Ronnie Tutt, the drummer who backed Elvis Presley from 1969 until his death eight years later, has died aged 83.

Elvis Presley Enterprises broke the news on its website on Saturday, saying it was "deeply saddened".

He joined the King of Rock 'n' Roll for his 1969 Taking Care of Business (TCB) tour with guitarist James Burton and other musicians to perform with Elvis at his famous Las Vegas opening.

In a 2016 interview with an Elvis fan club in Australia, Tutt admitted that he was "never really a big fan" of the star until he met him at an audition for that tour.

All of us with Elvis Presley Enterprises were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Ronnie Tutt.

Saddened to learn about the passing of Ronnie Tutt yesterday 10/16/2021.

Ronnie played drums for Elvis as part of the TCB Band from 1969 until 1977.

Ronnie Tutt was also the drummer for Roy Orbison’s “Black and White Night” concert.

So sad to hear that the great Ronnie Tutt has died.

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