Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Elvis Presley Conspiracy Theories by: Peyton Grigsby



Elvis Presley, the king of rock and roll, allegedly died on August 16, 1977 (“Elvis Presley Died 40 Years Ago...” 1). He is one of the worlds most known musicians. There are different beliefs about Elvis Presley and what really happened to him. There are some who believe he was connected to the mafia. Allegedly, Elvis Presley died from a heart attack at the age of forty-two in his own home. The interesting thing is that a heart attack is not very common in people his age. There are three conspiracies about him:

·         Did Elvis Presley actually die?

·         Was Elvis Presley connected to the mafia?

·         If Elvis Presley really died, was a heart attack the true cause of his death?

Let’s explore these conspiracy theories to find the best solution of what really happened to Elvis Presley.

Elvis Presley, from the time he was born, wanted to be different, and indeed he was. One does not receive the title “King of Rock and Roll” for no reason. He wanted to stand out from the crowd. Elvis did stand out from the normal kids as a child and teen, but in a negative way. He was considered very odd and did not have many friends in the younger years of his life. This was a direct result from his home life. Things took a twist in his early twenties when he began to be known for his charisma, love for fancy toys, top rated songs and albums, bad decisions, and, of course, his love for the ladies. 

Elvis was born and raised in a remarkable family, on January 8, 1935, in East Tupelo, Mississippi (Personality of Elvis Presley). As luck would have it, his family was extremely poor and struggled economically. This played a huge roll in how Elvis grew up. He went to what one might consider to be a less fortunate school. He had very limited friendships and was considered a below average student. He was mediocre at best when it came to school. He had no money, no exotic talent at the time, and no drive. He did however wish to be unique. Elvis when he was older once said, “I guess I always knew if you wanted to stand out in the crowd then you gotta be different.” He never lost that philosophy. Elvis was known to dress different in order to be different. Other kids would call him a freak. Although Elvis was made fun of by kids his age, it was countered by the overwhelming love from his mom. His mom was more dear to him then anyone ever was. She was an over obsessive mother due to the loss of her only other kid, Elvis’s twin, at birth. Growing up Elvis claimed to feel an emptiness because of the death of his brother who he shared the womb with. Elvis and his parents, despite all their misfortune, were happy as long as they were with each other. 

            Elvis did not earn the title “The King of Rock and Roll” just for his voice. He was known for his swagger and charisma. He had a way of exciting people like none other. His style of dancing was completely different from the style of his day. Many hated him for it, because they believed it was sexual. Many of the guys were jealous of him due to the fact that women adored him. Even churches rebuked him saying everything about him was of the devil, and listening to his music was considered a sin. Elvis did not let this bother him. He just kept on doing the usual and becoming an idol worldwide. He not only dressed different as a kid, but even dressed unusual as an adult. Because of his fame, not only did it switch people’s views of his clothing to positive, but was even copied by many. In today’s world many still dress up like him for halloween. Elvis did not just stop with music. He became an actor, and was commonly known for his romantic scenes. 

            Elvis may have seemed like just a crowd pleaser and did not care about others, but a generous giver was his strong suit. He gave to charities, huge amounts of money, usually around the holidays. There are countless testimonies and stories of Elvis giving and giving generously. He would give to strangers, friends, and family, especially his mom. He bought his mother a pink cadillac that became an extremely famous car. Elvis had a deep love for cars. He owned pink cars, race cars, European cars, American cars, and everything in between. Elvis liked to travel the world and perform. His fancy outfits were a necessity to his on stage performance. He would even make his friends who traveled with him wear a certain outfit. One thing is for sure: Elvis had no problem spending money. It can be concluded that Elvis’s giving was due to the lack of money his family experienced as a child. 

            Elvis was not known for always making the right choices or having good morals. It is part of the reason the church community disapproved of him so harshly. He was known for his sexual dancing on stage. In today’s world of 2019, Elvis Presley would be considered very mild in his actions compared to his day and time. Elvis was also known to do drugs and do them excessively. He was always so good to his fans, but treated those closest to him with little worth. He especially did not treat his girlfriends and wives in an ideal manner. 

            Oh, how Elvis had a way with the ladies. He would sweet talk them right into his arms. Many girls dreamed of meeting Elvis. He was known to be an American sex icon. How would one describe Elvis with a single word? It would have to be, “Womanizer.” Many guys were jealous of Elvis, because females could not resist him. He was not always the most loyal person in a relationship. Although he met his first wife in Europe when she was fourteen. He insisted on waiting till marriage for her to keep her virginity. Do not be fooled. By no measure did Elvis keep his virginity. He was very good at making girls fall for him, and he made no mistakes in taking advantage of this ability. One might say he was a ladies man. 

            On August 16, 1977, Elvis Presley was announced dead at the age of forty two. This tragedy was felt all around the world. Elvis is still listened to and praised forty two years after his death and undoubtedly will be for many more years. The most commonly known and accepted cause of death was due to a heart attack caused by the abuse of drugs. There are many who refuse that belief and have come up with conspiracy theories of their own. Three very popular conspiracy theory questions include: Did Elvis Presley actually die? Was the Mafia in anyway connected to the death of Elvis Presley? Was a heart attack due to drug abuse the actual cause of death?

