George Nichopoulos earned notoriety when, three years . A new disease entity had appeared—chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (emphysema)—although Presley apparently didn't smoke. This will explain to many why Elvis did " retire ", in part, due to health issues in 1977. Obesity: As a young man he was a sex symbol who wiggled his attractive body to make the women in the audience shriek and howl. Elvis Costello gave an update on his battle with cancer in a new interview with US show 'CBS This Morning', on which he also gave a live performance. See the next section to learn more about the death of Elvis Presley. To appease Elvis by making the recording process easier, RCA sent their recording truck to Graceland in February 1976 so the reluctant singer could work in the convenience of his own home. Found inside – Page 1111977 Tours early in year but experiences increasing health problems; ... 1986 Elvis is among the first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame . In his late 20s and 30s, his drinking was accompanied by an increasing use of amphetamines and sedatives. This NBC news report about Elvis and the health problems which he endured aired on August 16, 1997. However, ABC's "20/20," anchored by Ted Koppel, believed Elvis had died of a drug overdose and stated there was a cover-up regarding his death. McKee AC, Stein TD, Nowinski CJ, et al. When passersby spotted him, they surrounded him and asked for his autograph. On September 21, 1970, Elvis saw Dr. Nick for an infection or inflammation of his left eye. Although Elvis Presley didn't abide by real caviar, he had no problem with other types of seafood. Unfortunately, by the beginning of 1974, Elvis was clearly deteriorating.14 His uncle, Lester Presley, summed it up: "He was fine from 1957 to 1974. • Don’t take any pills unless your doctor prescribes them for a specific reason. What no one knew at the time was that some drugs, particularly opioids, may interfere with cardiac conduction and cause a fatal, sudden heart stoppage from cardiac arrhythmia. He developed nausea and symptoms of intestinal flu. The other is that some people are born with odd or strange feelings and sensations and take a wide variety of drugs to treat themselves. ELVIS PRESLEY's death shocked the world, but now new research claims that The King didn't die because of prescription drug abuse but due to his serious health problems from birth. Elvis Presley also collected guns. His liver damage was most likely associated with his addiction to drugs. On August 16, 1977 he fell off a toilet and lay in a pool of vomit. It is now becoming evident that his health is declining. Elvis’s autopsy did not show that his colon died because the pathologist did not notice tissue necrosis, a marker of cell death. Elvis Presley new research finds 'drug abuse didn't kill him but health issues from birth' . Marchi N, Bazarian JJ, Puvenna V, et al. 8 Drug abuse was the main reason behind his death:. While separating the reasonable explanations from the angry accusations can be difficult, a common thread among them is Elvis' isolation from the outside world, which resulted in an unconventional lifestyle. None of this was known or recognized in his day. Elvis' girlfriend, Linda Thompson, reported that he took so many drugs he would fall asleep while chewing, and she claimed she "clawed food from Presley's windpipe" eight different times. Others, like the church, would condemn him, propagating to parents to forbid children from seeing any footage of Presley. Before he was 21, he was famous, adored, sought after, and rich. Chronic insomnia: Chronic insomnia is a major risk factor for heart attacks (Circulation, Aug 2019;140:796–798). "They stayed friendly after . From the country classic "He'll Have to Go" to the pop song "It's Easy for You" by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, Elvis unites disparate sounds and genres of music into a style that is big, dramatic, and unique to him. Others, like the church, would condemn him, propagating to parents to forbid children from seeing any footage of Presley. For starters, it appears that Elvis Presley was quite well until approximately the last 10 years of his life. Perhaps normal standards of measurement are simply not adequate when describing the excesses and achievements of Elvis Presley. Letters to the Editor: Testosterone, Ultra-high Dose Opioids. Some writers reported that the amount of food Elvis consumed was excessive. For decades it's been assumed that The King's death was triggered by his prescription drug abuse of uppers and downers. Found insideThe health problems came, the problems that didn't seem to appear before. Seemed like life became more difficult. It didn't flow like it did before. Your immune system is supposed to protect you from invading germs. After this event, he continued to abuse drugs. Elvis carried guns onstage when he performed, during trips in airplanes, and while in his hotel rooms. Elvis was really struggling with his health problems, especially after Lakeland/FL and Huntsville/AL, were he performed five shows in two days. Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: Susan Doll Personally downhearted and professionally unchallenged, Elvis grew bored and disaffected. Elvis' addiction was the perfect prescription for an early death. Anti-Inflammatory and Pro-Inflammatory Foods, Elvis Presley "He'll Have to Go," "She Thinks I Still Care," and the title cut "Moody Blue" from this LP are about lost love affairs, bitter endings, and hopeless relationships. Among Elvis' extravagant habits were his buying sprees, particularly of cars, motorcycles, and other vehicles. • In October 1973, shortly after his divorce from Priscilla, Elvis is hospitalized in Memphis. While it is not a musical milestone by any standard, Moody Blue does tell us something about Elvis Presley and for that reason it deserves consideration and evaluation. Elvis Presley's drug problem was legendary.14,17 What is not appreciated is that he had at least four serious overdoses that caused coma and necessity of resuscitation before his death. By the mid-'70s, Presley was in declining physical and mental health, history.com reported. This is the quintessential American story, encompassing elements of race, class, wealth, sex, music, religion, and personal transformation. In retrospect, I believe Elvis Presley was a classic case of cumulative head trauma, followed by an autoimmune inflammatory disorder. One of the problems with autoimmunity is that it produces inflammation and lowers one's resistance to infections. Autoimmune hypophysitis. Pelvic floor disorders (PFDs) affect millions of Americans. After their divorce in 1973, his addiction worsened. In 1958, when he was drafted into the US Army at age 23, he was in good health. In view of the polypharmacy aspects, this case must be looked at in terms of the cumulative pharmacological effect of the drugs identified by the report.". He would find drugs in Elvis' house or on tours and destroy them. As previously reported, Lisa Marie Presley has suffered many personal and health issues herself. Maia has taken Elviss words and thoughts, combining them with great understanding and realness intertwined his beliefs and put a perspective to it all to look past our questions and find the answers we need That is what Elvis tried to do ... His nurse felt he had a serious drug overdose with respiratory depression. Some time during the 1970s, Elvis' overuse of drugs evolved into a frightening level of abuse. Dr. Nick was being criminally charged with murder because he had been the main physician prescribing medications to Elvis. In November, 1973, Elvis was admitted to the hospital for pneumonia, pleurisy, hepatitis, and an enlarged colon. The singer, who died at the age of 42, is known to have had an irregular heartbeat, high blood . Elvis had a lifelong love affair with Cadillacs and bought more than 100 during his lifetime, mostly for himself but also for the members of his entourage. On one occasion in 1970, he impulsively flew to Washington, DC, and called on President Richard Nixon without a prior appointment. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy: neurodegeneration following repetitive concussive and subconcussive brain trauma. The pathologists—including the coroner of Shelby County, Tennessee—found that Elvis died of a heart attack. Autoantibodies attack in a random fashion. Gavett BE, Canter RC, Shenton M, et al. Opioid Prescribing and Monitoring - Second Edition, Opioid Prescribing and Monitoring - First Edition. Elvis Presley mugshot (1970) Some believe that his being bipolar inevitably brought on his demise: stemming from a poor laboring family, Elvis struck success at the young age of 20. He was mobbed, pushed down, and sometimes stripped bare by crowds of adoring admirers. Can a Buprenorphine Transdermal System (Butrans) Be Used to Treat OUD? Elvis Presley grew up in poverty, raised by his mother Gladys in large part, and the pair formed an extremely close bond. He believed that assassins sought glory or media attention when they attempted to kill a famous person and that he was as likely a target as a president. Chronic drug addiction: Drug addiction increases heart attack risk (Int J Mol Sci, Feb 2019;20(3):584). The . Many talented, famous individuals have mental health conditions that nevertheless did not stop them from making significant contributions to music, science, technology, governments, and other human advancements. 