“Howes’ Illnesses of the Famous: Elvis Aaron Presley – Part 3 of 3”
Elvis’ friend, Dr. Harry Rosenberg, said, “When Elvis died, they said he had drugs in him. He should have had more, the way he suffered in his last few months. With his condition, he was courageous beyond reason if that’s all he had in him.” Even with his multiple medical maladies, from March 1976 through June of 1977 (just two months before his death), Elvis gave a total of 149 stage performances. Since reports can be conflicting, proof is difficult to come by but there is adequate evidence for informed speculation on many of Elvis’ medical illnesses. In 1997, the NBC network stated publicly that Elvis did not die of a drug overdose, but instead, died of a massive heart attack. It was also reported that he had had three other heart attacks prior to the final one. In 1994, coroner Dr. Joseph Davis reopened the Presley autopsy and stated, “There is nothing in any of the data that supports a death from drugs. In fact, everything points to a sudden, violent heart attack.”
