He needed a full-time nurse and apparently refused to bathe throughout 1975, causing him to develop sores on his body. Elvis' passing is often used as the archetypal rock star death a tragic accident caused by a poor health and drug use. People assumed, Well, thats just an excuse to get medication. But he really was having this problem with fighting infection. More info. Two-year-old Elvis with his parents Vernon and Gladys Presley in 1937 in Tupelo, Mississippi. Elvis Presley skyrocketed to fame in the 1950s. 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. MORE: Priscilla . EDS is what connects all of those health problems, correct? He felt the pressure. "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. During the final months of his life, Elvis Presley was said to be in a lot of physical pain. It became a problem, but why was he taking them in the first place?, Dr Nick is a controversial figure. Elvis. Nick, was at Elvis beck and call for nearly a decade. Here's why. ", In the year that Presley died, he had a fourth tour scheduled on May 20. One of the first responders who arrived at Graceland after the emergency call on the day Elvis died and helped carry him . ", Harry, Meghan, The Rock, Naomi Osaka: Why celebrity mental health struggles matter. His then-fiance Ginger Alden found Presleylying unconscious on the floor of the master suite bathroom, according to PBS. They don't want to go out. (Getty Images). The singer was also on a cocktail of drugs and had been prescribed almost 9,000 pills, vials and injections in the seven months before his death. Elvis had divorced his wife Priscilla Presley in 1973, and developed a dependence on prescription drugs to get through the day, all while maintaining a grueling schedule. Well, that's not true. Elvis' drug problem was the result of prescription drugs, some of which were administered for health problems. ", Elvis Presley with his girlfriend Ginger Alden in March 1977 in Hawaii. Elvis Presley was found dead at the foot of the toilet with his bottom in the air after months of agonising constipation and cheese burger binges. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Elvis Presley has become synonymous with many things, such asrock 'n'roll and fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. I wish there was something I could have done to make him a happier person. He missed Priscilla. What about now? Answer (1 of 38): I think he suffered from BPD and his mother most likely did too, or at least displayed many of the symptoms. So what had caused all of these disease processes in his stomach, liver, lungs, heart, spine, eyes and bowel? needs to stop or at least radically change. Preliminary autopsy findings determined Presley's death was the result of a "cardiac arrhythmia" and that drugs were not involved,saidPBS. The King was just 43 when he was found face down on the floor of the bathroom at his Graceland home, appearing to have fallen off the toilet. Hoedel, an historian, claims it was not a coincidence, that Presleys mother, Gladys, died at 46 and Presley at 42. (Photo by Gary Null & Frank Carroll/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images), ELVIS PRESLEYS PAL RECALLS LAST TIME HE SAW THE KING: EVERYBODY HAD TEARS IN THEIR EYES. This can lead to constipation which the star was famously trying to rid when he passed away. 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. Kirk, her husband and their daughters soon found themselves living in Graceland. Few if any figures in rock and roll history are as timeless or controversial as Elvis Presley. ", PAT BOONE RECALLS MEETING PAL ELVIS PRESLEY: 'HE WAS JUST A SCARED YOUNG KID' "Everything with Elvis has to be looked at through a historical lens," Hoedel continued. Elvis Presley in concert circa 1977. Appropriation or appreciation? Elvis Presley was pronounced dead at 3:30 p.m. (According to the medical examiner's report, How Austin Butler vanished into the role of Elvis Presley, Austin Butler rules as the King, butBaz Luhrmann's 'Elvis' is an unchained mess, Carson Daly says he's suffered from anxiety, panic attacks on 'The Voice', Lessons for all of us in 'The Kardashians' finale. But Donna Rockwell, a clinical psychologist specializing in celebrity mental health, says the cultural mockery of imperfect stars speaks to "a part of human nature we're not particularly proud of. And he does that in the last several years of his life. ", "In the end, somebody who has a mental health issue, who is a celebrity, will often have a more difficult time because to really successfully recover from a mental health problem or addiction,you actually need a great deal of humility. An autopsy was carried out that same day but the report was immediately sealed for 50 years by the family, sparking a slew of speculation as to what killed him. But on this day 41 years ago, millions of music lovers wept to the news that Elvis Presley, the King of Rock n Roll, was dead. Elvis Presley's greatest songs: 20 essential cuts you need to hear now, Review:The 10 best (and the absolute worst) Elvis movies, ranked. They have families to look after. Presley knew there was something wrong with him. However, as Presleys body was slowing down, Hoedel said his determination to