But for Tennant, that wasn't enough to explain the long list of maladies that afflicted the rock star from the late 1960s onwards. His then-fiance Ginger Alden found Presleylying unconscious on the floor of the master suite bathroom, according to PBS. He was later pronounced dead at Baptist Memorial Hospital. He did start abusing drugs including amphetamines, opioids and sedatives as a teenager and is known to have had an appalling diet. At 8:00 pm, Dr. Francisco, who only witnessed the autopsy, acted without the consent or agreement of the other two pathologists in announcing to the press that preliminary autopsy findings indicated that Elviss death was due to a cardiac arrhythmia and that drugs were not involved. "Not getting to know them well, shortly after Elvis passed away, I was extremely disappointed to see the character of some that Elvis had around him," she said in a 2019 interview with Elvis' Australian fan club while promoting her book Elvis and Ginger: Elvis Presley's Fiance and Last Love Finally Tells Her Story. And they did not like that. And that's something that people who have wealth or fame have difficulty getting into.". All rights reserved. To this day, conflicting speculationssurroundElvis' death. People there in the inner group did but you did not tell Elvis what to do. The maids were like family. Three of the Mafia members, David Hebler, Robert "Red" West, and Robert's cousin Sonny West, had acted as Elvis' bodyguards for much of his career. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. He wanted a companion, but it was difficult for someone of his stature.. He also worked really hard to hide it. According to Elvis' longtime friend and hairdresser Larry Geller, the star was ready to turn his life around in the months leading up to his passing at age 42 in August 1977. This statement was subsequently demonstrated not to be the case. He . One of the first responders who arrived at Graceland after the emergency call on the day Elvis died and helped carry him to the ambulance was quoted in the book "Elvis Presley: A Southern Life" saying he "must have weighed 250 pounds," according to Salon. As the King of Rock 'n'Roll, Elvis was idolized, but later mocked after displaying health problems. She has a new book about the King coming out in September. In a toxicology report, weeks after his death, Elvis' blood was found to have had extremely high levels of the opiates Dilaudid, Percodan, Demerol and codeine, as well as Quaaludes. Elvis actually died a death that is quite common, albeit an embarrassing one. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. The colon is the longest part of the large intestine and when blocked causes a megacolon. "When he played Vegas, he played two shows a day for 30 days thats 60 shows. They were all connected. If you get a severe case like Elvis Presley, your life is going to be very miserable, and you're going to die young unless you get vigorous treatments.. "He was not only my patient, but a good friend," Henley later wrote in a book,via Express. When it comes to public figures and mental health, Manly notes that it is often difficult for those constantly in the spotlight to seek help. Kirk first met Presley in 1968 when she treated him at a Memphis medical clinic for saddle sores, Closer Weekly reported. The book alleges that during the second show of that fourth tour, Presley, who was semiconscious, had his head dunked in a bucket of ice water. While this is a cruel and derogatory way to describe someone dealing with personal health problems, it's undeniable that Elvis' eating and weight issues colored his last year on Earth. Kirk, her husband and their daughters soon found themselves living in Graceland. While he was also taking many dangerous pharmaceuticals throughout his life, it was the heart disease caused by his bad diet that ultimately killed him. Elvis Presley in concert circa 1977. (The doctor said they were for Presley's entourage as well.) https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/elvis-addiction-was-the-perfect-prescription-for-an-early-death. Most worrisome to his record label, RCA, was that the King had become entirely uninterested in going into the studio and recording. Elvis' downward spiral of health struggles is intertwined with his life story, and for the first time, it is revealed that he suffered from disease in nine of eleven bodily systems. The gang held various roles, from sounding boards for Presley's personal problems to helping him wade through crowds of rabid fans. He would have pulled up his pajama bottoms and crawled to the door to seek help. As early as 1973, the year he divorced his first wife Priscilla, his health was already failing. Hoedel claimed that those who knew Presley were worried about how much physical anguish and stress he was enduring to keep up with a non-stop schedule. But according to the book The Mysteries Surrounding the Death of Elvis Presley, even worse was in Baton Rouge, where Elvis had to cancel a show because he couldn't make it out of his hotel bed in order to get to the venue. "made with a jars worth of blueberry jam, a jars worth of peanut butter and an entire pound of bacon,", born inTupelo,Mississippi, on Jan.8, 1935, he placed fifth inthe 1945 Mississippi-Alabama Fair and Dairy Show for a solo performance without musical accompaniment, How 'Elvis' highlights his complicated history with Black music, 45 Elvis events in the 45 years since the death of the King, We're here to help with life's everyday questions, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. He would also often say "God, I hurt all over." Elvis. More: Austin Butler's 'Elvis' acting lessons began when Tom Hanks delivered a typewriter to his door. After the final recording session in October of '76, RCA set to work cobbling the tracks together into what would be Elvis' final records a fact none of them knew, but which the pained music seems to foreshadow in hindsight. He was terribly ill, and he died accidentally in some ways with a dentist giving him codeine for his bad tooth, and his bad teeth were also part of the same disease that gave him a bad colon and a bad eye and a bad liver. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Atherosclerosis is a condition where arteries become clogged with fatty substances. His medicine chest was filled with amber-colored, white-topped vials of medications, in doses no responsible doctor would have prescribed. Todays tears belong to musical monarch Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, who died Thursday at age 76 of pancreatic cancer. His eye was staring straight ahead and blood red.". Dr. Howard Markel writes a monthly column for the PBS NewsHour, highlighting momentous historical events that continue to shape modern medicine. It takes hours to die from drugs.". "3rd Hour" co-host Sheinelle Jones, who was filling in for . Elvis Presley's Health and Legacy. And I believe the explanation in this book is as close as well get to fully understand what was going on in his life and what led to his death.". Here is what you need to know about Elvis' death, declining health and other aspects of his life. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images), The fifth tour of the year, comprised of 10 cities, 10 shows in 10 days, began on June 17 and ended on June 26. ", What The Final 12 Months Of Elvis' Life Were Like, a 2019 interview with Elvis' Australian fan club. The music icon passed away nearly 43 years ago, on Aug. 16, 1977, at age 42 from a heart attack, which. You can unsubscribe at any time. It's more difficult to project onto that person that idealof perfection.". Copyright 2023 Pain News Network / Terms of Use / Privacy Policy / Advertising / Surveys / Donors. During many shows, the audience wouldn't be able to understand what he was saying, and he would often leave the stage early, unable to continue. More info. Elvis approved of the idea, and the label sent a studio truck to his home. Elvis did indeed suffer from heart problems aggravated by an excessive use of drugs, but Tennant believes the ultimate cause of his death was a connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), a major cause of intractable pain and other chronic health problems. They finally had to give him medication just so he could sleep. With aging, drugs, a hefty and unhealthy diet, and a hard lifestyle, health issues increase, which resulted in Elvis's death on a toilet. The moment came toward the end of the night, just before his closing performance of "Can't Help Falling In Love With You." "Elvis's story is looked on as one of destruction, but it is a futile struggle to survive, through poverty and then through health issues. "A few speculated and began telling untruths regarding Elvis and me which were completely unwarranted, mean spirited and wrong.". We don't know what their fears are, what their hopes are, what their dreams are, what their sadness is. Hugely overweight, his mind dulled by the pharmacopeia he daily ingested, he was barely able to pull himself through his abbreviated concerts.". However, another part of thelegacy of the "King of Rock 'n'Roll" is his untimely death. Preliminary autopsy findings determined Presley's death was the result of a "cardiac arrhythmia" and that drugs were not involved,saidPBS. Elvis Presley, who died 44 years ago this month, was not a drug abuser in the typical rocknroll lifestyle sense, a new book claims, but he was medicating to address a series of congenital illnesses. The King's only true friend near the time of his death was arguably Letitia Henley, his live-in nurse. Some experts agree Elvis may have been performing at a feverish pace to meet fans' demands at the expense of his well-being. He was miserable because hed gained so much weight. He was hospitalised again in 1975 with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and a condition called megacolon, whereby the large intestine becomes distended and can allow toxins to flood the body. That haunts me.". Elvis just fainted.' Among Presleys ailments attributed to his genes were alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, which can attack the lungs and liver; colon issues; an immune deficiency and lifelong insomnia. But according to "Elvis," overwhelming demand from fans played a part in his fall. Eric Muirhead, Jerry Francisco, and Noel Florredo, conducted a two-hour post-mortem examination. Elvis Presley suffered eye disease glaucoma and was almost blind when he died, according to the late King of Rock's personal physician. People assumed, Well, thats just an excuse to get medication. But he really was having this problem with fighting infection. Thats not enough for a man who culturally shifted our universe. ", Celeb obsessed? Nick, was at Elvis beck and call for nearly a decade. 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