When did Elvis Presley Die?

Can you believe it has been 40 years since Elvis Presley died? Though the rock and roll legend may have been gone for too long, his memories and songs are still a part of our lives. Often counted among the most influential artists on the 20th century, Elvis is also one of the best-selling solo artists of all time, boasting approximately 600 million record sales. His other accolades include three Grammys and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award which he received at the age of 36.

While these facts are widely known, how much do you know about the mysterious death of the global cultural icon? If you want to learn about how old was Elvis Presley when he died, what was the cause of Elvis Pressley’s death, where did Elvis Presley die and more, then keep scrolling.

When and Where Did Elvis Presley Die?

The sad news of the legend’s death came on 16 August 1977, when Elvis was just 42. Having been found lying face down on the bathroom floor at his Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, he was rushed to the Baptist Memorial Hospital, where doctors made attempts to resuscitate him. After an hour and several failed attempts to bring the singer back to life, doctors pronounced him dead and transferred his body to the morgue for autopsy.

(Image Courtesy: Find a Grave)

How Did Elvis Die?

The coroner’s report, which was released just three days after the autopsy had been conducted, concluded that the cause of Elvis Presley’s death to be ‘hypertensive cardiovascular disease with atherosclerotic heart disease,' aka heart attack. However, the story took an intriguing turn when the toxicology report, released two months after the death revealed that Elvis had 14 different prescription drugs in his system at the time of his death.

Some of the drugs mentioned in the report were morphine and methaqualone. Codeine, another drug, was found to be at 10 times the therapeutic drug level at the time of his demise. However, Dr. George Nichopoulos, Elvis’ personal doctor kept on blaming natural causes for his death. An investigation launched by Tennessee Board of Health to clear doubts and allegations surrounding the demise found that Nichopoulos had prescribed the singer at least 8805 pills, tablets, injectables and vials between January and August of 1977.

(Image Courtesy: WKNO FM)

Conspiracy Theories Surrounding Elvis Presley’s Death

Though the official cause of death has been ruled as heart attack, several theories still envelope the legend’s death. One of these theories is that Elvis faked his death as the megastar has had enough of the stardom and wanted to live a private life. Some people also claim to have spotted him at Graceland, his burial place, earlier this year around his 82nd birthday celebrations.

(Image Courtesy: Daily Star)

To indulge you in a little more, here are some mind-boggling facts about the King of Rock and Roll.

#1. The 14-acre Graceland mansion, which served as the residence of the superstar for two decades was brought by Presley in 1957 when he was just 22 years old. Today a famous touring spot, it is now thronged by more than 600000 Elvis fans every year.

#2. Even after becoming famous as a singer, Elvis served in the US Army. He was inducted as a private in 1958 and assigned to Second Armored Division. He was shipped out on assignment to West Germany, where he met his future wife, Priscilla.

(Image Courtesy: Holly Feed)

#3. Despite becoming a global star, Elvis never performed outside of North America. If you count out the few concerts in Canada, the King of Rock and Roll essentially never stepped on the foreign soil to perform. All this when 40 percent of his music sales were made outside the US.

#4. In 1964, for charitable purposes, Elvis shelled out USD 55000 for Potomac, Roosevelt’s presidential yacht, which was essentially his floating White House from 1936 to 1945. After the ownership of the 165-foot vessel had changed had a couple of times, it was also used by smugglers to transport drugs.

(Image Courtesy: Bay Crossings)

#5. Elvis’ 11th birthday present was a guitar which was a huge disappointment for him at that time. The future King of Rock and Roll was hoping for a bike but had to suffice with a musical instrument.

We hope all the questions you had have been answered here. Are you an Elvis fan? What is your favorite Elvis song? Tell us through your comments in the dedicated section below.