In the 1950s, Elvis Presley was restricted from dancing, particularly shaking his hips, because local authorities, police, and conservative critics viewed his gyrating movements as obscene, lewd, and a threat to moral order. His energetic style was deemed dangerous for impressionable audiences, prompting warnings, police monitoring, and even courtroom orders to stay still.
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.
Dolly Parton said no to Elvis Presley recording "I Will Always Love You" because his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, demanded half of the publishing rights, which Parton refused to give up, as she wanted to keep ownership and the future earnings for her family. Despite her heartbreak at the missed opportunity, she held firm to her business principle, understanding that retaining the copyright was crucial for her financial security and legacy, a decision that paid off immensely after Whitney Houston's cover became a global phenomenon.
In an attempt to 'shut' the King down in the sell out show at the iconic Pan Pacific Auditorium in LA, Elvis was warned not to wiggle his hips on stage - that he was to clean up his act! The King defied the request of the police and continued with his roaring dance moves with the crowds going crazy for the King.
Presley, Hopper, and Aubrey Brown, a gas station employee, were all arrested. The King Makes A Comeback Memphis police charged Elvis Presley, Edd Hopper, and Aubrey Brown with assault and disorderly conduct. However, the judge presiding over their court appearances only fined Hopper and Brown.
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'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.
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 and Marilyn Monroe apparently had a clandestine affair. Tons of tabloids and biographers have claimed that the two icons engaged in a secret romantic relationship in their time. According to these accounts, it was an on-and-off thing that continued sporadically over the years.
“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.”
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.
The reason given for his death was a cardiac arrhythmia suspected to be due to an interaction of an antihistamine, codeine, and Demerol (a painkiller), as well as Valium and several other tranquilizers. Prescription drug use sometimes results in fatal reactions.
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.
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 has a long history of amphetamine use. His classmates report that he used amphetamines in high school. He may have been treating symptoms of ADHD, as his friends from that era also report that he was unable to sit still and fidgeting all the time.
Presley had a secret affair with actress Barbara Leigh for two years. “I never believed that I was the only girlfriend,” Leigh said in 2023. “I accepted Elvis for the time we spent together. I was lucky enough to share with him and I never asked him any questions, and he did likewise.”
Marilyn Monroe likely suffered from complex mental health issues, with modern analysis pointing towards Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), alongside historical diagnoses of Bipolar Disorder (Manic-Depressive Illness), anxiety, depression, and addiction, stemming from severe childhood trauma and abandonment. Her struggles included emotional instability, identity issues, impulsivity, intense mood swings, emptiness, and substance abuse, all consistent with BPD and ASD traits, though she was treated with medications for mood disorders during her life.
Elvis Presley had a significant gap between his front teeth, which he chose not to have corrected. Madonna has a distinctive gap between her front teeth, which she has said she refused to have corrected because it gives her character.
At first he couldn't help it, as he identified as a singer who had to wiggle his hips and legs as he sang, and it just happened. But then the screaming audience of women clarified for him that they wanted Elvis to do those moves consistently, to the point of passing women out with excitement.
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.
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.
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.
Michael Jackson's Wikipedia page, People.com article, Reddit post, Tyla article, YouTube video, YouTube video, Facebook post, Michael Jackson's Legacy website Michael Jackson's final words, as reported during his doctor Conrad Murray's trial, were pleas for "milk," which was his nickname for the powerful anesthetic Propofol. He reportedly told Murray, "I'd like to have some milk," and "Please, please give him some milk" because it was the only way he could sleep, leading to the fatal overdose that ended his life in 2009.
Elvis called Roy Orbison the “greatest singer in the world.” Covering one of the best vocalists of all time is a worthy challenge.