Elvis Aaron Presley died at the age of 42 on August 16, 1977. The cause was initially given as sudden cardiac death. The family then privately commissioned an autopsy, in which the responsible medical examiner described Elvis’ high blood pressure and coronary artery disease as the cause.
However, pathologists at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis were unhappy with these findings. They obtained further reports which suggested that Elvis had died of a drug overdose. In the years that followed, a dispute arose in which Elvis’ family doctor, Dr. George Nichopoulos could not escape.
In 1994, the Tennessee State Department of Health appointed independent pathologist Dr. Joseph Davies to establish beyond doubt the cause of Elvis Presley’s death. Davies confirmed the results of the initial examination and thus refuted the suspicion of an overdose. Today, experts believe that chronic intestinal disease was linked to Elvis’ heart problems, which ultimately cost him his life.
Where did Elvis Presley die?
Elvis Presley died in a bathroom at his Graceland estate in Memphis. There was great public sympathy when he was buried next to his mother at Forrest Hill Cemetery on August 18, 1977, just two days after his death. Unknown people then tried to steal Elvis’ body and that of his mother from their graves. The members of the Presley family received special permission to bury the entertainer and his mother in the meditation garden at Graceland.
Who found Elvis Presley?
Ginger Alden was Elvis Presley’s former fiancée and the last woman at his side. It was she who found the “King” lifeless in the early afternoon of August 16, 1977. Elvis was more than twice Alden’s age, but she said that was never a problem. For a long time she remained silent about her time with her famous fiancé. It wasn’t until 2014 that she published a book in which she described her point of view.
What is Coronary Artery Disease?
The main cause of Elvis’ death, coronary heart disease, is usually caused by arteriosclerosis. The latter is popularly known as hardening of the arteries. Deposits in the arteries prevent the blood supply and cause the heart muscles to become increasingly deprived of oxygen. Together with its associated symptoms, coronary heart disease is the most common cause of death in industrialized countries.
Polypragmasia is the pointless and conceptless treatment of a patient with a variety of different medications. Among other things, Elvis tried to combat his severe insomnia with pills.
Elvis Presley suffered from a congenital disease of his colon. In a so-called congenital megacolon, nerve cells are missing in a section of the large intestine, resulting in a narrowing of this section.