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Post by madeline on Jan 15, 2015 17:52:21 GMT -5
When people overeat like he did, it's because they don't care and I think that he stopped caring when his mother died. By that time, he was a celebrity, so I'm sure Tom Parker and movie producers insisted that he stay in shape for performances and movies and to do that, he would take amphetamines to lose weight, but instead of letting the effect wear off, he would take something to sleep, then start over again the next day. Overeating and not caring are two of the symptoms of grief and everyone who knew him said that he never got over his mother's death. I also think that it's significant that he died on August 16th, just two days after the anniversary of her death on August 14th.
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Post by Joanna on Jan 16, 2015 1:32:55 GMT -5
The Man in the Pool HouseThere have been rumors Elvis faked his own death since, well ... since he died. But when the primary arguments for his survival come from rabid fans with overly active imaginations and supermarket tabloids, normal people give them little credence.
But what about this photo (above)? Allegedly, the photograph was taken in January 1978 in the pool house at Graceland four months after Elvis was dead a buried. Yet, the man in the picture is none other than the King himself. The photographer, Mike Joseph, made an audio recording saying the person in the photo is Elvis. Later however, after a "talk" with Joe Esposito and Al Strada – both of whom traveled with Elvis and served as security at Graceland – Joseph changed his story and claimed he never said the man in the photo was Elvis and Strada swore he – not Elvis – was the man in the pool house.
Above are closeups of Al Strada (left) and the man in the pool house. Does anyone believe the man in the pool house is Strada?Sources: Daily Mad Talk and Rebecca Stone, ElvisForever.
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Post by Sam on Jan 16, 2015 1:54:06 GMT -5
Madeline: You could be right. Sometimes people just give up after someone dies and they're never the same.
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Post by Sam on Jan 16, 2015 1:57:21 GMT -5
The man in the photo doesn't look like Al Strada to me. But if Elvis faked his death, why would he have been sitting in the pool house during tours of Graceland where he knew people were taking pictures? Also, if he was still at Graceland, that would mean that everyone working there would have had to know he wasn't really dead and that many people couldn't keep a secret like that.
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Post by kitty on Jan 18, 2015 0:03:04 GMT -5
People have taken photos of Elvis' ghost at Graceland, so why was everyone so sure this was a real person and not a ghost?
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Post by Graveyardbride on Jan 18, 2015 16:01:20 GMT -5
Did Elvis Fake His Death?It cannot be denied that because of his incredible popularity, Elvis had become a prisoner in his own home. At times, when he wanted to leave Graceland, he would send out decoys, men who somewhat resembled him, to distract fans and those who went so far as to follow his car. He had also been known to hide in someone else’s car – some say in the trunk – in order to avoid detection. On one occasion in Las Vegas, he became ill and so many fans and paparazzi followed his vehicle and surrounded the hospital, he was unable to receive proper medical attention.
There has long been a rumor that on the day before Elvis died, August 15, 1977, he traveled to a courthouse in downtown Memphis and allegedly spoke before a grand jury, however, the conversation was not recorded. Considering he died less than 24 hours later, it is strange that no one seems to know what he said, or why he was called to testify. Conspiracy theorists wonder if instead of an appearance before a grand jury, the meeting downtown was actually a high-level Black Ops meeting to discuss the King’s upcoming demise. Elvis did, indeed, receive death threats and some believe he faked his death for safety reasons. But almost all celebrities receive death threats and they don’t pretend to die. However, in a Commercial Appeal editorial, it was claimed he arose late, as usual, Monday, August 15, and after sundown, took one of his Stutz-Bearcats out for a drive around Memphis before returning to Graceland to play racquet ball.
But regardless of what he did the day before his death, if for some reason he did decide to disappear, he certainly had the wherewithal to do so. Conspiracy theorists cite the fact that in addition to a mysterious withdrawal of more than $1 million from one of his checking accounts, several of the King’s prized possessions disappeared after his death, including a family Bible, a significant amount of jewelry, photographs of his mother and several of his most cherished books, and these items have never been recovered.
