Did Elvis comitted suicide by slowly killing himself?

[ricardo b. prospero]

There were a lot of speculations why Elvis became addicted to drugs. Did he intentionally indulged in this tragic situation out of depression and lost the will to live? What could have driven such an important personality of the century to lost control and eventually end up dead? Does the people around him share the guilt for his unfortunate self destruction?

[Diane]

Ricardo, this is tough but I would have to say that we all slowly kill ourselves in one form or another whether it be by drugs, alcohol, nicotine, food and even by attitude or the way we choose to live. I believe negative emotions can do a lot of damage to one's health.

Diane

[Getlo]

Short answer: NO.

Elvis loved life, and had he known what was coming on August 16, 1977, he would've changed his ways.

Yes, the drugs ultimately killed him (via heart attack) but he was not suicidal in the least.

Elvis Presley had no death wish.

[presley31]

I don't really think he wanted to die, but slowey the pills started to kill him. You abuse the body and your body will give up sooner then later.

[JDD]

I don't think so, but in reality only he could say if he gave up or not and its too late to ask him .

[KPM]

I'm pretty sure we just discussed this not long ago on a similar thread.

[ksimms2]

I'm pretty sure we just discussed this not long ago on a similar thread.

we sure did and it got ugly at times too......yes the pills killed him....you can't take as much as he did and it not catch up with you.....I think the side effects also had a part in it....the bloated look, him retaining fluids, which is very hard on the heart.

Did he want to kill himself? No, I don't believe so. I think he was a little lost for a while - after his divorce - when he started questioning his role in it. I think he thought he and Cilla would get back together some day....I think he was upset about the way he looked, gaining alot of weight, etc. He seemed to be rethinking his life - perhaps that is why he fired some of his MM.....

Guess we'll never know 100% :hmm:

[KPM]

we sure did and it got ugly at times too......yes the pills killed him....you can't take as much as he did and it not catch up with you.....I think the side effects also had a part in it....the bloated look, him retaining fluids, which is very hard on the heart.

Did he want to kill himself? No, I don't believe so. I think he was a little lost for a while - after his divorce - when he started questioning his role in it. I think he thought he and Cilla would get back together some day....I think he was upset about the way he looked, gaining alot of weight, etc. He seemed to be rethinking his life - perhaps that is why he fired some of his MM.....

Guess we'll never know 100% :hmm:
I dont feel from all I have read that the pill killed him "directly" that night
(others do and its been debated to death)-"but the collective use of 20 years did". It just wore him down in so many ways.

[Diane]

I think Elvis wanted to live, even at the end but I do believe he was tired and feeling terrible.

I agree with KPM that it was the collective use of drugs over 20 years that caused his body to give out and not "direct use".

Diane

[franny]

Suicide is someone who tries to kill oneself, intentionally! Elvis, didnt' do this and he thought all those pills were okay to take, but it took its' toll over the years', his system couldn't take no more...I believe he wanted to live...

franny

[SeeSeeRider777]

Elvis did not commit suicide but he knew that the end was near in 77. Never before did he ever admit that he could not play the guitar and he never said until we meet again adios. Elvis was too religious to commit suicide.

[ricardo b. prospero]

Related question would be, if the people around him did contributes in a way to his deterioration? Particularly his personal doctor and body guards what kind of role did they played concerning Elvis drug addition.

[Diane]

All of them were enablers Ricardo, every single one.:mad:

Diane

[Tony Trout]

Elvis did not commit suicide but he knew that the end was near in 77. Never before did he ever admit that he could not play the guitar and he never said until we meet again adios. Elvis was too religious to commit suicide.


Elvis had no clue whatsoever that the "end was near" in '77...that's a silly statement to make because none of us know when we're going to leave this Earth.

He only made the admittance that he couldn't play the guitar just as a silly remark because people thought he really couldn't play the guitar.

I do agree that Elvis wouldn't have deliberately killed himself, though.

[rickb]

At least he knew three chords!
I don't believe he intentionally committed suicide, especially with Lisa at Graceland.
However, he was no doubt nervous before the tour (following the release of What Happened?) and like before the June 19, 1977 TV concert he probably took more tablets than usual to calm his nerves etc.
Sadly the years of using a variety of pills, poor diet, hereditary health problems and the constant pressure of being Elvis and touring took their toll
rick

[SeeSeeRider777]

Elvis had no clue whatsoever that the "end was near" in '77...that's a silly statement to make because none of us know when we're going to leave this Earth.

He only made the admittance that he couldn't play the guitar just as a silly remark because people thought he really couldn't play the guitar.

I do agree that Elvis wouldn't have deliberately killed himself, though.

I disagree with you there some people know when they are about to die. In my family my grandmother said to me I wish I could be around to see you graduate, I told her nana what do you mean and she told me I'm not going to live long and a week later she had a massive heart attack. She was 82 years old.