            Did Elvis Presley actually Die? Thousands upon thousands believe that Elvis did not die or did not die that day. Elvis was known to be associated with the Mafia. Later, it will be explained more thoroughly that Elvis might have faked his death in order to escape the Mafia. If this is true, then Elvis did not die on August 16, 1977. Another reason people also believe he is alive was a man who appears to look a lot like Elvis in the movie Home Alone. The picture is very convincing and has convinced many that he is alive. Over the last four decades there have been claims to have seen Elvis out and about. Many say that those who make this claim are fans who do not want to believe that their favorite celebrity and singer is actually dead. Similar to the death and theories of Michael Jackson. The final reason for this theory that Elvis is still alive is the misspelling of his name on his tomb-stone. The reason this is so skeptical is the fact that misspelling the name on a tomb-stone of someone so popular and famous is highly unlikely. Others say that towards the end of Elvis’s life, he started spelling his middle name with two a’s and not one.

            Was the Mafia the prime factor in the death of Elvis Presley? Elvis was known to be apart of and do business with the Mafia. It is said that Elvis was an undercover agent in the Mafia for the FBI. After a boss high up in the Mafia tried to buy an airplane from Elvis, the FBI recruited him to help their investigation. The Mafia figured out he was a rat inside the organization and were going to kill him. Only two options are possible. He was killed by the Mafia and covered up to look like drug abuse or he faked his death in order to escape the wrath of the Mafia. A picture was taken the night of his alleged death. The background of the picture has his wife with perfect makeup and no signs of remorse such as smeared mascara from crying. It is a possibility the Mafia used his wife to end his life. This would not be so believable if it were not for the fact that Elvis was known for treating women like garbage. Bitterness from him cheating along with other immoral activities gives her the motive to kill him along with the opportunity she had being his wife. 

           

            Did Elvis Presley actually die from a heart attack due to drug abuse? The doctors said that he had an excessive amount of drugs in his system when he died, causing his heart to go into cardiac arrest. There is only one conflicting point to the cause of death. According to the man who did the autopsy, Elvis did not die due to excessive drug use, but rather three combined medical illnesses. The three illnesses consisted of an enlarged heart by about a third of its normal size, clogging of the arteries in the heart, and high blood pressure. Elvis’s doctor was only aware of one of these issues being the high blood pressure. Dr. Jerry T. Francisco completed the autopsy. “Francisco, 45, is also a professor of pathology at the University of Tennessee medical school in Memphis. Doctors in other parts of the country, including District of Columbia chief medical examiner Dr. James Duke, call him an expert judge of causes of death” (Cohn). He said that Elvis had no needle marks on his body from injections, no accumulation of drugs in his stomach or intestines, nor corrosion to the lining of his stomach from drugs. Francisco even said it is not 100% certain what the cause was. He believed it was the three medical issues combined that resulted in Elvis’s death. His work was later discredited by the public saying he only gave this report to put the family at ease saying he would have died whether drugs were a factor or not. One thing Francisco found very peculiar about the autopsy was Elvis appeared to have a body of someone much older than him. It was found out that Elvis’s personal doctor had been prescribing him heavy duty drugs. Some drugs were to suppress his appetite and others were to calm his colon. The doctor would later have his doctor license removed. Elvis’s mother died of a heart attack at the age of forty two while he was a private in the military. He was closer to and loved his mother more than anything in the whole world. Elvis also died of a heart attack at the age of forty two. Coincidence? Is it possible Elvis did this himself out of love and grief for his mother? 

There are three conspiracies theories about the death of Elvis Presley:

1.      Did Elvis Presley actually die?

2.      Was Elvis Presley connected to the mafia?

3.      If Elvis Presley really died, was a heart attack due to drug abuse the true cause of his death?

Elvis Presley, the king of rock and roll, died on August 16, 1977 (“Elvis Presley Died 40 Years Ago...” 1). He is one of the worlds most known musicians. There are different beliefs about Elvis Presley and what really happened to him. Allegedly, Elvis Presley died from a heart attack at the age of forty-two in his own home. The interesting thing is that a heart attack is not very common in people his age. There is no way of knowing what really happened, yet we can come to our own conclusion based off of educated guesses derived from the information we know. What do you believe to be the true cause of death for Elvis Presley?

Cohn, Victor. “3 Factors Cited In Presley's Fatal Heart Ailment.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 18 Aug. 1977, www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1977/08/18/3-factors-cited-in-presleys-fatal-heart-ailment/ca1c9803-2412-482a-8297-2fbf05dc0ffb/.

“Elvis Presley and the Memphis Mafia.” Elvis Australia News, memphismafia.elvis.com.au/. 

“Elvis Presley's Cars: Cadillacs: Stutz Blackhawk: BMW: Rolls Royce.” Elvis Australia : Official Elvis Presley Fan Club, www.elvis.com.au/presley/elvis-presleys-cars.shtml

Hubbard, Lauren. “Why There Was So Much Mystery Behind Elvis' Death.” Town & Country, Town & Country, 16 Aug. 2019, www.townandcountrymag.com/society/a26721749/elvis-presley-death-true-story/#sidepanel.

“(Impulsive) Elvis Presley Gives $11,500 Gift.” Elvis Australia : Official Elvis Presley Fan Club, www.elvis.com.au/presley/impulsive-elvis-presley-gives-11500-gift.shtml.

Leigh, Suzanna. “Elvis Presley Death: Suzanna Leigh Convinced the Mob Killed Her Soulmate.” Daily Mail Online, Associated Newspapers, 30 Sept. 2011, www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2043580/Elvis-Presley-death-Suzanna-Leigh-convinced-Mob-killed-soulmate.html

Owner, Posted by Motto Cosmos, and Motto Cosmos Owner. “Personality of Elvis Presley - Unique Information - Unique Thesis.” MottoCosmos.com, www.mottocosmos.com/personalities/personality-of-elvis-presley/.

"Why Do Some People Think Elvis Is Still Alive?" Time, Time inc, 15 Aug. 2017, time.com/4897819/elvis-presley-alive-conspiracy-theories/. Accessed 16 Oct. 2019.

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