Nevertheless, Elvis did some strange things during the weeks preceding his death. Although he was scheduled to embark on an extensive concert tour, apparently, he failed to order any new costumes despite having put on an extra 50 pounds since June 26, the date of his last concert (above) in Indianapolis, during which he introduced numerous members of his entourage on stage. He had never done this before and in retrospect, it seemed to some he was saying his final farewell. He also signed a lucrative deal with NBC, which was going to cover the tour. Many were surprised because Elvis, although grossly overweight, was still vain about his appearance. Was it because he knew there would be no appearances? He also fired several longtime employees and on August 14, the anniversary of his mother’s death, is said to have telephoned a Miss Foster and told her the upcoming tour wasn’t going to take place. She asked if he had canceled it and he said no and that she shouldn’t ask any more questions, tell anyone what he said and not to believe anything she read. Allegedly, he told her his troubles would soon be over and he would call her in a few weeks. One author wrote that “Miss Foster” took a polygraph test regarding her assertions and passed.
Then there’s the mysterious John Burroughs. Shortly after Elvis died, a man who bore an uncanny resemblance to the King boarded a plane for Buenos Aires. And the following day, Lucy De Barbon, a friend and former lover, received a single rose with a card from “El Lancelot.” This, it turned out, was her pet name for Elvis, something she swore no one else knew.
Conspiracy theorists cite various clues to prove Elvis didn’t die August 16, 1977, including the date itself. Elvis was fascinated by numerology and one of his favorite books was Chiro’s Book of Numbers. The date he chose for his death was 8-16-1977 and when these numbers are added, the sum is 2001. Elvis’ favorite movie was 2001: A Space Odyssey, in which the hero plans for immortality while in the bathroom. Elvis, because of his chronic constipation, spent so much time in the bathroom that he had the toilet modified so he could recline while sitting on the john. The King was also a devout Christian and the number 3, representing the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, was paramount to his beliefs. When the digits in 2001 are added, the result is 3. Some have taken it even farther and discovered the repetition of the number “24.” When one subtracts 1977 (the year of his death) from 2001 (his favorite film), the sum is 24. The month and day of his death – 8 and 16 – also add up to 24, and the numerals in the year 1977 equal 24. Thus, there are 3 occurrences of the number 24, and 24 is equally divisible by 3: 24 ÷ 3 = 8, and 8 has a perfect cubed root: 2x2x2 = 8. When one considers the numerical significance of the date of his death, it becomes clear that if he, indeed, faked his death, he couldn’t have chosen a more appropriate date.
Another of Elvis’s favorite books was Autobiography of a Yogi, which teaches that everything is comprised of energy and light and perceived limitations are nothing more than illusions. One of the central themes concerns relinquishing one’s wealth and worldly possessions to achieve spiritual oneness. Was Elvis so intent upon uniting with the spirit that he faked his own death to live in virtual exile?
But what about all those drugs? There has been so much written about his addiction to prescription drugs that the very name “Elvis” and “drugs” have become almost synonymous. But Elvis was an expert when it came to pharmaceuticals. He owned and read numerous books on drugs and knew the effects and side effects of all the medications he took. In fact, his knowledge of drugs was such that he could have easily faked his own death. He knew which drugs would slow the heart to a near deathlike state. Furthermore, he was an expert in the martial arts and knew how to slow his heart rate and respirations in order to feign death. Okay, this is farfetched, but it could have happened.
At age 42, Elvis realized he was nearing the end of his career. His natural hair was greying, he was morbidly obese and his voice had weakened to the point he could no longer sing the high notes of his youth. Other than his millions of dollars and numerous possessions, just about the only thing he had left was his pride and he didn’t want his fans to see him as a worn-out old man they pitied. He was also fascinated by death and was known to visit local funeral homes at night and on at least one occasion, requested that he be allowed to observe the embalming of an elderly man he knew. On another occasion, it is said, he planned a “death” in which someone would fire blanks at him and he would fall and discharge a “blood pack” to see how those closest to him would react.
