In the last months of his life, Elvis’s health deteriorated greatly. For a long time he struggled with various ailments such as insomnia, overweight, hypertension, and drug addiction. At some point, it was no longer possible to determine which was the cause and which was the effect. Taking psychoactive substances for years caused havoc in the singer’s body. He had a damaged liver and large intestine. Despite this, his death on August 16, 1977 came as a surprise to everyone. However, not everyone believes that the cause of death of the 42-year-old was cardiac arrest.
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His addiction developed as quickly as his career. It started with sleeping pills
Elvis became famous in 1954, when he started working with Sam Phillips, the owner of the Sun Records music label. Two years later, he also made his acting debut in the movie Love Me Tender. Unfortunately, sleep problems soon began, and with them excessive use of sleeping pills, to which the musician quickly became addicted. During his military service in 1958, he also began taking dexedrine. It is twice as potent as amphetamine. After it, he worked at top speed, and at the same time he was destroying his body from the inside.
Elvis became more and more popular, tickets for him were sold in thousands, fans went crazy for him, and in the meantime he appeared in more films. Such a lifestyle meant that Presley began to take even more drugs, this time stimulating, but also painkillers and antidepressants. This greatly affected his health. In the summer of 1975, after three days of performances, he was forced to cancel the remaining shows in Las Vegas. Fatigue, high blood pressure, glaucoma, damaged liver and large intestine were just the tip of the iceberg.
The last moments of Elvis Presley’s life. He was scheduled to go on tour the next day
On August 15, 1977, the musician was in Graceland, his Memphis estate. He enjoyed the last moments spent with his daughter Lisa. The 9-year-old spent part of the summer with her father, and the next day she was to return to her mother in Los Angeles. was about to embark on a US tour.
He got up around 4:00 pm and, after eating breakfast, played with his daughter in the garden. At 10:30 p.m., he went to the dentist to get two porcelain fillings. Due to his generosity, the dentist saw him at all hours. Once the doctor even got a Cadillac from Presley. When the singer got home at 1:30, he decided to exercise on a stationary bike. He wanted to lose weight, because at that time it was 110 kg. He didn’t go to bed until around 4:00 am with Ginger Alden, a model 21 years his junior with whom he had been dating for several months.
By the way, it is also worth mentioning that some researchers of Elvis’ history mention his disturbing interest in young women or even girls. Joel Williamson, the author of the book “Elvis Presley: A Southern Life”, wrote, among other things, that the singer was allegedly accompanied on tours by underage girls whom he hugged and kissed. The author also suggests that Elvis was obsessed with virginity. Of course, not yours.
Back to the last day of his life. However, the couple would argue about the upcoming tour of the 42-year-old. Alden wanted to stay in Memphis, and Elvis was to insist that she go with him. Eventually, the model fell asleep, and Presley began reading a book. The woman woke up at 9 am to find her lover in the same position. Elvis replied that he couldn’t sleep and went to the bathroom. Ginger went back to sleep and didn’t wake up until around 1pm. When she saw that the music wasn’t in the bed and the light in the bathroom was still on, she went to see what had happened.
As she opened the door, she saw Elvis lying face down in vomit. Frightened, she immediately alerted the household who tried to resuscitate him. Everything was watched by 9-year-old Lisa. Presley was rushed to Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis but unfortunately could not be saved. The king of rock and roll died on August 16, 1977.
A pathologist called Elvis Presley a “walking drugstore.” The musician took about 25 pills a day
The official cause of death of the musician was a heart disorder. All the men in Presley’s family were said to have weak hearts and . Studies have shown as many as 9 different substances in Elvis’ body. Among them was codeine, methaqualone or barbiturates. It turned out that the singer’s personal doctor, Dr. Nick, or George Nichopoulos, had prescribed more than 5,000 pills to the 42-year-old in the last seven months – so Presley took about 25 a day. Back then, medical pathologist Ciril Wecht described Elvis as a “walking pharmacy”.
Elvis Presley and Richard Nixon photo: Ollie Atkins, official White House photographer, Public Domain,
Later studies also showed that the musician’s heart was hypertrophied almost twice, which could indicate a thickening of the heart muscle. These, in turn, may lead to impaired diastolic function of the thickened ventricle and, consequently, to heart failure. Dr. Nick was accused of writing Presley inappropriate prescriptions. The trials dragged on for years, but in 1995 his license was finally revoked.
How did Elvis Presley die? There have been many conspiracy theories over the years
Shortly after the information about the death of the musician was passed on to the media and fans, the first conspiracy theories about the causes of Elvis’ death began to emerge. The tabloid The National Enquirer claimed that Presley was murdered by a personal doctor. According to an anonymous informant, Dr. Nick specially prescribed highly addictive drugs to the king of rock and roll because he had had enough of it. People magazine quoted Priscilla Presley and reported that Elvis had committed suicide.
There are also more elaborate theories. Another one claims that the singer was a secret US federal agent. He was gathering information about the mafia and was exposed, so the FBI helped him disappear. He received the status of a crown witness and flew to Argentina under the name of Burroughs. There are also many fans of the musician convinced that Presley starred in the Christmas hit “Home Alone”. We are talking about the scene when Catherine O’Hara, who plays the role of Kate McCallister, is at the airport trying to get tickets for a return flight to Chicago.
Finally, one of the most famous versions cannot be omitted, namely that … Elvis is alive! Tired of life and illness, the singer just wanted to rest and disappear from public life.
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Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
