Red West

Red West
Born
Robert Gene West

(1936-03-08)March 8, 1936
DiedJuly 18, 2017(2017-07-18) (aged 81)
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Alma materJones County Junior College
Occupation(s)Actor, stunt performer, songwriter, author
Years active1959–2015
Spouse
Pat Boyd
(m. 1961)
Children2
RelativesSonny West (cousin)

Robert Gene "Red" West (March 8, 1936 – July 18, 2017) was an American actor, film stuntman and songwriter.[1] He was known for being a close confidant and bodyguard for rock and roll singer Elvis Presley. Upon his firing, West co-wrote the controversial Elvis: What Happened?, a tell all book about Elvis co written with a Rupert Murdoch journalist; the book was published in May 1977 in UK and later in USA (just two weeks before Presley's August 1977 death).[a][2]

West was also known to American film audiences for his role as Red in Road House, alongside Patrick Swayze. West appeared to critical acclaim in the 2008 independent film Goodbye Solo as William.[3]

  1. ^ Daily Telegraph Issue no 50,439 dated Friday July 21, 2017- "Long-serving member of Elvis Presley's entourage who wrote a shocking exposé about his boss"
  2. ^ "Red West, Longtime Elvis Confidant, Dies at 81". Chicago Tribune. July 20, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2017.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Goodbye was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).