There is so much danger that comes with being a celebrity. Not only have some of the biggest movie scenes in history required shots that almost killed the stars involved, but sometimes celebrities simply attract the fanatical attention of people who would do them harm.

As with fellow musical heavyweights such as Mick Jagger and Bob Marley, there was an “attempt” on Elvis Presley’s life, too. It is an astonishing story featuring the most unlikely of would-be assailants.

Elvis spent his entire music career in the public eye. He surely learned early on about the dangers to him but would not bow to fears and threats. In fact, as the Express reports, he once performed in Las Vegas with a gun in his waistband (he had an extensive collection of firearms and was a huge enthusiast) after a series of telephone calls hinting at a potential kidnapping or murder plot.

“If anyone fired at him, he intended to shoot back and, in the event that he was killed, he had ordered his bodyguards to shoot the assassin before the police moved in. ‘I don’t want anyone to become famous for shooting Elvis Presley,’ he said,” stated author and celebrity biographer Chris Hutchins.

Alice Cooper: Worst. Assassin. Ever

Shutterstock