The Sad Last Year Of Elvis Presley

The last year of Elvis Presley would change the music world and a culture, but his imprint would last forever. There's no doubt if you had the voice, the look, and the ability to to change culture, there’s a good chance you’d relate all that to the King Of Rock & Roll. Elvis Presley had everything, but despite living a most interesting life, he passed away too young and his last year would be the one that everyone would be surprised if they knew more.

To start with, the man had a schedule that was on the go and the pressure was constantly mounting, as it didn’t help that the one man known as his manager was pushing things to keep him going. Amphetamines to keep him up and barbiturates to keep him relaxed or help with sleep. That’s right the manager of Elvis, known as Tom Parker, was highly responsible for these decisions of usage.

By 76’ Elvis had a private doctor that was doing him no good at all as well by also subscribing things to him. Of course whatever Elvis wanted, the doctor would give him. His doctor, known as “Dr. Nick” would travel and carry three suitcases of pills on the road. Again that window into what was really going on, would later spiral down based on all of these variables.

In the last year of his life, he became more of someone else and not the Elvis people knew, as he would spend more and more time at his Memphis home, Graceland. It was the room known as the “jungle room” he would be spending most of his time in. As this was playing out, his record label worried that Elvis may not want to leave the house for any future recordings, but that would all change when they thought it’d be best to record at his home, setting it up as a mobile studio in Graceland. So in 76’ the final recordings of Elvis were done in the “jungle room” and are still considered some of his most memorable recordings to date.

When it comes to the physical side of Elvis in his last year of his life, he struggled with weight loss and overeating. His calorie intake was off the charts, and he was heavily influenced by greasy homestyle foods, the same foods he took comfort in, growing up in the south. If you’re wondering what a favorite meal on the list was for Elvis, that would be none other than a roll stuffed with bacon, peanut butter and jelly. And as most notably known, is his love for fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. His diet played a huge role in his demise, but even famous people can fall to the temptation of unhealthy foods.

On the eve of his death, Elvis thought playing racquetball would tire himself out, especially since he suffered from bouts of insomnia. Unfortunately it didn’t, and he would later be found the next morning in the bathroom and unresponsive. The year was 1977 on August 16th. He was only 42. The cause mentioned cardiac arrhythmia.

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Track: Breeze | Artist: Telecasted