Death on the Throne: The Passing of Elvis Presley

[john carpenter]

Death On The Throne: The Passing Of Elvis Presley

Posted 08.15.2004 by The Big Wiper (2292)
On August 17th, 1977, newspaper headlines across the country, proclaimed the shocking news: The King is dead.
Twenty-seven years ago today, Elvis passed away. Elvis Aaron Presley -- the poor, ambitious, rebellious young man from Tupelo, Mississippi, who gyrated
Headlines like this shocked fans around the world. himself to the top of the fledgling rock and roll industry in the mid 50s; who helped define and refine its essence for two more decades; and who became increasingly eccentric, isolated and unable to handle his mega-star status -- Elvis Aaron Presley had died at 42 of cardiac arrhythmia, a severely irregular heartbeat or heart attack. His millions of fans wanted immediate answers, wondering how such a thing could possibly have happened to one so previously blessed with good fortune.
At first, conflicting reports circulated throughout the media of how Elvis had met his end, and who had discovered him in his Graceland bathroom. Initial accounts had Joe Esposito, his road manager, discovering Elvis' body fully clothed in pajamas, face up on the floor of the bathroom, around 2:30 on the afternoon of August 16th. Elvis was rushed to the emergency room at Memphis Baptist Hospital, where Jay Francisco, the Shelby County medical examiner, pronounced him dead at 3:30. It was speculated that he might have been dead as early as 9:00 that morning. The only drugs detected in his system were those prescribed by his personal physician and friend, Dr. George Nichopoulos, for hypertension and for a colon blockage (an affliction that hospitalized the singer twice in 1975). A drug overdose of any kind was quickly ruled out.
But a different set of details eventually emerged. To protect Elvis's young fiancé -- a novice actress named Ginger Alden, to whom he was to be married on Christmas Day later that year -- the sequence of events was altered. What actually happened was this: Elvis, who had been unable to sleep, had played racquetball most of the night and early into Tuesday morning (around 6:30). He then told Ginger, who had a separate bedroom and bath, that he was going into his bathroom "to read" for a while. The book he took in with him, interestingly enough, was The Face Of Jesus, by Frank Adams.
It was Ginger who discovered him around 1:30 in the afternoon that day, after he did not respond to her queries at his bathroom door. Finding it unlocked, she pushed on it and encountered him laying on the floor, facedown in a pool
Ginger Alden, Elvis' fiancé, the first to discover the King that fateful morning. of vomit, his pajama bottoms around his ankles. To spare the distraught woman's feelings and ease her emotional burden, the discovery story was somewhat sanitized in its initial release to the press, particularly regarding the part she had played in the traumatic event, his state of undress and the bodily function in which he had surely been engaged. Only later did it become common knowledge that Elvis had died while trying to defecate.
In his 1999 biography Careless Love: The Unmaking Of Elvis, author Peter Guralnick emphasizes that "it was certainly possible that (Elvis) had been taken while straining at stool"; and Shelby County medical examiner Dan Warlick also indicated that it appeared Elvis had been stricken while seated on the toilet before falling off, crawling several feet, throwing up and dying.
Autopsy results later released to the general public did nothing to discourage this scenario. The singer's heart was enlarged with a significant amount of coronary atherosclerosis, there was extensive liver damage, and the large intestine was clogged with fecal matter, indicating a chronic and painful bowel condition. Elvis's former aide and bodyguard Delbert "Sonny" West would later complete the distressing and graphic picture of the King's physiological torment in a widely-circulated newspaper interview, revealing that his employer's drug habit was "so strong that he had to take pills to get up in the morning, to regulate his bowel movements, to sleep and to perform."
"He took every possible pill you can think of," West continued, "including pain pills during the day. Demerol and morphine shots (with
An actual photo of Elvis' bathroom Pretty swanky! syringes) for the downs. And a very strong pain medication intended for terminally-ill cancer patients for a pleasant high."
Although these drugs were not in his system at the time of his death, the damage done to his cardiovascular system by dependence upon such substances -- along with a lifetime of extravagant and unhealthy nutritional habits (he was at least thirty pounds overweight when he died) and a previously documented intestinal blockage -- all point to the 'straining at stool' scenario (surely without success) as the probable impetus for his fatal arrhythmia. (His pajamas pants around his ankles, of course, are a dead giveaway.)
Researching this story in the Tupelo library, I was struck by the irony of one of the first newspaper headlines I encountered in the vertical file: "Death Won't Dethrone The King." That particular banner, which heralded an affectionate tribute to his career and made no reference to the manner in which Elvis had died, was more prescient than the headline writer could ever have imagined.
Don't kill the messenger I just thought this was interesting

[ANT GORMAN]

well you thought wrong then,i for one am disgusted to find a post like this on on here or any other site i cant believe you could stoop so low

[sasha]

well you thought wrong then,i for one am disgusted to find a post like this on on here or any other site i cant believe you could stoop so low

I agree . Pretty sick.

[donaldmccurry.63]

ur a sad man mate and sick at that wee don't need people like you on our site

[May]

You know, all that sticks out from this article is that people can write the most horrendous articles about Elvis Presley (true or untrue) and yet all it does it merely shows nothing can diminish the positive feelings people have about him and his talent.

