Robert Trentacarlini

Trent was born in Chicago, Illinois but at the age of 9, his family moved to Porto San Giorgio Italy. His passion for music started at 5 years old when he heard an Elvis song for the first time. The first song he sang was "Proud Mary, " -- with a Korean accent, no less, thanks to the Korean neighbor who taught him the song when he moved to Ft. Lauderdale. It wasn't long after that Carlini and his two sisters, Lori and Laura, won a talent show in Florida, and started singing as "The Miami Brothers." When Carlini was 14, the family moved to Italy, and there he stayed until he was 25. "I completely developed myself musically in Europe," he once said. And as an expatriate longing for Yankee shores, Carlini found in Elvis his best link to home. "Every kid has an idol he looks up to, mine was Elvis"

He started his career in Europe in a rockabilly band. He had his first hit in 1985 with a group named Mikron but the touring, with a new club every night, wore him out. He wound up with a punctured lung, which he attributes to sheer exhaustion. Recovering gave him time to think, and he moved back to America in 1989, first to Miami, and then, after playing too many Bar Mitzvahs, he moved to Chicago where he thought the music scene might be more to his liking, "I always felt I would go to bigger places. People would never listen to me when I said "if we're going to do Elvis, we have to do it right." They laughed at me, he said. "I didn't want to just caricature Elvis, I wanted to perfect the musical craft, to get into his groove. It's like I could feel the music the way he felt it. I cared about it. I didn't want just anybody to do it."

In 1990, he got married to his first wife and moved to Las Vegas where he had his three girls, it was then that he started his tribute to Elvis with Legends in Concert at the Imperial Palace for almost five years. In 1995 he created RTC Enterprises and The Dream King was born, a unique show that transported you through the entire Elvis spectrum covering Elvis' extraordinary career from the beginning to almost the end. His portrayal of the 1968 Comback Elvis is, hands down, the most realistic portrayal of the "King" in all his glory.

He was very lucky to work with Colonel Tom Parker, Joe Esposito and many others that had the privilege to work with Elvis. He performed on the first Elvis tribute in Tupolo, Missisippi where he was given the key of the city.

According to Joe Esposito, the real Elvis' right-hand man for 17 years, a man who, until Carlini came along, refused to look at any sort of Elvis impersonator. " At certain times on stage, it's scary. He can tilt his head down, he looks up with his eyes, you think it's Elvis." he said after seeing Trent. Over the years he also performed at Shimmer Cabaret at Las Vegas Hilton (later LVH), "I was honored by the Hilton to be able to go on that stage and perform as the first Elvis performer ever to be able to use his dressing room and perform in the same place he did." He also performed at the Boardwalk, the Riviera, the Sahara, the Steve Wyrick Theater (now Saxe Theater) at Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, and Hooters, where his stage show "The King" closed in January 2017. He is known as one of the best ETA's to ever grace the tribute artist industry.

He was not an Elvis impersonator, he was, as he said, "a Presleyan artist.', a tribute artist, an Elvis stylist " I didn't want to impersonate him. I wanted to do his music and still be myself. In 2005 he remarried and had his only son, it was then that he decided to take his show The Dream King on the road.

Trent has won many contests, in 1997 at an international competition in Montreal, judged by a cadre of Elvis intimates, Carlini got perfect scores across the board and walked home with the $10,000 prize and the title of "Best Elvis Entertainer in the World." In 2007 while headlining at the Sahara Casino, he won the ABC contest "The Next Best Things" which featured ensemble tribute artist across the country viewed by over 5 million people winning $100,000. Carlini has won many Elvis competitions since he first buckled up a sequined jumpsuit in 1989. But this was his first time to take on other types of impersonators and the biggest achievement in his career" as far as the media and money is concerned," he had said. Trent has appeared on many television shows, including "Entertainment Tonight', "NBC Nightline", "and Late Night with David Letterman", "The Oprah Winfrey Show", Leeza", "ABC Primetime Live," "The Vicki Lawrence Show and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno". He has also appeared on the Miss Universe Pageant, the National Arthritis Telethon, and The Nashville Network. He has been featured in numerous worldwide publications, among them the National Examiner and Matissimo, Europe's number-one fan magazine, as well as appearing on the cover of Cobietta, Poland's top-selling women's magazine.

Trent was a loving father to his four children. He was brilliant with his music, he played many instruments but his best instrument was his voice. He was creative, talented, had a unique sense of humor, loving compassionate and a kid at heart.

In the words of his kids: Our dad was a true artist, a star, a one of kind, a mad hatter with a heart of gold! There was no one like my dad. He loved us with his whole heart, protecting us from all harm. He always spoke his mind and always spoke the truth. Lifting up and telling us, 'no dream was impossible to achieve'. He never took "no" for an answer and always did it "his way", even till the very end. He was funny and witty. He was loving and caring, unpredictable and very talented. Our biggest lesson was to follow our dreams, family come first, love deeply and unconditionally.

Always making my sisters and brother laugh. He made an adventure out of everything, even going to the grocery store! We will miss our conversations and how he always made sure we were happy. Nothing else mattered to him, his kids were his number 1! We will miss him so much but most of all we will miss his hugs. He was our superhero and he always be! "We will miss you terribly daddy but we know you are with us always"

Trent Carlini is survived by his daughters Thalia, Isabella, and Sophia Trentacarlini (Claudia Noriega-Bernstein) and his son Gabriel (Amanda Duarte-Trentacarlini), his father Lorenzo T. Carlini, his sisters Laura Trentcarlini (Laura Migliorini), and Lori Trentacarlini (Sergio DeCarolis) his brother Michael Carlini, his niece Ilaria DeCarolis. He was preceded in death by his mother whom he adored Aloisia Sfasciapagliari.

"It's not really about how many changes you can make, and it's really, really not about how many eras you can perform; it's about when you open your mouth. I just open my mouth and God does the rest." he has said, "I'm just going let God be the one to cut me off."

Trent's family would like to thank all his fans and friends for the overwhelming love and support they are receiving at this difficult time. No funeral services will be held as it was Trent's wish that he be cremated and buried with his mother in Italy. Details of a tribute being held for him on January 8th, 2020 is pending and will be announced on his Facebook page.