Our Friend Pete Smith has Died


By: David Troedson
Source: Jen & Sean
March 3, 2011

Sad news for us and those in the Elvis community that knew him, our friend Pete Smith who ran the website Apache Elvis for some years, going back to when many oif the Elvis websites started, has died.

I made the first website for Pete many years ago now, when that became to much to do, Pete designed his own site and although never completed I considered it to be of high quality. You can view it at the link above, we have preserved it on our servers after the Geocities hosting company announced they were closing down.

Pete's ex partner, Jen advised us in 2008 that he was seriously ill with a disease called PPA (Primary Progressive Aphasia) that affects speech and other parts of the brain. Pete had had to be put in a long term care facility. His nurse said one of the only things he talks about is Elvis, it's because he dedicated most of his life to making sure everyone remembered Elvis. Our sympathy is extended to both Jen and his youngest son, Dakota and Sean and Kelly Smith from his first marriage, both of whom have contacted us.

Kelly spent a lot of time with Pete his last week and she kept telling him 'I still have your Elvis things, I'm taking care of them for you' and it made his eyes open wide.

Pete: 'May God bless and keep you always...' (from Bob Dylan's Forever Young).

Jen, Dakota (Dakota who is 10 now) Sean and Kelly.

David Troedson / Elvis Australia

Pete, Jen and Dakota, Graceland Wall, 2002.

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