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Dark Secrets About Elvis’ Life
1. He Was Unfaithful
Image Source / Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Elvis was the most sort after man in showbiz, his outlandish persona and sexual aura attracted women from all over the world. This led to Elvis being unfaithful to his wife Priscilla, the finer details are unknown, but it was one of the leading factors for their divorce in 1973. In, and outside of his marriage, Elvis was known as a chronic cheater.
2. Twisted Mother/Son Relationship
Image Source / The Telegraph
Elvis was indeed a ‘mama’s boy’, the closeness they shared was picked up by spectators and branded strange. They would talk to one another using ‘baby talk’ and had pet names for each other. The bond between the pair made it hard for Gladys to accept that Elvis’ fame would loosen the grip she had on him, ultimately leading to her alcohol abuse.
3. He Had A Twin
Image Source / Showbiz Cheat Sheet
January 8, 1935 was the birth date of Elvis, as well as his twin brother Jesse Garon. The beginning of Elvis’ life was a tragedy, Jesse was stillborn and was buried the day after at an unmarked grave. During his life, Elvis spoke a lot about his brother and helped keep his legacy going. This could also provide an explanation to the intense relationship Elvis’ mother shared with him.
4. Drug Abuse
Image Source / HBO
Elvis had a toxic relationship with drugs, and tried most, but the early 1960’s was when his real addiction came to fruition. Prescription drugs were used frequently by Elvis to help cope with his intense work schedule. It is also noted by multiple sources that at a much earlier age, he would steal his mother’s prescription pills. The relentless drug abuse that Elvis was involved with throughout his life also partly explains his death; the toxicology report listed 10 different drugs in his system after he suffered a heart attack in 1977.
5. Inappropriate Relationships
Image Source / Daily Mail
What would be illegal today, was Elvis’ ‘norm’ throughout his career. Many underaged girls crossed the path of Elvis and blinded by his stardom, developed inappropriate relationships with him. Joel Williamson’s book “Elvis Presley: A Southern Life” highlights numerous occasions of this; on tour at the age of 22, he preyed on three 14 year old girls who he would pillow fight with, and let them kiss him. His wife Priscilla was just 14 when they started dating, he was 24.
6. Control In Relationships
Image Source / Geo. Tv
Elvis married Priscilla in 1967 and when they met, she was 14 (him 24). Aside from Elvis’ fascination with young girls, he also had history of control in relationships, which is highlighted hugely with his wife. Priscilla claims “He wanted me to be his totally, free to go to him an instant if he needed me”; and Presley is reported to have controlled everything about her life from the length of her hair to her career choices.
7. He NEVER Wrote A Song
Image Source / Pinterest
Although impossible to confirm, it is widely speculated that Elvis could not read music, or never wrote any of his songs. In his lifetime, he recorded over 600 songs but was only given credits as he recorded them, not because of his contribution to writing them. In 1957 he told Dig Magazine “It’s all a big hoax, honey. I never wrote a song in my life... I’ve never even had an idea for a song.”
8. Struggles With Food
Image Source / NPR
What would be labelled and an eating disorder in today’s society, Elvis’ obsession with food and eating unhealthily was branded disgusting and greedy. Elvis’ eating habits became as talked about as his music, and can be used as an explanation for his early death at just aged 42. In the early 1970’s, doctors put Elvis into a medically induced coma to help him lose weight, as his habits were so out of control.
9. He Had An Awful Temper
Image Source / Billboard
Priscilla Presley was the gateway into the secrets of Elvis, and one point she made very known was his bad tempers. He would fire gunshots when he didn’t like what was on the tv, and Priscilla’s tell-all book revealed that she was given a black eye from Elvis when he threw a chair after she sung a song he didn’t approve of.
9. He Shot At Girlfriend, Ginger Alden
Image Source / Showbiz Cheat Sheet
After meeting Ginger Alden during a tour of his home, Graceland, she would become the final love in Presley’s life before his death in 1977. Their relationship was just as volatile as his previous ones, if not more. After a conversion between the pair about his excessive consumption of yogurt, Alden was awakened by a gunshot, and while it didn’t hit her, it struck the headboard of the bed she was sleeping in.
10. The Death Of Elvis
Image Source / The Independent
Its no secret that Elvis passed away at 42 years of age, but the details may go amiss. On the afternoon of August 16, 1977, Presley was found unconscious on the toilet by his fiancé Ginger Alden in his home, Graceland after suffering a heart attack. He was taken to hospital and was pronounced dead that same day. His addiction to prescription medication and his poor habits with food are the driving forces of Elvis’ demise.
