The Loss Of A King
Elvis Presley was the beloved, yet troubled, "King of Rock And Roll"—and his unbelievably tragic end has become a major part of his complicated legacy.
The Beginning Of The End
To understand Elvis's dark fate, we must first look at his devastating final years. Following his divorce from his wife Priscilla in 1973, his health began to deteriorate at a shocking pace—and those closest to him had to watch in horror as the king crumbled before their very eyes.
George R. Fry, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
He Was In A Coma For Three Days
The end of 1973 was a doozy for Elvis. Not only did he overdose twice, but the first incident sent him into a very scary coma. For three days, he lay in his hotel suite, unresponsive. But when it came to his spiraling addictions, this was only scratching the surface.
Hospitalized For Addiction
The very same year, Elvis wound up in the hospital due to his pethidine addiction. His primary doctor, George C Nichopoulos, later shared that the singer "felt that by getting drugs from a doctor, he wasn't the common everyday junkie getting something off the street".
The Most Brutal Schedule Of His Life
As his body began protesting in earnest, Elvis continued to push through the most intensive tour schedule of his life. He had 168 concerts lined up for 1973. However, when 1974 rolled around, he didn't stop. Nope. He just signed up for round two.
Elvis Presley's fellow musicians began to eye him with a deepening sense of worry.
His Fellow Musicians Saw Him At His Worst
Tony Brown, who played the keyboard, vividly remembered one concert at the University of Maryland: "He fell out of the limousine, to his knees. People jumped to help, and he pushed them away like, 'Don't help me.' He walked on stage and held onto the mic for the first 30 minutes like it was a post. Everybody's looking at each other like, 'Is the tour gonna happen'?"
But he wasn't the only one to witness this tragedy in real time.
His Condition Was Heartbreaking
Elvis's guitarist John Wilkinson was so devastated by Presley's worsening condition, he began weeping: "He was all gut. He was slurring. ... It was obvious there was something terribly wrong with his body. It was so bad the words to the songs were barely intelligible. ... I remember crying. He could barely get through the introductions".
He Stopped Making Official Recordings
It wasn't long before Elvis's recording studio began to realize that their major star's enthusiasm for making music had dwindled. The next few years would see RCA trying in vain to coax Elvis into producing another album—and it was an utterly depressing endeavor.
The Music Began To Fade Out Of Him
In 1974, Elvis didn't make a single recording in the studio. Instead, RCA put out a concert record, which was recorded live. By 1976, they had grown so desperate, they even provided him with a mobile recording unit.
Though he used this in the comfort of his Graceland home, it became shockingly clear that making music had become extremely difficult for him.
Jan Kronsell, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
He Couldn't Remember They Lyrics
On stage, Elvis started to become unrecognizable. In 1977—his final year—he reached a horrifying low point. His once energetic and entertaining performances had devolved into verifiable train wrecks. He was barely getting through the songs and even had trouble remembering the lyrics.
But this was much worse than just a bad string of shows—this was a deeply sad situation.
He Was A Completely Different Person
A journalist named Tony Scherman summed up Elvis's unraveling in a disturbing way: "Presley had become a grotesque caricature of his sleek, energetic former self. Grossly overweight, his mind dulled by the pharmacopia he daily ingested, he was barely able to pull himself through his abbreviated concerts".
It wasn't long before Elvis's health prevented him from even making it to his shows.
He Began Missing Shows
Though Elvis miraculously made it to most of his shows, there were a handful that he missed. On one occasion, he just couldn't get out of bed, causing him to cancel his show in Baton Rouge—and a total of four rescheduled performances.
He Withdrew Into Himself
Though fans began voicing their dissatisfaction and dismay over Elvis's poor performances, their complaints fell on deaf ears. The singer began withdrawing like never before, his life now confined to the four walls of his room and his books.
This all led to his very last concert on June 26, 1977.
Terry Waggoner, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
He Almost Went On Another Tour
About a month and a half later, on August 16, Elvis was gearing up for yet another tour, and had plans to catch a plane to Portland, Maine—but tragically, he never made his flight.
Alex Boykov, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
He Said One Last Goodnight
At around 4 am on that fateful day, Elvis had one last interaction with his daughter Lisa Marie. According to her, he told her to "Go to bed," gave her a tender kiss goodnight, and then walked away. She later confessed, "That was the last time I saw him alive".
His Fiancée Found His Body
That same afternoon, Elvis's 21-year-old fiancée Ginger Alden made an unbelievable discovery at the Graceland mansion. She found the singer's body in the bathroom. Alden later wrote a memoir and described the horror of that moment.
He Was Unresponsive
Alden wrote, “His arms lay on the ground, close to his sides, palms facing upward. It was clear that, from the moment he landed on the floor, Elvis hadn't moved. I gently turned his face toward me. A hint of air expelled from his nose. The tip of his tongue was clenched between his teeth and his face was blotchy. I gently raised one eyelid. His eye was staring straight ahead and blood red".