To many, the foregoing makes a compelling case for the King’s planned demise, but there’s something else: his medical condition, specifically his bowel problems. From the beginning there were rumors Elvis, who suffered from chronic constipation, died because his intense straining on the toilet brought on a heart attack. Later, his personal physician, George Nichopolous, M.D., admitted Elvis had what is commonly known as bowel paralysis, a hereditary condition which also affected his mother. At that time, the only treatment for the malady was colostomy and Elvis was much too vain to let it be known he had to wear a colostomy bag. But what if the pain, discomfort, bloating and “accidents” became too much to bear? What if he finally admitted to himself he could no longer live at all unless he submitted to the surgical procedure and chose to disappear for good to have the operation as a private citizen rather than let his fans know he was reduced to wearing a smelly, waste-collecting pouch?Sources: The Memphis Commercial Appeal, Xaviant Haze, Daily Mad Talk, The Indianapolis Star, and Rebecca Stone, ElvisForever.
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Post by pat on Jan 18, 2015 19:59:25 GMT -5
This is the first time that I've heard that he could have faked his own death to have the operation for his bowel problem. That actually makes sense because wearing a colostomy bag would have destroyed his image and think of all the jokes that would have been made about it and even Saturday Night Live skits. He couldn't have taken that.
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Post by Sam on Jan 19, 2015 0:14:00 GMT -5
I agree, Pat. If he had just wanted to get away from people, or if he was afraid for his life, he could have bought an island somewhere, but the bowel thing I can understand.
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Post by catherine on Jan 19, 2015 17:13:51 GMT -5
I would think that the doctors would have had a difficult time doing a colostomy on Elvis, considering the size of his colon and the amount of impaction. The autopsy said that he had around 9 feet of feces in his colon that had the consistency of clay that had been there for 4 or 5 months. I'm surprised that he lived as long as he did because I would think something like that would have poisoned his entire system.
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Post by Kate on Jan 21, 2015 15:07:34 GMT -5
People can have parts of their intestines surgically removed, but with bowel paralysis, such as what Elvis had, I'm not sure that would work. I'm sure there are ways of surgically getting rid of the impaction, but if the intestines weren't working, even if the impaction was removed, the same thing would happen again.
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Post by Joanna on Aug 16, 2015 0:07:54 GMT -5
Why Elvis Still MattersAs fans gather in Memphis for their annual pilgrimage to Graceland, the entire spectacle is becoming ever more bewildering to generations of young people who weren’t around when “Elvis left the building” on that hot August afternoon almost 40 years ago today. For those of us who were around, the shocking demise of the King of Rock ’n’ Roll at just 42 remains a defining moment in music history.
It’s true – you either “got” Elvis Presley or you didn’t. I can recall an acquaintance inquiring derisively after listening to one of the King’s extraordinary covers: “Is that all Elvis did was sing songs written by other people?” I explained that it was all anyone did – Sinatra, Bennett, Martin – before the Beatles came along. But, I was quick to add, few did it better.
To be sure, Presley’s musicianship will never be confused with that of Lennon or McCartney, but consider what John Lennon himself said about the influence of the self-described “shy, young country boy”: “Nothing really affected me until Elvis. … Without him, there would be no Beatles.” Paul McCartney would later concur: “Elvis has always been on top. ... His records always made me feel good. I thought the Beatles had gold records, until I had a private tour of Graceland. … The Hall of Gold says it all. ... Elvis has the most gold, platinum and multi-platinum sales of all of us. ... Amazing man ... simply amazing.”
Indeed, as far back as 1982, the Washington Post reported that Presley was the only artist to have sold more than a billion records worldwide. His success in blending rock, gospel and – perhaps most important – the blues so dominant in black communities across the South catapulted the singer to the top of the charts on Billboard’s country, R&B and pop charts. “Elvis claimed the number one spot in the U.S. for 24 weeks in 1956, only to top that the following year with 26 weeks – half the year. He managed another 15 weeks at number one in 1960, upon his return from the army,” wrote Ernst Mikeal Jorgensen in the liner notes for “ELV1S 30 #1 Hits.”
