For a person who already deceased: Is or Was?

[ucul]

The person is already passed away, so which one is correct?

1. Elvis Presley was an avid badge collector.
2. Elvis Presley is an avid badge collector.

Simple but I found this tricky.

 

[emsr2d2]

After someone dies, you refer to facts about them in the past tense.

Elvis was a man.
Elvis was a singer.
Elvis was an avid badge collector.
Elvis wore some outlandish costumes.
Elvis ate too many hamburgers.

You will see things like "Elvis is still the most popular singer in the world" - it is the popularity which is referred to by the present tense and, in fact, the sentence should really be "Elvis Presley's songs are still the most popular songs in the world".