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
She Didn't Know What Was Going On
Lisa Marie was only nine years old on that awful day—and though she knew "something was wrong," she didn't quite understand what was going on at first. After the discovery of Elvis's body, Graceland had suddenly become a place of utter chaos.
David French, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
A Tragic End
Though Elvis was taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital, the difficult truth was all too clear. At 3:30 pm, 42-year-old Elvis Presley was officially pronounced dead. However, in the wake of his passing, new dramas bubbled to the surface.
Nick8282, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
The President Recognized His Importance
One thing was for sure: Fans still adored Elvis Presley. When he passed, even the president had something to say about it. Jimmy Carter released a statement about how the singer "permanently changed the face of American popular culture". And that wasn't all.
Ansel Adams, CC0, Wikimedia Commons
His Body Attracted Thousands
Thousands of people descended on Elvis's Graceland residence to pay their respects or perhaps catch a glimpse of him lying in his open casket. It seemed that, no matter what, everyone would want a piece of him.
Mogens Engelund, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
His Cousin Sold An Infamous Photo
Unfortunately, one of Elvis's cousins had dollar signs in the back of his mind. He had no problem sneaking a photo of Elvis's body and selling it for $18,000. This infamous photo would be plastered on the front of the National Enquirer. Unsurprisingly, that particular issue became a best-seller.
His Fans Paid The Price
In a chilling twist, Elvis's funeral only led to more tragedy. During the ceremony, a rogue driver targeted a group of fans outside the Graceland gates, resulting in the loss of two women and severely injuring another.
Cybjorg, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
He Lay Next To His Mother
The processional route leading to Elvis's final resting place in Forest Hill Cemetary was absolutely packed with fans—80,000 of them. Placed next to his beloved mother, the dirt piled upon his casket seemed to signal the end of the singer's storied life.
But in many ways, closing the lid only opened a can of worms.
Michael Lazarev (Asmadeus), CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Waiting On The Autopsy
The very day Presley passed, an autopsy was performed. But the news that first reached the ears of the public may not have been entirely accurate. According to the Memphis medical examiner Jerry Francisco, Elvis had suffered a heart attack. He also insisted that substance use was not a factor. But was this actually true?
Some Suspected A Cover-Up
You see, Francisco had run his mouth before the autopsy was even over and before the toxicology results came through. Therefore, it's no wonder that some suspected that the explanation for Elvis's passing was a cover-up.
His Substance Use May Have Been A Factor
Speculation surrounding the actual cause of Elvis's demise has run rampant for decades. The singer's biographer, Peter Guralnick, posited that substances might have played a major role in the singer's passing. After all, 14 different substances had been found in Elvis's system.
His Doctor Enabled Him
It later came out that his main physician had been overprescribing his medication. In Elvis's final year, he had procured over 10,000 doses of prescriptions from George C Nichopoulos, who eventually had his license revoked.
However, there were many other factors to consider.
He Had An Enlarged Heart
Pathologist Michael Baden has also weighed in on Elvis's demise, saying, "Elvis had an enlarged heart for a long time. That, together with his drug habit, caused his death. But he was difficult to diagnose; it was a judgment call".
He Shocked The Pathologists
Though the official cause of Elvis's demise was cardiac arrest, one of the pathologists who worked on his autopsy, E Eric Muirhead, was absolutely shocked by the insides of Elvis's body.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
He Had A Variety Of Ailments
You see, Elvis's overall health had been shockingly bad. He suffered from constipation, diabetes, and glaucoma. Muirhead also observed that Elvis's long history of substance use had taken a mighty toll on his body. According to his hospital records, he'd had treatment for his addictions in the past.
Rossano aka Bud Care, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
He Had A Megacolon
Other health problems Elvis encountered during his lifetime were hypertension, as well as something called a megacolon—and upon his passing, the contents of his bowel were truly alarming.
He Had A Massive Stool
You see, Elvis had an unfortunate diet that included a lot of high-fat foods, and this eventually led to his issues with chronic constipation. His autopsy showed that his bowel contained a compacted stool—one that had been languishing inside him for four months.
The Consequences Of Constipation
According to one 2018 PBS report, Elvis may have been "straining very hard to have a bowel movement—a maneuver that put a great amount of pressure on his heart and aorta".
The Conspiracy Theories Live On
On top of all the conversations revolving around the cause of Elvis's demise, some have even argued that the rock star didn't meet his end in 1977. Some allege that he faked his death so that he could lead the rest of his life in peace.
Never Forgotten
These believers argue that there was actually a wax dummy in the place of his body, and that his death certificate had some glaring errors. But perhaps these avid fans just wish Elvis was still around.
To this day, people still travel to Graceland on the anniversary of his passing.
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