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Almost half a century after Elvis Presley died in 1977, the singer known as the King of Rock & Roll is still as popular as ever.
The man who captivated fans with his sexy sneer sang huge hits like “Jailhouse Rock,” “Hound Dog” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” He rode the top of the charts with no fewer than 18 number one songs, and he sold over a billion records. Elvis remains an influence on musicians everywhere to this day, and is still beloved by fans the world over.
Elvis is one of the best-selling musical artists of all time. He was a commercial hit in a number of music genres, including rock, country, rhythm & blues, pop, adult contemporary and even gospel.
He also won three Grammy Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award when he was just 36 years old, prior to being inducted into several music Halls of Fame.
How did Elvis Presley die?
After Elvis and wife Priscilla (who had married in 1967 and had one child together) divorced in 1973, his health began to go into a steep decline. That year, Elvis overdosed on barbiturates and even spent three days in a coma. In spite of his illness, he stepped up his concert schedule and performed 168 shows that year, with a similarly punishing schedule in 1974.
Despite his obviously terrible condition, which caused Presley to slur his words, drag around a failing overweight body that left him barely able to perform, he performed to sold-out crowds during this time. Before his death, Presley had a number of serious health issues and was even hospitalized four times in just five years due to hypertension, an enlarged colon, diabetes and liver issues among other problems.
From 1973 to1976, though, he kept up a punishing schedule of recording music, despite his physical ailments, and he recorded six full albums.
He also kept up a difficult touring schedule as his health deteriorated, during which he appeared bloated and drugged onstage, all made worse by his prescription drug abuse. On August 16, 1977, Presley was due to board a flight out of Memphis to Portland, Maine to start yet another tour. However, he was found that afternoon on the bathroom floor of his Graceland mansion, unresponsive.
Although people tried to revive him, the attempts failed, and Elvis Aaron Presley was pronounced dead at Baptist Memorial Hospital at the young age of 42.
The funeral was held on August 18, 1977 at Graceland. During the proceedings, an out of control car mowed down three fans, which killed two young women and severely injured a third as 80,000 people formed a procession to Forest Hill Cemetery.
Presley was buried right next to his mother, but after some fans tried stealing the body from his grave, his remains – and those of his mother – were exhumed and moved to Graceland’s Meditation Garden in October. He now rests at Graceland beside his parents, daughter, grandson, and paternal grandmother.
So, what killed the 42 year old music legend? Although there was a lot of speculation about Elvis Presley’s prescription drug abuse, his autopsy revealed that drugs were not the cause of death.
What was Elvis Presley’s cause of death?
The Memphis medical examiner performed an autopsy the same day that he died, and declared the cause of death was a sudden heart attack.
Although drugs were officially ruled out as a cause of death, the theory of codeine and other drugs is still being explored. In fact, Presley was prescribed shocking amounts of medication, with one doctor revealing that “in the first eight months of 1977 alone, he had [been prescribed] more than 10,000 doses of sedatives, amphetamines and narcotics.”
Fans were so upset by his death that for years following Elvis’ death, there were many reports of sightings, and even to this day many insist the icon faked his own death in order to retreat into a private life of rest.