Elvis and Bone Cancer

[U.S. Male]

A friend of mine recently managed to speak to Charlie Hodge, and one of the questiones he asked him was about the claim made by Hodge regarding Elvis having bone cancer. The only answer my friend got was "yeah, he had it". My friend also told me that Charlie seamed hesitant to discuss it.

Has there ever been any official statement given by either doctors or medical examiners confirming this claim?

[THENATUREBOY]

I have heard that brought up before more than once. I was watching Larry King when he had one of his "Elvis Shows" and it was brought up by Kathy Westmoreland. She said Elvis told her that he had bone cancer, but this was shot down by all the members of the Memphis Mafia. But as far as there being actual proof, I am not aware of any.

[Raised on Rock]

Well, thats only a rumor, one that Ive heard before too, no way to know if it its true, but if thats true.. well that explain a lot of things, like all those pain killers, the "need" of them, the long temporades at hospitals, the needles in the garbage cans at the international, the hair loss thing, the bloated aprearence.. whatever, if that is true, whats the reason of hiding that? only explanaition is that it was terminal, an ELvis didnt want anybody to know that.

Dont know anything, just rumors.

[NEA]

Well, every one of Elvis' Family, Friends & MM have their own unique interpretations on Elvis' health, prescription drugs, eating habits, etc. and the incident with Kathy blew up in her face when a number of the guys denied the bone cancer scenario - bet Kathy is kicking herself the fact that she chose to go the 'Charlie Hodge route'.

You see, they all have to make it look like they are all individual Elvis-insiders - they are the one who was closer to Elvis than the previous one...that's entertainment or showbiz if you will. So, in turn, they choose a subject that will make the fans associate their claims with their name and that equals more invites as 'Special Guest Stars' to conventions, newspaper/TV interviews, the opening of an envelope (LOL), etc. etc. I mean, you only have to take a look at David Stanley - he is now 'The Headhunter'...coming to a cinema near you soon! (LOL).

I considered Charlie Hodge to be one of Elvis' closest friends but why Charlie had to go down the 'bone cancer route' is beyond me - he doesn't say anything to back it up and there is nothing or nobody willing to back him up...well, apart from Kathy and possibly Larry Geller...but these two sources strike me as pretty thin on the ground anyway.

When you weigh up the facts what is the worst: The Wests and 'Diddy Dave' writing the 'What Happened?' novel or Charlie coming out with the cancer claim?

Swings & Roundabouts.

Anyway, cheers...NEA.

[Cryogenic]

Hello, Big Boss Man!

Sadly - or perhaps fortunately - the bone cancer "theory" is complete bunk. The very use of the word "theory", as often happens when this issue is raised, is also a misappropriation of the phrase. A theory is a conceptual model of our physical universe from which predictions can be made and then tested/measured; if the measurements indicate the predictions are true, then the theory lives to fight another day, if not, the theory - in its current form - dies, and hopefully, a better one is constructed. That is the Scientific Method. However, when the word "theory" is used in contexts such as this, it is totally meaningless. Anyone can make a statement about the world - but, no matter how juciy the statement is, that doesn't automatically make it into a theory.

Anyway, a wiser man than I has already posted his thoughts on this before. I shall reproduce them for your benefit:


http://www.tcb-world.com/showthread.php?t=3669&highlight=bbne+cancer

Many "fans" want to believe much of the above, simply because it is much more palatable than the TRUTH; such is also the nature of MYTH (an alternate version that sits & sounds better than "reality").

It certainly doesn't help matters any when even some of those that were there parrot the same ..... for reasons of their own naivete, dishonesty, desire to preserve only the positive side of Elvis (at the expense of the TRUTH), or out of self-promotion motives.

Hodge & Geller are unreliable as "sources." There are many examples on a number of levels.

Westmoreland, believes what she believes, ..... but is incorrect.

[...]

If the above MYTH were indeed true, ..... the Estate of Elvis Presley would be the first to embrace & propagate it at every opportunity they could, because it is indeed much more preferable than the TRUTH. [emphasis mine]

On August 16, 1977, .......... polypharmacy was the culprit first & foremost (CNS depression that ultimately caused his heart & lungs to fail). It wasn't the first time that it had happened, either (with some of the exact same medications). Sadly, it was a double tragedy because on top of losing Elvis (due to his addiction), ..... it was also a bonafide malpractice case (ie: preventable).