[Albert]

I don't have a problem having an article like this on our site. It's the cold fact where we have to deal with everyday when talking with non-fans.

I have one question though: who was the absolute ***** who came out with the news that Elvis died, sitting on the toilet?

How hard is it to change the story a little bit to: we found Elvis in the bathroom, not mentioning the toilet (or any other private parts)?

The man who brought this news to the world has done so much damage to the image of Elvis. An absolute egomaniac who must have been thrilled to be (finally) in the spotlights.

[TTWII2001]

I'm new on this site, and I never thought I'd read stuff like from a so called Elvis fan......you should be a shame, you should write an apologie...adios

[Teddy]

Oops! I think that's the sound of the messenger being ventilated by the firing squad!

[Miss Clawdy]

Thank's for the article...you are right...it was interesting.

[TotallyInsane]

Thanks David - it was an interesting article. I would just like to ask though since he was found ON THE FLOOR - why does everyone say he DIED ON THE TOILET? Apparently, he died on the floor - oh I know, the toilet story just sounds a lot better!!!

And, folks, please get off David's case for posting this. I know you've read about it before and probably read worse things than this if you've ever read any books.

[kathy parkinson]

Absolutely right Gail, i've read a lot worse than this, it is sad to read, but, interesting no less, thanks David.

[molokai123]

Thanks David - it was an interesting article. I would just like to ask though since he was found ON THE FLOOR - why does everyone say he DIED ON THE TOILET? Apparently, he died on the floor - oh I know, the toilet story just sounds a lot better!!!

And, folks, please get off David's case for posting this. I know you've read about it before and probably read worse things than this if you've ever read any books.

totally agree!

[rocknroll]

ur a sad man mate and sick at that wee don't need people like you on our site

Absolutely, I agree. Let's get back to discussing Elvis' tounge or how he looks in tight shorts.

Actually, I saw Elvis walking on water yesterday.

[Lisarose]

Death On The Throne: The Passing Of Elvis Presley

Posted 08.15.2004 by The Big Wiper (2292)
On August 17th, 1977, newspaper headlines across the country, proclaimed the shocking news: The King is dead.
Twenty-seven years ago today, Elvis passed away. Elvis Aaron Presley -- the poor, ambitious, rebellious young man from Tupelo, Mississippi, who gyrated
author Peter Guralnick emphasizes that "it was certainly possible that (Elvis) had been taken while straining at stool"; Don't kill the messenger I just thought this was interesting

Definitetly interesting, it isn't David that started the "died on the pot" catchphrase - I hear it all the time from younger people when they discover I'm an Elvis fan. I hate that phrase, but I merely say, yes, he was in his bathroom. IMO, most people head for the bathroom when they don't feel well, but back to the subject. . .

Interesting that Guralnick states "it was certainly possible", he interviewed a lot of people and I suppose that they still can't get their stories straight, & he was left to conclude that this is but one possibility!
IMO, another possibility - he could have been feeling chest pains, fell to the floor, and as he was crawling to the door, his silk pj's were pulled away from his waistline.

However he died, he's still the best entertainer, singer, interpreter of songs, artistry excellence. Just my opinion

[Lisarose]

Absolutely, I agree. Let's get back to discussing Elvis' tounge or how he looks in tight shorts.

Actually, I saw Elvis walking on water yesterday.

rocknroll, you make me smile - thanks!

[Diane]

I have to agree with Albert. The blame does lie with the person who revealed this story in the first place. There was never any need to be this graphic and we will never know whether it was truth or exaggeration.

Diane

[john carpenter]

Definitetly interesting, it isn't David that started the "died on the pot" catchphrase - I hear it all the time from younger people when they discover I'm an Elvis fan. I hate that phrase, but I merely say, yes, he was in his bathroom. IMO, most people head for the bathroom when they don't feel well, but back to the subject. . .

Interesting that Guralnick states "it was certainly possible", he interviewed a lot of people and I suppose that they still can't get their stories straight, & he was left to conclude that this is but one possibility!
IMO, another possibility - he could have been feeling chest pains, fell to the floor, and as he was crawling to the door, his silk pj's were pulled away from his waistline.

However he died, he's still the best entertainer, singer, interpreter of songs, artistry excellence. Just my opinion

Well, Thanks for defending me. I didn't mean to cause any hate against me I just saw it & posted without thinking!

[john carpenter]

I don't have a problem having an article like this on our site. It's the cold fact where we have to deal with everyday when talking with non-fans.

I have one question though: who was the absolute ***** who came out with the news that Elvis died, sitting on the toilet?

How hard is it to change the story a little bit to: we found Elvis in the bathroom, not mentioning the toilet (or any other private parts)?

The man who brought this news to the world has done so much damage to the image of Elvis. An absolute egomaniac who must have been thrilled to be (finally) in the spotlights.

Just delete this Thread Albert! I'm sorry OMG!

[Diane]

No need to be sorry David, you just posted what you found. It's just old news and not necessarily correct as all other articles we come across.

Diane

[May]

Absolutely, I agree. Let's get back to discussing Elvis' tounge or how he looks in tight shorts.

Actually, I saw Elvis walking on water yesterday.

What's a tounge?