Former Siegfried & Roy publicist Frank Lieberman, one of Elvis Presley's closest newspaper pals during the singer's Las Vegas comeback years, died Saturday at Summerlin Hospital.
Lieberman, who had been in declining health in recent years, was 68.
His son, Adam, said his father broke a shoulder during a fall on Tuesday, a setback that may have been too much for his weakened heart.
"His heart has been working at 40 percent," Lieberman's son said. "Doctors felt after he started dialysis that he had six months to live. That was 2½ years ago."
Lieberman, who was 14 when his family moved from New York City to Los Angeles, worked as a sportswriter on the Lakers beat for a Los Angeles area newspaper before joining the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner to cover the entertainment beat.
Elvis liked Lieberman's review of his show at the Las Vegas Hilton and sent Joe Esposito out one night to fetch the journalist. Elvis thanked him and agreed to a rare one-on-one interview.
One night in Elvis' suite, Elvis asked Lieberman why he wasn't wearing his TCB (Taking Care of Business) necklace, which was reserved for Elvis' inner circle. Lieberman said he didn't have one.
Elvis presented one to Lieberman and a TLC (Tender Loving Care) bracelet to Lieberman's future wife, Karen. The Liebermans wore the mementos the day they got married in 1972, Karen Lieberman said.
"One night in the restroom at the Hilton a man saw the necklace on Frank and offered him $10,000," Karen Lieberman said. No way, her husband said.
Funeral services are set for 1 p.m. Tuesday at Eden Cemetery in Mission Hills, a Los Angeles suburb. An entertainment columnist for The Israelite in recent years, he will be buried in the New York Yankees jacket he wore to most functions.