11th November 2018. Robert Fontenot Jr. is an entertainment critic and journalist focusing on classic rock and roll and published nationally for more than 25 years. Postmortem No. If this truly occurs, and this author believes it does, it acts like an infectious agent or vaccine in that it causes antibodies to form. This is an important study that brings scientific and humanistic disciplines to bear on an age-old question and dissolves the arbitrary split we’ve made between body and mind. In the last years of his life, he suffered from obesity, drug addiction, depression, chronic insomnia, glaucoma, high blood pressure, liver damage, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic constipation and an enlarged colon. To support this belief is evidence that Elvis had reacted poorly to codeine in the past and his hospital records state he was "allergic to codeine." After his final concert performance, Elvis Presley continued to decline over the next few weeks at Graceland. Moody Blue reached No. One thing is clear: his drug abuse led to falls, head trauma, and overdoses that damaged his brain. Memphis Mafia members disagree about how many drugs Elvis took, but the fact remains that he took more drugs than his body could withstand. The King certainly was a fan of fried foods. Moody Blue, released in July 1977, consists of leftover tracks recorded at Graceland in 1976, three live songs from concert performances in April 1977, and one previously released cut titled "Let Me Be There." The selection of songs indicates the eclectic nature of Elvis' tastes, while his ability to put them over with a consistency reveals his style. Elvis played racquetball on the day he died. My retrospective review of his autopsy findings, when paired with his medical history of multi-organ abnormalities over a 10-year period, clearly reveals that Elvis was suffering from an autoimmune inflammatory disorder.5-13 To help support the presence of an autoimmune disease, I found that Dr. Nick's records revealed, prior to death, that Elvis had eosinophilia and elevated C-reactive protein (CRP). Dr. Nick designed a program to ration medications to him and have them administered by the nurse.14 This program worked quite well for a while. As usual, Elvis was cheerful and obedient, promising to mend his ways. After he lapsed into a semi-coma, he was flown back to Memphis to be admitted to Baptist Memorial Hospital on October 15, 1973 (Table 3). However, he developed tonsillitis shortly after his episode of labyrinthitis. In those years, I was one of the only physicians who was studying opioids for both pain and addiction, and I did a lot of forensic and legal testimony.1-3. The autopsy showed that his colon was full of more than 30 pounds of feces. He was 42 at the time of death. Elvis Presley's talents and triumphs convey great hope and promise despite his pain and early death. A77-160, 8/16/77, Baptist Memorial Hospital, Memphis. Raising Lisa Marie on her own had many ups and downs as a parent. The episodes dedicated to exploring the life and death of one . Found inside – Page 235Health problems forced more show cancellations in 1975. In August, overweight and ill, Elvis was so weak he couldn't walk from his dressing room to the ... All of the fame on top of his disorder saw him begin taking drugs, and commit to substance abuse. He claimed he needed drugs to maintain his energy onstage and then drugs to sleep after his performances, but some of the prescription drugs he got his hands on were not designed for those purposes. 34. It is now recognized that multiple head trauma can cause an autoimmune inflammatory disorder that can attack any organ in the body.5-13,18-21 Contemporary terms for the pathologic developments that may occur following head trauma are post-concussion syndrome, TBI, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The humorous science writer offers a tour of the human digestive system, explaining why the stomach doesn't digest itself and whether constipation can kill you. However, the stories about his binges on foods such as bacon, ice cream, and pizza have been repeated so often they infer that Elvis ate this much every day. This upturn didn't last long. Whether it was the end result of a downward spiral or because he thought the drugs had affected the range of his voice is unknown. In the late 1960s, an article in Esquire magazine took a sarcastic but lighthearted tone when describing Elvis' favorite snack of peanut butter and mashed banana sandwiches washed down with plenty of Pepsi. Shortly thereafter, the district attorney general's office brought a criminal indictment against Dr. Nick alleging that he had willfully and feloniously prescribed controlled substances to the same 10 individuals for which the board found him guilty. He died on August 16, 1977 under questionable circumstances. • Don’t be overweight. Heart-attack diet: All his life he ate lots of high-sugar, low-fiber and high-fat foods: pork chops with mashed potatoes, meat loaf, cheeseburgers, sodas and his favorite, peanut-butter and banana sandwiches fried in lard or butter. Also, his liver disease had progressed and his megacolon was present. He once gave a $30,000 ring to entertainer Sammy Davis, Jr. His final concert was held in Indianapolis at Market Square Arena, on June 26, 1977. Many years after the first plaques form in your arteries, your immunity then knocks off a piece of the plaque from an artery into your bloodstream. He was heartbroken after Gladys died and a part of him died with her. Toxic accumulation of codeine may cause cardiac