[ksimms2]

I dont feel from all I have read that the pill killed him "directly" that night
(others do and its been debated to death)-"but the collective use of 20 years did". It just wore him down in so many ways.

yes KPM that's what I meant....I didn't mean he died from an overdose - just from the abuse he's put his body through - finally caught up with him. Whether it caused him a massive heart attack - or whatever Getlo says he died from....I believe it's from years of abusing his body.

[SeeSeeRider777]

I'm really surprised it took 20 years for it to kill him. Its a miracle he did not die sooner.

[BrianK]

Elvis did not commit suicide - that would imply intent. I feel that he did die from a long term overdose of drugs, for which both Elvis and the people around him were responsible. Elvis could have broken away from his drug use & his enablers if he had had his 'moment of truth' earlier on, and known what was happening, but sometime during the 70s things reached a tipping point, the downhill slide began, and the almost inevitable bitter end loomed on the horizon.

[King_Creole]

I kno some of you will come after me for saying this but, is essence, Elvis DID kill himself.

You mean to tell me, Elvis wasn't smart enough to know the repercussion of what pills, drugs, whatever, wouldn't catch up to him and do him harm ???

Please people, let's be realistic and cut the crap ...

No, Elvis would never conceive of doing himself in intentionally, (be objective here), but still, he musta thought at some point, especially in his later years, this will, sooner or later, eventually kill me ...

[Natalie]

Ricardo, this is tough but I would have to say that we all slowly kill ourselves in one form or another whether it be by drugs, alcohol, nicotine, food and even by attitude or the way we choose to live. I believe negative emotions can do a lot of damage to one's health.

Diane

You are pretty much spot on with what you say Diane...

[The King's Queen]

I kno some of you will come after me for saying this but, is essence, Elvis DID kill himself.

You mean to tell me, Elvis wasn't smart enough to know the repercussion of what pills, drugs, whatever, wouldn't catch up to him and do him harm ???

Please people, let's be realistic and cut the crap ...

No, Elvis would never conceive of doing himself in intentionally, (be objective here), but still, he musta thought at some point, especially in his later years, this will, sooner or later, eventually kill me ...

Well, I'm not "coming after" you on this one King_Creole, but I do want to add a sentiment...

I don't think that being addicted can be attributed to a person's level of intelligence. I don't think that he realized early on that the drugs would do so much damage. Even though he had the 'pill books' and studied the effects of certain med's, I still don't think that he took into consideration the effect it would have on a long term basis. And most likely, by the time it did register with him, it was far too late for him to do anything about it. He became addicted. He didn't seek help. And sadly, it cost him his life.


Elvis did not commit suicide - that would imply intent. I feel that he did die from a long term overdose of drugs, for which both Elvis and the people around him were responsible. Elvis could have broken away from his drug use & his enablers if he had had his 'moment of truth' earlier on, and known what was happening, but sometime during the 70s things reached a tipping point, the downhill slide began, and the almost inevitable bitter end loomed on the horizon.

I agree with you BrianK. Elvis needed a 'moment of truth' and a really loud wake-up call early in the game. The enablers around him probably kept that from happening to some degree. I tend to think that Elvis' life as a whole kept him from realizing a lot of this. For whatever reason, Elvis found a comfort zone and he chose to stay there. With all of the glitz and glamour, all of the money and power....Elvis obviously still felt that something was missing. I find it sad to think that with sooo many people constantly around, he still felt all alone...

[Getlo]

he knew that the end was near in 77. Never before did he ever admit that he could not play the guitar and he never said until we meet again adios.

What does this even mean? Elvis "knew" the end was near? If that was the case, he'd have tried to stop it. With the exception of people dying in hospitals of terminal diseases, no one knows when their end is near!

What's Elvis' talking about not being able to play the guitar got to do with anything here?

And the fact that he'd started saying "Adios" in some of his last performances ... this means absolutely nothing, other than the fact that he'd just happened to add it to his goodbye concert repertoire and dialogue. There is no hidden meaning, no secret codes for him to say goodbye to us, nothing like that at all.

[MissyM]

I feel he knew it was harming his body but Elvis had a risk takers personality. He was basically gambling,and since he had some close calls, he probably thought he could win. But remember back then getting the help he needed was not like it is today. Going into rehab today is like going to a spa and no one thinks much of it. There was a family pre-disposition for abuse. And it was prevalent therefore he may also have been desensitized to the whole scenerio. If Elvis had gone into rehab the media would have had a feeding frenzy over it. Elvis tried to do many things to avoid the public doing so. The way I see it, given all of the above it was almost impossible for him to get the help he needed.

[KPM]

I kno some of you will come after me for saying this but, is essence, Elvis DID kill himself.

