Dick Grob who was Elvis Presley's head of security between 1969 and 1977. He is at the Vauxhall Holiday Park, Great Yarmouth for the Elvis Convention. Picture: James Bass

He was the king of rock and roll- an icon who sent the world into mourning when news broke of his untimely death.

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But for Dick Grob, Elvis Presley was also a man he called a ‘close friend’ after the years he spent protecting him as his chief of security.

And today, the 72-year-old American unveiled the stories of his close encounters with the star, as part of the 31st Elvis festival held at the Vauxhall Holiday Camp in Great Yarmouth.

Speaking ahead of his evening presentation, Mr Grob told of the lengths fans would go to in order to gain a few precious moments with ‘the king’.

“Some of the things the fans did were very unusual,” he said. 
“We had two girls who travelled to Memphis and squeezed themselves into a crate, which was then delivered to Graceland.

“And on another occasion, we were in a hotel waiting to leave when we heard this knock on the door. When we opened it there was a girl standing with a tray holding four bottles of coke and six glasses.

“I remember I was looking for the bill to sign, but there wasn’t one. It was then we realised she was a fan pretending to be staff, and she had managed to dodge past the hotel security and get up to the room.

“Well, Elvis was so impressed by this that he gave her his autograph and a scarf.”

Mr Grob, who now lives in Las Vegas, was Elvis Presley’s chief of security for more than 10 years before the singer’s death in 1977.

During his tenure, he travelled everywhere with the star in order to secure his aeroplanes, make sure his concerts ran smoothly, and he even escorted his daughter, Lisa Marie Presely, to and from locations.

But despite his professional ties to the singer, he was also proud to call him a friend.

He continued: “We would talk about anything together. Elvis was even a guest at my wedding.

“I remember my son was sick on one occasion and Elvis was the one who called the doctor to treat him.

“But I never made the mistake of telling him how to sing. He heard me singing and made me promise to never do it on stage. I said that was fine as long as he never screwed with the security - and he never went against me.”