| March 3, 2006 Dear Friends and Elvis Fans, God bless you in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ. It is with deep regret I must inform you that Mr. Charlie Hodge passed away this evening at 6:00 P.M. Charlie worked with Elvis for over 17 years but more importantly he was Elvis' friend. I have had the blessing of working with Charlie for almost 9 years and he was a wonderful man. Those of us who worked with Charlie loved him very much and he will be sorely missed. Being around him was a treat. First he was a great talent in his own right. His background was in Gospel music, which he was involved in before he started working with Elvis. Charlie had so much to share and to give and he was ready to help all of us "kids" out. As an Elvis fan it was awesome to me to be around Charlie also because he was so close to Elvis and had such a great insight into Elvis. When you spent time with Charlie, you felt you spent some time with Charlie and Elvis. Charlie taught me so much over the years about entertaining and about how to put a show together. I owe so much to him, but I would also like to think that we were friends. Not like he and Elvis were friends. Not even close. But I am so thankful he put up with a little "snot nosed kid" like me. We had fun on and off stage and it is a time I will cherish. I had the privilege of performing over 1700 shows with Charlie and it will never be the same with out him. I must tell you that his wife Jennifer was a God send. She took care of Charlie till the very end. When he had a heart attack she was at his side ever step, taking care of him as well as when he had recently fallen sick. She truly loved him and I'm sure she is going through a lot right now. I know she can use your prayers and support. Thank you for taking the time to read this and those of you who have had the chance to read his book or watch his video know a little bit about Charlie. He was a wonderful man and with his passing there is a big void in my heart. Thank you for taking the time to read this. God bless you! Lou |
 |
 |