You mean to tell me, Elvis wasn't smart enough to know the repercussion of what pills, drugs, whatever, wouldn't catch up to him and do him harm ???

Please people, let's be realistic and cut the crap ...

No, Elvis would never conceive of doing himself in intentionally, (be objective here), but still, he musta thought at some point, especially in his later years, this will, sooner or later, eventually kill me ...

With all due respect peoples opinions-though possible in opposition to yours- are not crap. You may disagree with what I or someone else says and thats is fine. But an opinion by anyone which is characterized as crap is a little demeaning.

[King_Creole]

With all due respect peoples opinions-though possible in opposition to yours- are not crap. You may disagree with what I or someone else says and thats is fine. But an opinion by anyone which is characterized as crap is a little demeaning.


Oh please, don't take everything so literal ... Geez

Perhaps, if I had wrote, "Cut to the chase", would that make u feel better ? LOL

[ricardo b. prospero]

King Creole, I agree with you. Elvis in all those remaining lonely years of his lifetime was fully aware of the consequences of his deeds even to the point that he pushed everything to the limit. Sad to say without being bias Elvis self destruct for what reason would be another complicated and long topic to discuss. That leaves us all but to speculate to the best of our knowledge.

[KPM]

Oh please, don't take everything so literal ... Geez

Perhaps, if I had wrote, "Cut to the chase", would that make u feel better ? LOL
Crap is crap-if you meant "cut to the chase" I have no way of knowing that.
I can only go by what you post- if the meaning intended is different-how am I or anyone else to know that. I took it to mean what you posted. I can not change the meaning of words. In the context you posted thats how I took it-if I was in error I apologise. I am a little too sensitive perhaps to what I call "Stealth Bomber" insults which I have noticed sneak in under the radar but are never the less insults to someone or their opinions. As I said if I was in error I apologise.

[Burning_Love]

No, because he didn't realise they were hurting him. That's my answer.
Elvis was addicted.
But, he never thought they would hurt him, right ? Because he had the book about all the prescribed drugs and what were the effects, what they contained etc.. That was his answer when people said "Do you need so much?"

Danielle

[artfromtex]

i think that Elvis did feel like the end was near. his mom had the same disposition. he was approaching the age that she was when she died and he knew that he was in extremely poor health. i don't think that he feared it, he probably welcomed it. as much as he loved certain parts of life i think he was tired of life in general. tired of being Elvis Presley.

and btw, Elvis was a solid rhythm player. i assume we've all seen "One Night With You"? that's all the proof you need that the guy could play the guitar.

[KPM]

i think that Elvis did feel like the end was near. his mom had the same disposition. he was approaching the age that she was when she died and he knew that he was in extremely poor health. i don't think that he feared it, he probably welcomed it. as much as he loved certain parts of life i think he was tired of life in general. tired of being Elvis Presley.

and btw, Elvis was a solid rhythm player. i assume we've all seen "One Night With You"? that's all the proof you need that the guy could play the guitar.
Johnny Cash has commented about how Elvis's rhythm playing was great.
On the Sun sessions its so evident how well the rhythm is played with just 3 piece
instrumentation.

Johnny Cash in an interiew:

Johnny Cash & Elvis Presley
I remember Elvis' show at the Eagle's Nest as if were yesterday. The date was a blunder, because the place was an adult club where teenagers weren't welcome, and so Vivian and I were two of only a dozen or so patrons, fifteen at the most. All the same, I thought Elvis was great. He sang That’s All Right, Mama and Blue Moon of Kentucky once again (and again) plus some black blues songs and a few numbers like Long Tall Sally, and he didn't say much. He didn't have to, of course; his charisma alone kept everyone's attention.
The thing I really noticed that night, though, was his guitar playing. Elvis was a fabulous rhythm player. He'd start into That’s All Right, Mama with his own guitar alone, and you didn't want to hear anything else. I didn't anyway.
I was disappointed when Scotty Moore and Bill Black jumped in and covered him up. Not that Scotty and Bill weren't perfect for him - the way he sounded with them that night was what I think of as seminal Presley, the sound I missed through all the years after he became so popular and made records full of orchestration and overproduction. I loved that clean, simple combination of Scotty, Bill, and Elvis with his acoustic guitar. You know, I've never heard or read anyone else praising Elvis as a rhythm guitar player, and after the Sun days I never heard his own guitar on his records.

[goodelvisgirl]

well when elvis saw the effects of drugs when he looked at himself in the mirror he must have knew the end would come sooner rather than later i mean he tohught his problem was under controll but at the same time he wsn't blind and slowly he did kill himself by the constant abuse but i think the life style and his mental state and emotional problems from what i've read and understand we're a factor in his abuse but i think he thought he had some more time left in him and maybee at a later time change his ways but he was stubbern