried and hugged Elvis, in sincere thanks.
So after all these years, yes the story changes little by little, but it seems by people who were jealous or disliked Jim. Jim never lied; never wanted to lie and despite sometimes looking foolish, he would stick to his story (the same one, over and over again). This man truly loved Elvis and would have given up his life for him (literally). When Jim passed away, the Elvis world lost a truly sincere fan who only wanted to share his collection with the world - so they too could see all the things that excited him.