arrhythmia, particularly if other drugs are in the serum and the heart is already damaged. The fact that he wanted to be . Beginning in late 1976, Elvis was so debilitated that he shut himself off from the outside world and hibernated in the perpetual twilight of his bedroom—eating platters of cheeseburgers and accepting Dr. Nick's regular pill packets. The nurse was to try to keep drugs away from him, but Elvis was clearly deteriorating mentally and physically and could hardly function alone. The following list of Elvis' ailments have been spoken and/or written about by Elvis' friends (Charlie Hodge, Kathy Westmoreland, Larry Geller, Wanda June Hill, and several others) who have either written about some of these ailments in published books on Elvis, or have given me (Maia) this information personally. He died in 1977, nearly four decades before researchers recognized that inflammation is the primary risk factor for heart attacks (J Nat Sci, Apr, 2017;3(4):e341). Approximately 80,000 people lined the processional route for his funeral. Found insideweight problems Presley, Gladys (mother) death of described Elvis's career and Elvis's military service and Elvis's relationship with Graceland and health ... Life is a classroom where we should all observe and learn and become better people. Narcotic maintenance for chronic pain: medical and legal guidelines. The fourteen drugs found in his body included painkillers, morphine, Demerol, and codeine; an antihistamine, chloropheniramine; tranquilizers, Placidyl and Valium; sleeping pills, ethinamate and Quaalude; a barbiturate and an antidepressant. He had been battling his dependency on prescription drugs and his weight and general health problems for a while. They questioned why criminal charges had not been filed against Dr. Nick by the Shelby County district attorney. The colon problem was caused by Elvis' poor eating habits, Dr. Nick said. What You Can Learn from the Death of Elvis Presley However, all of these people had severe cramping with progressively-worsening belly pain. Elvis' drug abuse started with amphetamines when he was a teenager and it escalated while in the army. However, the drug use and bizarre behaviors apparently became so bad that she left him in 1971. The swelling in his face never totally resolved. Elvis Presley sold more records than anyone else in the history of recorded music. The singer had developed a dangerous dependence on prescription drugs and turned to overeating. "She was a very big piece of the putty that held Elvis together," says Letetia. He had pains on his chest and left arm, so the organization insisted on bringing him to the hospital immediately. Found inside – Page 75He also dyed his eyelashes, which caused health problems later in life. 39. One aspect of Elvis's genius was his marvelous ability to meld gospel, country, ... This report appeared to contradict the cardiac cause of death, so Baptist Memorial Hospital asked the noted toxicologist Irving Sunshine, PhD, professor of toxicology at Utah University, to review the toxicology findings put forth by BioScience. Sugar-Glazed Salmon. Elvis' drug problem was the result of prescription drugs, some of which were administered for health problems. Given the circumstance, I don't know what else his doctor could have done to help him. Found insideDespite all Elvis's health problems, Col Parker did a deal with CBS for a TV special. Elvis was filmed at a lacklustre show in Omaha, Nebraska on June 19, ... Doctors were called. Elvis, like everyone else, had personal problems - health issues - weight problems - etc. Technicians set up a makeshift studio in the downstairs back room known as the Jungle Room because of its decor. The broken piece then travels down the ever-narrowing artery to completely obstruct the artery. Drug overdoses, of which Presley had several, usually cause anoxia to the brain and may worsen the problem of brain dysfunction caused by trauma. He was also hospitalized for throat ailments, pleurisy, and hypertension. Elvis also seems to have something of a following around the NCIS crew, where Sebastian starts calling him "The Hacker of the People." BUT THEN, they find a dead body in the trunk of his car and it turns out that Elvis had been trying to trace some data — side note: can we talk about the concept of the internet in NCIS and how it makes zero sense? Found insideEventually, however, despite the toll that the divorce, the touring, and his health problems were exacting from him, Elvis had to take his commitment to his ... Elvis Presley and Graceland were fixtures in Ginger Alden’s life; after all, she was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. But she had no idea that she would play a part in that enduring legacy. He was not only receiving meperidine from a physician, but he had also been using many abusable drugs. Tennant FS Jr, Rawson RA. Millions of music lovers wept across the world when the news that Elvis Presley, the King of Rock 'n' Roll, had died at the tender age of 42 in August 1977.