Elvis Presley was the undisputed king of rock 'n' roll. When he died, the whole world fell into hysteria, unable to come to terms with the death of his beloved musician. The death of Elvis Presley deeply shocked all fans. Some of them still believe that their beloved Elvis is alive. How did Elvis Presley die? What are the causes of Elvis' death? And why is there a rumor that Elvis didn't die at all? Here are the facts and myths about the death of Elvis Presley.
Elvis Presley's songs and his biography are known to most fans in the world. Everyone agrees that Presley was the undisputed star and king of rock'n'roll, and a great icon of pop culture. However, not everyone agrees on the death of the world's most famous singer. According to Presley's biography, the king of rock'n'roll died on the morning of August 16, 1977. Presley was to go on another tour, play the last concert in Portland (USA). However, the star died of a heart attack at the age of 42. Elvis' body was then found by his partner, Ginger Alden. Although the ambulance arrived very quickly, the musician could not be saved. The news of Presley's death then shocked not only the entire United States but the entire world.
The main cause of Elvis Presley's heart attack is his unhealthy lifestyle as well as drug problems. The singer began to consume a terrifying amount of them, struggling with various mental problems. He became addicted to prescription drugs. Once fit, Presley began to gain weight, leading to an increasingly disruptive lifestyle. He even went to the hospital, which put Elvis' local performances on hold for a while, as did his entire tour. The last two years of his life had the greatest impact on the musician's health. Presley then struggled with damage to the colon, liver, as well as high blood pressure and related heart problems. No wonder Elvis Presley had a heart attack. With such a lifestyle, it was not difficult to find him at all.
The loyal fans of Elvis Presley suffered the biggest breakdown. They flocked to around 80,000,000 as the musician was buried (August 18, 1973). Presley has buried near his parents' graves on the Graceland (Memphis - Tennessee) estate. The mourning of Elvis Presley never ceased, and Graceland has been one of Memphis' top tourist attractions to this day.
The death of Elvis Presley, like the death of Marilyn Monroe, sparked a storm of speculation. Nobody could believe and understand how it came to be that a man so young could die. However, Elvis Presley's death was influenced not only by eating disorders and problems with the singer's heart. Just like the death of Marilyn Monroe, the artist's death was also due to his numerous mental problems. Unfortunately, world fame and the inability to deal with it had a negative impact on Presley's health. So much so that the musician died.
At this point, it is worth going back to the words of the journalist Tony Scherman, who wrote about Presley in early 1977. Already then, he concluded that things were very bad with the rock'n'roll star. He wrote that Elvis did not have his old energy anymore and that the musician had gained a lot of weight. He wrote about the depletion of Presley's body due to his daily medications, as well as his extreme exhaustion during numerous appearances. The journalist was quite right in his words. Presley played, among others less than an hour in Alexandria (Louisiana), because he would not be able to stand on stage anymore. He did not appear in Baton Rouge at all. He had a problem getting out of bed. In Rapid City (Dakota), he was so furious that it was hard for him to say anything to his fans waiting in front of the stage.
Samuel Roy, a historian who studies Presley's career, stated that the singer "couldn't make any simple move." Peter Guralnick said that "Elvis was limited to living only in his room in Graceland." Billy Smith, who was the cousin of the king of rock'n'roll, confirmed Guralnick's words. He mentioned that Elvis spent hours in front of the TV screen, watching Monthy Python and his favorite concerts from the beginning of his career. Overnight, Presley fell into a mental trap - obsessed with himself.
Elvis's book: What Happened? the musician's bodyguards wrote to take revenge for his dismissal in 1976. Presley then declined to help them because he did not want security to block the musician's access to drug dealers. Elvis was addicted to drugs, so he needed drugs every day. However, security beat all the smugglers who wanted to supply the king of rock'n'roll with drugs (mainly Demerol). The book three bodyguards were released on August 5, 1977. It was the first official publication on the supposed "real" life of Elvis Presley, focusing on a musician's drug use.
Of course, Elvis Presley suffered a lot after the book was published. It ruined his self-esteem and security and damaged his mental endurance. At all costs, Presley wanted to whiten his résumé and focus on making Elvis Presley's songs leading the way in his career - not "drug adventures". The musician wanted to stop the production of the book, trying to bribe more publications. Unfortunately, to no avail. The stage of halting the production of the infamous book was accompanied by Presley's elevated blood pressure, damage to the liver and colon, and glaucoma. Daily drug abuse was becoming more and more apparent. This is what determined the later fate of the most famous musician of all time.
Priscilla Presley, who was Elvis' wife and is now the mother of his only child (Lisa Marie Presley), decided to refer to the most bothering topic for fans during the promotion of the latest tour with the songs of her deceased husband - the death of Elvis Presley. Priscilla emphasizes to this day that they maintained friendly relations with her husband - until his death. From many statements of the former wife of Presley, it can be concluded that Elvis was repeatedly reminded by the people around him to lead an unhealthy lifestyle. Many people told him that he was doing wrong - but the musician did not react at all. The information is also confirmed that despite damage to the liver, colon, glaucoma, and hypertension, Elvis Presley continued to take drugs. The ex-wife claims that the musician deliberately - aware of his health problems - used drugs. He wanted to commit suicide this way.
To this day, faithful fans of Elvis Presley are wondering whether the beloved idol actually committed suicide. Those who do not believe in the death of their musical guru say Elvis is still alive. They attribute this statement to Presley's alleged flight after the scandal that erupted with the publication of the book Elvis: What Happened? According to fans, the drug problems publicized worldwide have set Presley into a panic. He wanted to get away from the media and completely exclude himself from public life. Fans, therefore, claim to this day that Elvis Presley faked his own death in order to cut himself off from everything and everyone. Elvis' letters to his friend Joe Esposito add even more spice to alleged fan theories. The king of rock'n'roll wrote in them that he is tired of life and diseases, so he needs to rest for a long time.
What other myths about Presley's death? Elvis' fans were not allowed to attend the official funeral, so no one saw the body at the time of the funeral. And the biographers who searched all the musician's belongings at home did not find those most important to him. It was also said that Elvis Presley was last seen in Memphis. He was supposed to use a different name (Burroughs) and fly to Argentina as a crown witness. It is said that Elvis was a US federal agent and was collecting information about the drug mafia - however, something went wrong and he had to disappear quickly. Perhaps this explains why the documents proving the musician's death are secret, and why no one has seen the post-mortem photos of Elvis Presley's body?
For some fans, Elvis Presley's letters are a clear indication that the musician is hiding somewhere and still alive. For others, Elvis Presley's notes clearly show that the king is planning suicide. How was it really? Was Elvis Presley's death the result of a drug overdose and a weak heart that failed to cope with the disease? Or maybe the musician committed suicide on purpose, failing to cope with the publication of a slanderous book? Unless Elvis Presley is actually alive? We will probably never know this again in our lives. The only thing left to speculate and hope is that where Elvis Presley is currently staying, the king is finally happy.
Bibliography:
- Leszek C. Strzeszewski: Elvis, Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne, Warsaw 1986
- Mariusz Ogiegło: Elvis. The man you will never forget, Wydawnictwo Kaligrafia, Warsaw 2016
- Jerry Hopkins: Elvis. Król Rock'n'Rolla, Lower Silesian Publishing House, Warsaw 2013
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