Ironically, it was at the height of his popularity when Uncle Sam came along and Presley, ever the patriot – answered the call. In fact, it’s fair to say that his gun-toting brand of politics would shock the conscience of today’s entertainment cognoscenti. Joe Esposito, tour manager and confidante from their time in the army, once told me in an interview at Graceland several years ago that “Elvis was a strict conservative.” But Presley possessed something far more unique when it came to his personal political views – restraint. When pressed to comment on the controversial antics of Vietnam-era activist Jane Fonda in 1972, Presley disarmed his female inquisitor: “Honey, I’d just as soon keep my own personal views about that to myself. I’m just an entertainer, and I’d rather not say.”
Patriotism notwithstanding, by most accounts Elvis disliked the army. Fortunately for his career, RCA Records had a stockpile of recordings ready to turn into hits while he was serving in Germany. Unfortunately for his personal life, it was in the service, while battling severe insomnia, that Presley started down the road to drug dependency that would eventually consume him. Yes, critics to this day point to the paradox of the would-be FBI narcotics informant strung out on prescription drugs; of the religious Southern gentleman raised to love his mother cursing on stage and womanizing off it, and of the entertainment role model posing with President Richard Nixon whose inexplicable lifestyle would ultimately lead to his ignominious death on a bathroom floor in Graceland. But it’s worth remembering there have always been two types of sinners: those whose image says one thing while they do another – of which Elvis was at least subconsciously guilty – and those who deny the reality of sin as a convenient way of justifying their own wayward impulses. Both are equally hypocritical.
Yet for all of Presley’s self-induced troubles, none compares with the litany of physical ailments that left the singer in near-constant pain. Records show that he suffered from asthma, atherosclerosis, diabetes, gastric ulcers, a mega-colon, glaucoma, lumbar disc protrusion, jaundice, prostatitis, vertigo, fatty liver, emphysema, anemia, migraines, chronic hepatitis, and cardiovascular disease. Whether the King died of a cardiac arrhythmia due to an enlarged heart (the official story), an acute drug overdose (which is doubtful given how quickly he died) or even “chronic constipation” (as his controversial personal physician, “Dr. Nick,” contends) from a colon twice the size of the average adult – it has all, at one time or another, been fodder for the cynics. Right up until you consider that the singer’s trauma was apparently so severe that he “constantly complained of aches and pains on stage and off. Elvis was heard to say on many occasions, “Oh, God, I hurt,” according to Dr. Forest Tennant, a pain-management specialist who theorized that Presley suffered for years with a serious autoimmune disorder.
He also suffered greatly from an almost palpable case of career mismanagement by Col. Tom Parker. For some inexplicable (if not nefarious) reason, Elvis was never allowed to perform overseas – thus forgoing a lucrative market of millions of dollars. Moreover, it’s been widely reported that Barbra Streisand wanted Presley for the male lead in 1976’s greatly anticipated remake of A Star is Born – but Parker nixed it even though he had consigned Elvis to a string of formulaic movies beforehand. Nevertheless, Presley’s uncanny ability to rise to the occasion continued to propel his career. His sold-out performances at Madison Square Garden in the summer of 1972 set records, and his January 1973 Aloha from Hawaii concert (the first delivered “live” via worldwide satellite) was notable on several fronts. Esposito divulged that Presley actually let his “Memphis Mafia” pick the playlist – which differed significantly from his extant tour set. Even more revealing, because of the satellite’s “window” (after which the broadcast immediately goes “dark’), Elvis had to deliver the show exactly on time to the second. As Esposito remarked: “He nailed it – never missing a beat,” and the show turned out to be the apex of one of entertainment’s most enduring musical comebacks.
Of all the creative arts, music is surely the most evocative – which helps explain the connection Elvis still has today. But only partly. Perhaps Presley continues to resonate, at least on a subconscious level, because after all these years, he remains the epitome of a classic American dream: a rags-to-riches hero whose life wasn’t nearly as easy as it looked.
Source: Jason Lewis, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune, August 14, 2015.
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Post by kitty on Aug 16, 2015 9:14:48 GMT -5
Lisa Marie led a candle light vigil at Graceland this year. Hundreds of people still show up at Graceland every year on his birthday and in August when he died.
