HOLLYWOOD—If you are a true Elvis fan, you know this week marks 46 years since the passing of Elvis Presley. Elvis Presley was discovered dead in his Graceland mansion, found motionless on the bathroom floor by his girlfriend, Ginger Alden. She was the tender age of 22-years old. Everyone on this planet has heard of the King of Rock and Roll, who changed the world in the 1950s, and continued topping charts and making movies into the 60s.
His image and voice remain as instantly recognizable as then. The anniversary of his death, August 16, 1977, at the age of 42, is marked by fans at a series of events at Graceland. His fans are truly faithful, they attend the annual candlelight vigil outside his home at Graceland on August 16, with a remembrance that leads into the anniversary. Priscilla Presley usually attends.
As we all know Lisa Marie Presley, his only daughter died on January 12, 2023. The name Elvis, also spells “Lives,” and that it does, it continues to shine bright in the hearts of millions of fans all over the world. Elvis was more than unique; he was one of a kind. It is customary to salute a President, when one dies, yet the day of his funeral back in 1997, the police saluted a legend.
It was a day the world stood still. Everyone remembers where they were on that day, especially when you heard of his death. There might not be a celebrity death more clouded in suspicion, rumor or mystery than the one and only Elvis Presley. The mystery and debate of what truly happened still rages on, more than four decades later.
The chief medical examiner at the time, Jerry Francisco, wrote on his death report that the cause was Hypertensive Cardiovascular Disease, essentially meaning Presley suffered a heart attack or heart failure. Elvis had trouble sleeping, he was alone for the last four hours of his life. At around 9:30 a.m. on August 16, 1977, he got ready for bed and went to the bathroom. He took a combination of pain killers for severe toothache and three different packages of prescription pills.
Dressed in gold pajamas, he took the book Frank Adams “The Scientific: Search for the Face of Jesus” with him. Elvis would spend hours in the bathroom, since he suffered from constipation. Perhaps, seeking solitude. It was his usual time, since he entertained his family and friends ’till the wee hours of the night, sleeping all day.
While others say the drug use contributed to his death, according to published reports. So many theories and the information released officially-are all people have to go on, because his father Vernon Presley, sealed the official autopsy report for 50 years. So in 2027, on the 50th anniversary of Elvis’s death, his official autopsy report will be made public. Hopefully that day will bring closure to many people. Until then, not only will theories surface of how he died, but adoring fans might even insist he is still alive.
Some even say he went into a witness protection program, with sightings of him in a supermarket in Mississippi, a parking lot in Las Vegas, and others saying he faked his own death and is living under a different name, according to a published report in Newsweek. Elvis was not only the King of Rock & Roll but starred in over 30 films, not including TV concert series. Many fans and actresses remember him, including Ann-Margaret and Nancy Sinatra. Nancy usually remembers Elvis and every year posts a picture of them together on Twitter.
Rose’s Scoop: Ginger Alden keeps her memory alive through her social media and her books. According to her social media, she still has the engagement ring that Elvis gave her. The story behind her engagement ring is that jeweler Lowell Hays removed the diamond from Elvis’s own ring, the TCB ring. Since the jeweler didn’t have time to find another stone as big as the 11 1/2 carat center diamond in his TCB ring that Elvis wanted to match.