Tragic Details Found In Elvis Presley's Autopsy Report

Elvis Presley's life was cut short upon his death at age 42 in 1977, after spending decades serenading the masses with his signature bluesy rasp and dominating on the big and small screens. Over the years, Ginger Alden, Presley's girlfriend at the time, has recounted the fateful moments that preceded his death. "I fell back asleep and then I remember Elvis was getting up. I said, 'What's the matter?' and he said he was going to the bathroom to read and the last thing I said to him was, 'Don't fall asleep,' and he said, 'I won't,' and then he walked into the bathroom," Alden shared during a previous interview with E! News about their last exchange (via Yahoo! Finance).

While reporters first stated that the famed musician, known for his hits such as "Hound Dog" and "Jailhouse Rock," died because of a heart attack, the barrage of information revealed in subsequent decades has confirmed other tragic factors that led to his mysterious death. For example, the original NBC Nightly News broadcast from August 16, 1977, showed a reporter chastely claiming that Presley simply "quit breathing" despite the fact that "he didn't drink, smoke or drive his own car." Unfortunately, Presley's autopsy is reportedly full of disturbing details that confirm the beloved star was pumped full of prescription drugs at the time of his tragic death.

Because of his family's litigation, Elvis Presley's autopsy has been and will remain guarded from the public until 2027. However, aspects of the report are compiled online. According to "RM 8–SU: Unintended Consequences: A Case Study of Elvis Presley," the musician ingested eight prescription medications prior to his death. The study cited the opinion of Los Angeles coroner Thomas Noguchi, who stated that Presley had ingested Demerol, antihistamines, and tranquilizers, among other things. However, his prescription drug use was a symptom of a larger dependency on medication, largely aided by his doctor, George Nichopoulos, who prescribed him an inordinate amount of meds. 

That said, not everyone is settled on what actually caused Presley's death on that fateful day. For example, Dan Warlick, an investigator from the Tennessee Office of the State Chief Medical Examiner, who didn't read the autopsy but was actually present for the procedure, supported the heart-related death theory. However, his version of events involves a major, rather unfortunate, twist. "Presley's chronic constipation — the result of years of prescription drug abuse and high-fat, high-cholesterol gorging — brought on what's known as Valsalva's manoeuvre," said Warlick, as noted by the Mirror. "Put simply, the strain of attempting to defecate compressed the singer's abdominal aorta, shutting down his heart."

Although Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley divorced years before he died, she's also confirmed his drug use, which she claimed started during his days in the army, when recounting his tragic death over the years. "It was difficult for all of us, we certainly didn't see it coming. But we certainly saw the journey he was taking," Priscilla shared with People in 2018 about her self-produced documentary "Elvis Presley: The Searcher." The widow also addressed the long-touted speculation about his circle's perceived lack of intervention. "Well, that's not true," she said. "People there in the inner group did, but you did not tell Elvis Presley what to do ... He knew what he was doing."

During a previous interview with ET, Priscilla recounted the moment she found out her ex-husband had died. "I saw my sister, and she said, 'You have to go home,'" said Priscilla, a comment that immediately set her on high alert. "Instantly, I knew something was wrong. I didn't quite pinpoint it yet because [their daughter] Lisa was supposed to come home that day; he was going out on tour." She returned home to a phone call from Elvis' friend, Joe Esposito, who informed her of the life-changing news. "I will never forget this. He says to me, 'Priscilla ... it's Elvis' ... and when he told me that he was dead, it was like ... hoping to wake up from a nightmare ... and I couldn't believe that he died."