hit the road endured. All Rights Reserved. ", In Ginger's mind, these opinions were unfair stones cast by her fiance's cronies. "One of the maids picked up the phone, and it's Ginger. In addition to the head and heart problems, author Sally A Hoedel - lifelong Elvis fan, historian and journalism graduate - delved into his family history discovering more about his health. Throughout Elvis' career, he was surrounded by a crew of friends, hangers-on, and enablers that were casually dubbed the "Memphis Mafia." Photo by CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images. The singer, who made teenage girls hysterical with his movie star looks, catchy songs and gyrating. Since the June 2022release of BazLuhrmann's"Elvis,"starring Austin Butler and Tom Hanks, discourse surrounding Presley's life and death has become all shook up. Dr. Nick testified he gave into all of Elviss prescription requests because he wanted to keep Presley from seeking out these drugs on the street.. Elvis Presley skyrocketed to fame in the 1950s. He explained: "The position of Elvis Presley's body was such that he was about to sit down on the commode when the seizure occurred. They finally had to give him medication just so he could sleep. Like so many rock stars, including Michael Jackson and Prince, Elvis employed an all-too-willing physician to feed his addiction and hasten his death. He wanted a companion, but it was difficult for someone of his stature.. As early as 1973, the year he divorced his first wife Priscilla, his health was already failing. (R.D/Images Press/Getty Images), "Elvis story is long told as one of self-destruction," said Hoedel. But for Tennant, that wasn't enough to explain the long list of maladies that afflicted the rock star from the late 1960s onwards. We don't know what their fears are, what their hopes are, what their dreams are, what their sadness is. 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. In the last years of his life, he suffered from many heart-attack-provoking factors: a high-sugar, high-fat diet high blood pressure chronic insomnia liver damage rheumatoid arthritis chronic drug addiction Throw in the obesity Elvis suffered from near the end of his life, what appears to be type II diabetes, an enlarged heart, and a steady diet of unhealthy, fatty and fried foods, along with his notorious prescription pill consumption, and you have the perfect prescription for disaster. When Elvis catapulted into fame with his legendary pompadour and pelvic gyrations, America swooned. As recorded in Rolling Stone, the three bodyguards co-wrote a tell-all biography of Elvis that was released only days before his death. His sudden death led to rumors that he died from an overdose or even a horrible case of constipation. "Theres no specific negligence on anyones part and definitely no cover-up or conspiracy of a criminal act. He pulled his whole family out of poverty. ", WOULD ELVIS PRESLEY SURVIVE CANCEL CULTURE? We didnt have the empathy to talk about Elvis health problems then. Put simply, the strain of attempting to defecate compressed the singer's abdominal aorta, shutting down his heart.". Get the best of Fox News' entertainment coverage, right in your inbox. He was trying to function within his reality., Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. Elvis Aaron Presley died August 16, 1977, at the age of 42. Elvis Presley performing in Burbank, California, June 1968. But who knows? Dr. Howard Markel. Instead of rushing an unconscious Elvis to a hospital, manager Tom Parker --- played by a surprisingly villainous Tom Hanks -- declares that the show must go on and summons Dr. When the toxicology report came back several weeks later, however, Elvis blood was found to contain very high levels of the opiates Dilaudid, Percodan, Demerol, and codeine as well as Quaaludes. EDS is a genetic connective tissue collagen disorder, and what that means is that you are genetically predetermined to have your collagen in certain tissues either disappear or deteriorate or become defective, and to put it bluntly, you can have a rectal problem and an eye problem at the same time due to the same cause because your collagen is deteriorating in these tissues, Tennant told my colleague Donna Gregory Burch in a 2021 interview. Here is what you need to know about Elvis' death, declining health and other aspects of his life. Dan Warlick, chief investigator for the Tennessee Office of the State Chief Medical Examiner, attended the autopsy and fuelled the popular theory that Elvis died while straining to go to the toilet. He was not prejudice at all. 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. The touring doesnt help. According to Practical Pain Management irrational and illogical behaviour can also occur after sustaining a heavy blow to the head. ", Elvis Presley holds court at a press conference to publicize his show at Madison Square Garden later that night while Colonel Tom Parker looks on at the Hilton Hotel on June 9, 1972, in New York City. Their dreams are, what their dreams are, what their hopes,...: why celebrity mental health struggles matter to Practical pain Management irrational and illogical behaviour can occur! 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