Elvis Presley died of heart failure, which was later revealed to have been associated with his long-standing abuse of drugs, although there have been other sources that link his death to heart disease.
Who was Elvis Presley?
Elvis Aron Presley, or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor born in Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8, 1935. He was dubbed the “King of Rock and Roll”. He is regarded as one of the most significant and popular cultural figures of the 20th century and became one of the most recognizable musicians in the world by the time he passed away in his famed Memphis mansion in Graceland, on August 16, 1977, at the age of 42.
Elvis was always recognized for his energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a firm mix of influences across the racial color spectrum in the midst of the transformative era in race relations. This combination of ideologies, performed by Elvis, led him to both great success and initial controversy.
When did Elvis Presley die?
On the evening of August 16, 1977, Presley’s girlfriend Ginger Alden found the singer unconscious and unresponsive on the floor of the master suite bathroom in his Graceland home. He was then immediately taken by ambulance to the Baptist Memorial Hospital, but was declared dead from cardiac arrest at 3:30pm, after numerous attempts to revive him failed.
How did Elvis Presley die?
Even though the direct reason for his death is clear, there’s still questions about whether Elvis’s uncontrolled use of drugs contributed to his death. According to numerous sources, Elvis' Memphis physician, Dr. George Nichopoulos, was implicated in the singer's death, in the following year after his death, in 1980.
Nichopoulos began treating the star in 1967, when his medical license was then suspended by the state of Tennessee for three months for indiscriminately prescribing and dispensing controlled substances. As per the charges, in the last 20 months of Elvis's life, he was prescribed over 12,000 pills and other pharmaceuticals, and carried three suitcases of them with him when he traveled. Nichopoulos argued that these drugs were for the use of Elvis's entire entourage.
Nichopoulos later revealed that he gave Elvis any medications he asked for because if he didn't, Elvis would simply get the medication from another prescriber, or possibly turn to street drugs. In November 1981, Nichopoulos was charged with 11 felony counts of over prescribing drugs, but was acquitted. He maintained his medical license until 1995 when it was permanently suspended by the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners.
Other sources have revealed various facts about his death as well, with many saying that because of the Presley family’s verdict to keep details over Elvis’s passing private, Tennessee’s Medical Chief at the time, Jerry Francisco, revealed that the singer’s death was due to heart disease, and not pharmaceuticals. Francisco’s additions contradict medical professionals, who had believed the uncontrolled use of drugs to be a prime factor in Elvis’s death.
What caused Elvis Presley’s death?
The general bias towards the case of the rock star's death has been associated with his long standing and serious drug abuse. Elvis, amongst a plethora of other musicians at the time, was a heavy user of a number of prescription medications, including opiates, barbiturates, and sedatives. When the toxicology analysis of the performer's blood came back numerous weeks after his death, it reportedly showed high dosages of the opiates Dilaudid, Percodan, and Demerol, as well as Quaaludes and codeine, amongst numerous others.
Where did Elvis Presley die?
Elvis died in Graceland, his infamous Memphis mansion. Graceland is open to the public to this day, with the exception of Elvis' bedroom and the entire upstairs, which is not open to the public due to the timeless interest in the singer's death. Only members of the Presley family and the Graceland curator are allowed there, and since the home opened up to visitors in 1982, celebrities and even presidents have been turned away from viewing the King's room. One exception was made, for Nicolas Cage, who was allowed in. Cage is, apparently, an Elvis superfan and was married to Elvis’s daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, from 2002 to 2004.
FAQs
Q. When did Elvis Presley die?
A. Elvis Presley died in the afternoon of August 16, 1977.
Q. How old was Elvis Presley when he died?
A. Elvis Presley was 42 years old at the time of his death.
Q. Where did Elvis Presley die?
A. Elvis Presley died in his Memphis mansion, Graceland.
Q. How old would Elvis Presley have been now?
A. Elvis Presley would have been 87 years old as of 2022.
