When Elvis Presley died suddenly on August 16, 1977, at the age of 42, leaving hundreds of thousands of heartbroken fans and devastated family members, many people became interested in his untimely demise.
He was found face down on the bathroom floor of his Graceland home with pyjama bottoms around his ankles. Elvis' family remained silent on the cause of his death and decided to keep the results of his autopsy quiet for 50 years. Just as it is certain that the Mississippi legend was born, so it is certain that Elvis' health deteriorated dramatically during the last decade of his life.
Elvis Presley's girlfriend at the time, Ginger Alden, who was 21 years old at the time, discovered the rock and roll star's body lying on his bathroom floor. According to the Mirror, she wrote in her memoir: “His hands were lying on the ground, close to his sides, palms facing up. It was clear that from the moment he hit the floor, Elvis had not moved."
In her book, she wrote: “I carefully turned his face towards me, feeling terrified. A puff of air came out of his nose. The tip of his tongue was clamped between his teeth and his face was blotchy. I carefully lifted one eyelid. His eye looked straight ahead and was blood red.'
Much speculation arose after the King of Rock and Roll's family ordered the autopsy report sealed for 50 years. Dan Warlick, chief investigator for the Tennessee Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, attended the autopsy and further fueled the controversy surrounding his death.
Warlick claims that as a result of years of prescription drug abuse and a high fat and cholesterol diet, Presley suffered from chronic constipation. During a violent attempt to defecate, his abdominal aorta was compressed, causing his heart to stop."
Despite the medical examiner's ruling, rumours of drug involvement in his death continue to circulate in the public domain. Several members of his family have spoken about the extent of the King's drug use, including Elvis' half-brother David E. Stanley in his memoir, My Brother Elvis: The Last Years.
Stanley wrote, "I felt more like an assistant in a nursing home." In 1989, he told PEOPLE, "I wasn't able to fully understand what was going on and I didn't understand Elvis in the throes of addiction," adding, "I had this naive belief that Elvis could do anything, even overcome drug addiction".
Elvis rose to fame in the mid-1950s and quickly became one of the biggest names in rock and roll history. Having greatly contributed to the development of the music genre, he has reason to be considered "The King".
Elvis' fans, supporters and family members have kept his legacy alive in the decades since he died in 1977. Between the films chronicling his amazing career and the countless covers of songs from his catalogue, the King of Rock and Roll has left an imprint on generations and future ones.
On the 25th anniversary of Elvis' death, his daughter Lisa Marie paid tribute to her father with a note saying: "I wanted you to know I haven't forgotten you. You made me. I love you. You're still wonderful. You were wonderful even then".
Priscilla honoured Elvis on the 45th anniversary of his death in August 2022, talking about what the day means to her during an interview on the TODAY show. "Everything he wanted to do or wanted to do in life, I want to try to do, and that's a huge responsibility," she said at the time.
The only daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, who divorced in 1973, Lisa Marie Presley pursued a music career - though she never achieved her father's success.
Instead, she led a tumultuous life in the singer's shadow, openly describing her battles with addiction and marrying four times - to Danny Keough, actor Nicolas Cage, pop legend Michael Jackson and actor/composer Michael Lockwood.
Her death at the age of 54 on January 12, 2023 - according to an autopsy as a result of complications from weight loss surgery - prompted an outpouring of tributes from American show business.
On August 16 each year, Graceland broadcasts a live candlelight vigil held on the property. In 2022, it was attended by over 30,000 fans and supporters of the beloved and eternal King.
Elvis' life and music were honored in the film of the same name, directed by Baz Luhrmann. The King of Rock and Roll is played by Austin Butler, who said he felt a huge amount of stress and responsibility recreating the late music icon's legacy.
His incarnation received heartfelt praise directly from the Presley family - specifically Priscilla, Lisa Marie and Elvis' granddaughter Riley Q. |BGNES
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