Aside from"Elvis," newretellings like Netflix's "Blonde," starring Ana de Armas,"explore the widening split between (Marilyn Monroe)'s public and private selves.". Few if any figures in rock and roll history are as timeless or controversial as Elvis Presley. Elviss story is looked on as one of destruction, but it is a futile struggle to survive, through poverty and then through health issues, she says. Does Austin Butler sing in 'Elvis'? The world thinks he has everything, and yet the happiness isnt there. The moment came toward the end of the night, just before his closing performance of "Can't Help Falling In Love With You." This biographical musical drama chronicles the rock legend's rise to stardom, marriage toPriscilla Presley and overall legacy. Elvis Presley had multiple diseases. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. But he was found to have a wide variety of drugs in his system including amphetamines, barbiturates, and opiates. Indeed, his medicine chest was filled with amber-colored, white-topped vials of medications, in doses no responsible doctor would have prescribed. According to Elvis: Destined to Die Young, the singer's downward spiral, punctuated by health problems routinely written off as the consequences of addiction, could have been caused by. Legal Statement. The knowledge and experience Tennant gained in the last 50 years led to his recent book, appropriately titled The Strange Medical Saga of Elvis Presley.. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead at age 42. His then-fiance Ginger Alden found Presleylying unconscious on the floor of the master suite bathroom, according to PBS. In turn, many in Elvis' entourage believed Ginger to be nothing more than a gold-digger. And he does that in the last several years of his life. 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. Some experts agree Elvis may have been performing at a feverish pace to meet fans' demands at the expense of his well-being. ", In the year that Presley died, he had a fourth tour scheduled on May 20. According to LiveAbout.com, Elvis became dependent on several different types of prescription drugs, specifically amphetamines to keep him awake and barbiturates to help him sleep or relax. Thus, he likely died of a massive heart attack and keeled over onto the floor. Some of the many interesting and caloric meals heconsumed over the yearsincluded, the Fools Gold Loaf, which was "made with a jars worth of blueberry jam, a jars worth of peanut butter and an entire pound of bacon," and peanut butter and banana sandwiches. 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. These efforts do not right the wrongs of the past. The day before he died, a dentist gave Presley codeine for an aching tooth, not realizing how sick he was or that codeine could cause his heart to stop. 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. But when we see the complexity of starsbeyond their fame and fortune, "the public is then forced to see them as human," Manly says. They show a tired and very sick man, aged beyond his years and sweating profusely. It became a problem, but why was he taking them in the first place?, Dr Nick is a controversial figure. 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His full medical saga has only recently begun to be thoroughly examined. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. His body was swollen, he struggled to sleep, he was said to be constipated and everything just hurt. But Tennant thinks Presley had all the symptoms of EDS, including an unusual degree of flexibility and double jointness that allowed him to swing his hips and gyrate wildly. Five of those disease processes, she says, were present from birth. The toxicology report from Elvis' death said he had the opiates Dilaudid, Demerol, and Percodan in his blood, not to mention Quaaludes and codeine. "3rd Hour" co-host Sheinelle Jones, who was filling in for . They finally had to give him medication just so he could sleep. Elvis' passing is often used as the archetypal rock star death a tragic accident caused by a poor health and drug use. We didnt have the empathy to talk about Elvis health problems then. 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. Eric Muirhead, Jerry Francisco, and Noel Florredo, conducted a two-hour post-mortem examination. He didn't "jiggle" nearly as much as most do, nor did his legs or arms look especially fat. He says, Im sick, I dont feel good, but I cant stop because everybody is relying on me., Hoedel believes Presley was not a drug addict looking to escape reality. the excessive use of drugs had caused serious implications on the singer's health. Forest believes it all stemmed back to a serious head injury he sustained in 1967 that triggered a progressive autoimmune inflammatory disorder. All rights reserved. Savannah Guthrie left the "Today" show during Tuesday's live broadcast amid Hoda Kotb's absence from the NBC morning show. Having studied the psychology behind fan-celebrity relationships for more than 20years, Rockwell says, she hasobserved a growing culture of empathy and compassion from the younger generation. ", Harry, Meghan, The Rock, Naomi Osaka: Why celebrity mental health struggles matter. He had a private doctor who would prescribe him any pill he asked for, according to a People Magazine storyshortly after his death. "[Those health] issues become more difficult to live with the more he tours, and he toured a great deal in those last several years. Presleys forebears may have made marriage choices because of poverty and proximity, but Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt married to keep wealth in the family. It was there, in October 1976, that Elvis recorded his final studio sessions, resulting in some of his most memorable and emotionally crushing material to date. During the final months of his life, Elvis Presley was said to be in a lot of physical pain. Elvis Presley's greatest songs: 20 essential cuts you need to hear now Review: The 10 best (and the absolute worst) Elvis movies, ranked Elvis' health problems, explained. 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. At only 42 years of age, initially the cause of his death was reported as a heart attack. MORE: Priscilla . Once there, doctors struggled to revive him without success and Presley was pronounced dead at 3:30 pm. Theyre killing me." He was a very spiritual person, she explained. Early on, these were heavily pushed by his manager, the infamous "Colonel" Tom Parker, who many believe swindled the naive young Elvis while running him ragged. I had a huge painting of Elvis -- a velvet painting he had given me, she said. One of the reasons Elvis turned to the medication was pain. Learn more about Friends of the NewsHour. While Elvis did suffer from a pill addiction, as the Austin Butler Elvis movie ending explained, he had chronic pain and health problems that may have fueled it. His access to medications was overwhelming, she claimed. The other two pathologists Muirhead and Florredo eventually revealed they also had found evidence of severe and chronic constipation, diabetes, and glaucoma during their examination. They really tried to push Elvis beyond his capacity in the last few years of his life. Elvis grew up in a loving family with not much money. Today, Hoedel hopes her book will encourage readers to take a look at the "human" side of Presley, a figure who was put on a pedestal for his talent and then gawked at as he tumbled. Our mission is to raise awareness, connect and educate pain sufferers, caregivers, healthcare providers and the public about the pain experience. 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. Get the best of Fox News' entertainment coverage, right in your inbox. 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. Legal Statement. He would pass away that same year. ", WOULD ELVIS PRESLEY SURVIVE CANCEL CULTURE? 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. But his immune system wasnt fighting off infection as it should have. "When Elvis wasdoing well, people were projecting onto him the rock star,sexual image …then as he began to get older and he lost the luster, people were no longer seeing him as a sex symbol, as the man of America, but they saw him as adeteriorating rock star. 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