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Post by kitty on Aug 21, 2015 10:10:21 GMT -5
I may have asked this before in another thread, but something that I don't understand about Elvis getting so overweight is that the diet pills from back in the 60's and 70's could make you lose 20 pounds in a month, so why didn't he start taking them before he got so overweight that he had all of those health problems? He had doctors. Why didn't they prescribe the pills and have the nurse who worked for him see that he took them and didn't overeat? But if he was taking the pills, he wouldn't be able to overeat, so he must not have been taking them. There's a lot of unanswered questions about Elvis.
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Post by Graveyardbride on Jan 8, 2016 10:14:48 GMT -5
Conspiracy Theories Continue
Today would have been Elvis Presley’s 81st birthday and the United States is celebrating. Legacy Recordings is set to release a 60-CD box set of the King’s music, Graceland is due to auction off more than 100 Elvis items and Memphis is holding an Elvis Presley Day in memory of the rock ‘n’ roll legacy. Many of the events will be attended by impersonators, as the famous musician himself died August 16, 1977. Or, at least, that’s what they want you to think. Elvis Presley is the subject of multiple conspiracy theories, and there are people who insist he’s alive to this day.
“I believe that Elvis was forced to go into hiding due to death threats against himself and his family. I also believe that he wants to come back to his fans while there is still time but the powers that be are making more with him ‘dead,’” conspiracy theorist Mickey Moran writes on his website, thepresleyassignment. “I now believe that he is being forced to stay in hiding against his wishes. I want to help him do the ultimate ‘Comeback Special.’”
Moran and other Elvis fans have spent years collecting evidence they say proves the King is not dead. Here are a few inconsistencies they count as proof that Elvis could still be among us:
Cause of death. Elvis’s death was initially reported to be the result of a heart attack, but then some said it was an accidental drug overdose. Experts blamed cardiac arrhythmia, or an irregular heartbeat. David Stanley, his stepbrother, later said Elvis committed suicide. And then, in 2010, George C. Nichopoulos, M.D., the King’s treating doctor, said untreated constipation killed him.
Autopsy. Elvis’s dad, Vernon Presley, ordered the artist’s autopsy and death certificate be immediately sealed. They are scheduled to become available to the public in 2027 – 50 years after his death.
The body. The National Enquirer published a photo of Elvis in his open casket, though many conspiracy theorists said it was a wax dummy. Others swore the corpse was sweating.
Gravestone. Elvis usually spelled his middle name “Aron,” but a copper plaque at his grave in Graceland spells it “Aaron.” A Graceland spokeswoman told the Associated Press in 1997 this was intentional and before his death, Elvis told his family he wanted it spelled “the way it is in the Bible” – with two A’s.
Sightings. In 1988, a woman in Vicksburg, Michigan, started telling people she’d seen Elvis at the grocery store. After hearing a similar story, the Elvis Sighting Society in Ottawa, Ontario, established an Elvis Lives Lane. There have also been suspicious photos like the pool door picture, which appears to show Elvis at Graceland months after his death.
Amid all this discussion, however, there have been several reports assuring Elvis fans the King is actually dead. Why do we keep holding on? According to a 2015 story in the Atlantic, it’s because Americans aren’t quite ready to let him go. “It is a kind of romantic idea,” music professor John Covach told the Atlantic. “This idea that maybe Elvis was just tired of the limelight – and he was starting to get old and he was starting to get overweight – and he decided to fake his own death so he could live anonymously without the glare of the photographers. That seemed attractive to people.”
Source: Julia Glum, International Business Times, January 8, 2016.
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Post by kitty on Jan 8, 2016 12:28:59 GMT -5
I thought that it was pretty much settled that he died of a heart attack, probably brought on by his impacted bowels. Also, if his bowel impaction could have caused his entire system to be poisoned, that would have caused what is called septicemia and I think that septicemia can cause a heart attack. What I don't understand is why his doctors didn't know that he had all this infection, or whatever it is, in his blood. Aren't there tests that can detect septicemia?
A lot of people want to blame the diet pills or amphetamines that he was taking, if he was taking them, but a person that overweight certainly isn't taking amphetamines. I don't know much about what drugs could cause his bowels to become impacted like they were, but from what I've read, diet pills don't cause it, but drugs containing opium do, so if it wasn't hereditary and drugs had anything to do with it, it was probably because he had been taking huge amounts of pain killers for several years.
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