Elvis Presley's Life in Photos

MSN ^ | 8/14/2021 | Charlotte Chilton

[sodpoodle]

August 16, 1977: A Tragic Loss Presley was found dead in 1977, after suffering heart failure at the age of 42. His untimely death was linked to his years of prescription drug use.

[Oshkalaboomboom]

Just about every problem Elvis had was either caused or made worse by his drug use. He didn’t die of an overdose but he ruined himself so much nobody who was close to him was surprised he died.

[duckman]

I remember seeing him on the Ed Sullivan show in 56’, when they did the broadcast from the waist up. The gals in my H/S class were absolutely crazy about him.

[DannyTN]

[SimpleJack]

[StAnDeliver]

The constant use of "attack packs" slow-rolled his peristalsis. It got so bad Dr. Nick hospital-shopped for a colostomy. If something like Relistor or Movantik had existed back then, then something else would have had to kill him later.

But at least he died at Graceland in a carpeted bathroom.

He had two escape hatches during those last 15 years.

He could have cleaned up and married Ann-Margaret -- she wasn't going to play nursemaid, but that marriage would have worked, and if not forever, for a long damn while.

Or he could have cleaned up as late as '75 and played John Norman Howard in A Star is Born, which Elvis would have crushed.

That fat f^ck "Col. Tom" squashed both chances.

[The MAGA-Deplorian]

It wasn't the drugs, it was his diet. There is a 1996 documentary if you can find it called The Burger and the King Your arteries will start to clog just watching what Elvis ate throughout his entire life. His colon was so compacted it was like plaster.

[Aetius]

It seems that (fake) Colonel Parker was good for Elvis’ career early on. He had connections with RCA and got him national exposure, allowing Elvis to go from a rising but regional star in the Southeast to a worldwide success. The early movies also helped in that, and were pretty good for the most part. Even when he first got back from the Army Elvis’ career was handled well with some of the best recording session of his life.

But yeah, once the early 60s had passed Parker was mostly garbage, a parasite weighing Elvis down.

Elvis’ biggest fault career-wise was not getting rid of Parker in the early or mid 70s at the latest. Apparently Elvis did fire Parker at one point, but the termination was brief; Parker presented Elvis with a ludicrous demand for payment of millions that he claimed Elvis owed him. Instead of hiring a good lawyer to shred the illegal alien Parker, Elvis and his father caved. Instead of calling the bluff they buckled and let things go back to the status quo.

As an Elvis fan it’s disappointing that he was not strong enough to get rid of Parker.