It is THAT simple.

Further information may be obtained by consulting the linked-to thread.

[0349054]

Elvis didn't have bone cancer. The story I have heard, which I believe is that someone in the group was leaking information, so Vernon told Charlie that Elvis had bone cancer to see if it was Charlie who was leaking this nonsense - then it got out. I don't know if it's true, but from the amount who have told the same story regarding Vernon doing that, I tend to believe it.

On Larry King though Kathy said Elvis told her he had bone cancer. One of the guys shouted back that Elvis had an active imagination!

Anyways - I don't believe he had bone cancer. There is not enough evidence for it, coupled with the fact that so many believe it was a ploy by Vernon to identify the leak.

[orwell1976]

I don't believe that Elvis had cancer. He had several other health problems, but as far as I know there wasn't any evidence that he had bone cancer. I guess Charlie just wants to protect his friend and made up some story to sell the public a reason for Elvis' abuse of medication.

[joanne]

Charlie Hodge is a beautiful guy but he is the type of person who doesn`t like to rock the boat so to speak. He still insists that colonel parker was not an illegal alien and we know that he was.

[ayda]

Well, thats only a rumor, one that Ive heard before too, no way to know if it its true, but if thats true.. well that explain a lot of things, like all those pain killers, the "need" of them, the long temporades at hospitals, the needles in the garbage cans at the international, the hair loss thing, the bloated aprearence.. whatever, if that is true, whats the reason of hiding that? only explanaition is that it was terminal, an ELvis didnt want anybody to know that.

Dont know anything, just rumors.


What do you mean hair loss?Does anyone have pictures of Elvis that provess hair loss?My sister has cancer and some of the others do match up,like pain killers..but hair loss?Every picture I got Elvis has a head full of beautiful hair.Can you help me out here?I feel like someone has burst my bubble,because yesterday I found out about the plastic surgery,.......I mean the eyes and nose job.I thought all that he was born beautiful like that:(:(

Thankx

Aly

[joanne]

He was beautiful from Jan 1935-Aug 1977.

[goodniteliz]

I feel like someone has burst my bubble,because yesterday I found out about the plastic surgery,.......I mean the eyes and nose job.I thought all that he was born beautiful like that:(:(
Aly


If you look at pictures of Elvis when he was younger, before he ever went to Hollywood.. even in high school, he was incredibly hot back then, and personally, i can't tell a difference in the two... and as for the cancer thing, well... nobody knows and if they do know, they're not going to say, so I don't see what there is to debate here

[orwell1976]

Elvis did have a face lift in 1975 (his eyes) and somewhere I have read that he had a nose job done in the 1950's. In the book "The Concert Years" there's a review of a concert from the fall of 1976 where you can read that Elvis was baldening on top and somewhere else, that his hair was much fuller on his feb. 1977 tour and that it looked like a wig. But I don't think that Elvis lost his hair during 1976 and that he wore a wig. I guess this was something of a gossip story.

[joanne]

He wasn`t losing his hair, I don`t know who started it but its rubbish.

[the colonel]

CADILLAC KING has it right, VERNON told charlie in supossedly complete confidence that E.P. had bone cancer, Joe was the second to leak the story., Don't forget that both CHARLIE and JOE and AL STRADA were the only ones who supposedly knew of the claim of bone cancer. It was funny how VERNON remarked about these 3 individuals , especially JOE [ESPOSITO] and how he never trusted him[WHL RADIO INTERVIEW NOV 1/77 ] This is on a boot called POTRAIT OF MY LOVE[81]

[the colonel]

tHIS IS TRUE E.P. was loosing his hair it was getting very weak/fine, They had to change to colouring ELVIS hair with GRECIAN once a month because the chemicals and back combing were breaking his hair, to clumps, just look at the bald spot on the top of his head at the june 77 tour , its even more noticeable than back in 1974.

[elvisdownunder]

bald spot june 77 tour? where?!

[Danny Ocean]

Elvis had lifted his eyes, not a nose job. Elvis' had his original nose from the beginning till the end. He lost hair that's true. But you coudn't saw it. Everyone is loosing more hair when they become older. And the bald spot, that's just the way his hair was combed. If you look to Aloha when he kneeled down to kiss a girl, you see a bald spot to. It's not bald, it's the way his hair was combed. The only problem he had was that his eyebrows were became smaller. Because he painted them together with his hair many years. That was all he had...from the outside.