It is a claim, primarily from the controversial 1981 biography by Albert Goldman, that in his final days, Elvis was forced to wear diapers due to severe drug abuse and related incontinence. This specific claim is disputed by other biographers and friends, who assert he was wearing gold silk pajamas when he died.
For months, Elvis had suffered from severe constipation 🚫💩 — some reports say he hadn't had a proper bowel movement in over four months. This intense strain, combined with long-term prescription drug abuse 💊 (painkillers, sedatives, and more), took a devastating toll on his body.
Was he hands on? No. He didn't change diapers. (laughs) He never changed diapers, he didn't dress her or anything but he was definitely a loving father.
He needed rest and true friends and time far away from the stage. Instead, he got more pills and another tour and another empty hotel room. What people saw as fat was really the body of a man worked to the edge, bloated by the medicine meant to keep him standing.
The Cause of Elvis' Decline. Elvis clearly had a disease process that had affected multiple organs—stomach, liver, spine, and eyes—but at the time, his physicians had no idea that he might have had a progressive autoimmune inflammatory disorder (Table 4). The concept of autoimmunity was just starting to be understood.
He never thought he had a problem because he was taking "prescription drugs". Lab reports indicated that 14 drugs were found in Presley's blood at the time of his death, including "near toxic levels" of codeine, morphine, Placidyl and other prescription drugs.
Elvis Presley wiggled because his strong connection to the music naturally made him move his hips and legs, influenced by gospel and blues, combined with stage fright that he channeled into his movements, and amplified by the overwhelmingly positive, screaming reaction from his young female fans. He initially didn't intend it but leaned into it as audiences clearly desired the "sexual" and "primitive" display, making it his iconic, rebellious signature style.
It was so indulgent it became part of his public image—decadent, Southern, over-the-top. But his last meal was quiet. A bowl of ice cream. Some cookies.
Years of mounting health problems, chronic pain, and dependency on strong prescription medications placed a heavy burden on him. All of it combined with an unhealthy diet created a severe, dangerous constipation that slowly poisoned his system from the inside.
It's a debate with no single answer, as Elvis Presley was bigger in US chart dominance (114 Top 40 hits vs. MJ's 36) and pioneering rock, while Michael Jackson achieved greater global reach, international tours, and broader multimedia influence (music videos, dance). Both are among the biggest artists ever, selling over a billion records, but Elvis was the original King of Rock, while Jackson became the King of Pop with unparalleled global cultural saturation.
After that, he was on his own. Elvis was given 1 option as an adult in the 70s-a colostomy bag to which he said hell no to.
Elvis actually disliked denim. To him, as to most people from real working-class backgrounds, it was just a reminder of working hard and being poor. The less denim Elvis wore, the happier he was. As for the company suits at Levi Strauss, they had no idea where their new customers would take them.
Hoffman on August 15, 1977 where he had his teeth cleaned and a couple of small cavities filled. Dr Hoffman was given a 1976 Cadillac Seville by Elvis. The photo at right was taken as Elvis returned to Graceland after his dentist appointment and is the last photo ever taken of Elvis.
Although he was aware of the problem in the early 1970s, Elvis was reluctant to undergo a colostomy, which involves removing part of the colon. "He thought he was really a man's man. ... He thought that this was a sign of weakness, and he wasn't going to be weak," Nichopoulos said.
Next time you're reaching for the laxatives spare a thought for those with extreme constipation which can cause serious medical damage. In 2013, a 28-year-old woman from Chembur, India, had to have surgery to remove a “football-sized faecal mass” after 45 days without a bowel movement.
Elvis Presley's final words, spoken to his fiancée Ginger Alden on August 16, 1977, were mundane but poignant: "I'm going to the bathroom to read," followed by "Okay, I won't" when she told him not to fall asleep. He was found dead later that morning in the bathroom of his Graceland home.
Elvis Presley banned all fish and seafood from his home in Graceland. This is because he hated the smell of fish wafting through the house while it was cooked.
1977: Elvis' waist size is reported to have fluctuated, but it was generally around 38 to 40 inches.
Elvis put 100% into what he did. He sweat so much that there were times when he actually lost up to 7 pounds a night.
His take included two pieces of bread, spread thick with creamy peanut butter, topped with sliced or mashed banana, crowned with thick strips of bacon, and fried in a skillet. It's this sandwich that's since become known as The Elvis, and variations of the King's signature snack appear on menus across the South.
Dolly Parton refused to let Elvis Presley record her song, "I Will Always Love You," because his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, demanded half the publishing rights, which Parton would not give up, believing the song was her most important copyright and retirement fund. Although Elvis loved the song and sang it to Priscilla Presley after their divorce, the deal fell through due to Parker's insistence on the publishing cut, a decision Parton later recognized as prescient when Whitney Houston made the song a global phenomenon.
Princess Diana's Last Meal Was A Simple Breakfast At The Ritz.
“Usually you pass it all in two or three days, but at the autopsy we found stool in his colon which had been there for five months or more because of the poor motility of the bowel.”
I can even remember what I was wearing: a red knit 70s jumpsuit ...' 'And in walks this guy, and he was soooo beautiful, that it just took my breath away, everybody's breath away. And he walked up to me, and he tussled my hair, and he said 'you look like a chicken that's just been hatched'.