Historical Events  Music
Elvis Presley

Alternate:
Drugs overdose

Current:
Heart attack

Elvis has left the building

The King died on August 16th, 1977. His tragic untimely death was even more shocking since he was only 42.

But how did he die? Everyone agrees he was found alone in his bathroom, and all reports today say it was a heart attack. Yet many remember it as being a drugs overdose. Are they experiencing a Mandela Effect, or was the truth manipulated to prevent bad publicity?

It's no secret Elvis had let himself go by the time of his death - he was reported to weigh 25 stones - yet his stage acts and lifestyle was considered so gruelling he was far from the couch potato some portrayed him as.

The King

It's difficult to overstate the influence Elvis had on popular world culture inn the 20th Century.

His musical career began in 1954 when he was influenced by African/American music and began recording at Sun Records, before his big breakthrough hit Heartbreak Hotel blew everyone away in 1956, becoming an instant number 1 classic. his singing career then went stellar, and he even made a good fist of starring in a few not-too-shabby movies.

There were rumours of a dark side, however, and these grew more and more toward the end of his life. The big secret was his drug use - he was supposedly addicted to amphetamines. His weight was not so easy to hide though, and by the summer of 1977 he'd ballooned up to 25 stones. His diet of fried everything was a major contributor to his failing health.

Elvis though that because a doctor was prescribing his drugs, they must be safe. Between 1975 and 1977, he'd had written prescriptions for 19,000 doses. From just January to August of 1977, he had prescribed more than 10,000 doses.

Elvis technically died from a heart attack, but it seems there were many contributing factors.