11. He Had Strange Habits In The Bedroom
Image Source / Medium
Branded the womaniser of the time, the reality of Presley is far from it. Aside from entanglements with underaged girls, his sex life was just down right weird! He would ask girls to only wear white underwear as he deemed it pure, and never made love to his wife Priscilla after she gave birth to their daughter, or any woman who had given birth. Many famous women who had shared a bedroom with Elvis were quoted to have left feeling unsatisfied; one American actress was quoted saying this, after spending the night with Elvis: “he can sing, but he can’t do much else”.
12. He Would Drug Priscilla
Image Source / YouTube
Priscilla Presley moved in with Elvis when she was just 15, where they would spend weeks in bed together at a time. On one occasion, Elvis gave Priscilla a dose of drugs to help her sleep; this dose would knock her out for days, nearly causing her death. To make it up to her, Elvis promised to gift her a new pet after refusing to call a doctor during her overdose.
15. Elvis’ Last Words
Image Source / Discogs
Elvis was found dead in his home by his then fiancé Ginger Alden, who relayed his last ever words. After taking lots of medication to help with insomnia, Elvis told Alden that he was going to the toilet; as he suffered from constipation, he would often spend long periods of time in the bathroom. After Ginger told him not to fall asleep on the toilet, his last words were “I won’t”.
16. History Of Racism
Image Source / Rolling Stone
Elvis took inspiration from his music predominantly from black artists and rarely credited them when covering songs, and would take elements of the music from that community and using it in his own work. He rocketed to stardom as a white man using black artists music styles. He was also quoted saying “The only thing a Black woman can do for me is buy my records and shine my shoes” even though he lived off black music. He was resented by a lot of the black community.
17. He Grew Up Extremely Poor
Image Source / Pinterest
Before fame, Elvis and his family were extremely poor. His father spent time in prison for forging a cheque and provided for his family by working as a part time truck driver whilst his mum stayed at home to be a housewife. This unstable income was tough for the family, and Elvis often had to help with finances from a very young age. The family moved around in attempts to gain better opportunities and Elvis was the first from his family to gain a high school diploma.
18. He Was Extremely Shy
Image Source / Vintro Merch
As a young boy before fame, Elvis was extremely shy. At school, he was a bit of a loner, and his mother would walk him to school every morning with his hand clenched to hers, as he was two nervous to go alone. Jimmy Denson, who was Elvis’ bodyguard during his school years, said this: “He was taunted and screamed at by the other children who called him a mama's baby, and when the acne began, it was even worse”.
19. Elvis’ Manager Was An Illegal Immigrant
Image Source / South China Morning Post
Known as Elvis’ manager throughout the entirety of his career, Colonel Tom Parker, was not at all the man he was thought to be. Parker was actually Andreas Cornelis Van Kuijk, who was born in the Netherlands and arrived to the US as an illegal immigrant at aged 20. Because of this, Elvis was never allowed to tour outside of the US as his manager was unable to leave the county.
20. He Was A Massive Germaphobe
Image Source / Rolling Stone
Ex-wife of Elvis, Priscilla Presley, reported that Elvis was quite the germaphobe. He would take his own silverware to restaurants, and as a couple, would rarely eat at other peoples houses due to his issues with using other peoples cutlery. He would even drink out of mugs where the handle is, as it was likely that no one else had drank from that part of the mug.
21. He Would Play Dress Up
Image Source / Colorado Public Radio
Elvis was always fascinated with the police force and it was thought that if he hadn’t had become a musician, we would have been a police officer. In the 1970’s, he would live his fantasy of being a police officer by wearing the uniform and pulling over speeding cars; he would lecture them on their speeding, give them an autograph, then leave. He even had a blue flashing light that he would put on top of his vehicle when carrying this out.
22. He Was Initially Turned Down
Image Source / Pinterest
This is Elvis at age 19. During this time, his initial attempt to enter the music industry was a massive fail. He auditioned to join ‘Songfellows’, a gospel quartet who turned him down. However at this time, we was already mildly known in the Memphis music scene, so didn’t overly struggle to come back from his rejection.
23. He Was Drafted Into The Army
Image Source / Biography (Bio.)
During his rocket to stardom, Elvis received his draft notice for the United States Army. At this point, Presley was already the most popular man in show business so it came as a shock to many. Fans sent thousands of letters to the US Army pleading for Elvis to be spared, but he wanted to go. Before he left, his haircut was branded inappropriate, so was shaved all off; Elvis served the whole two years he was required to.
24. The Death Of His Mother Taking A Toll
Image Source / NZ Herland
As already clarified, Elvis and his mother Gladys had a very tight knit relationship, more than most parents and their children, so her death in 1958 took a lifelong toll on Elvis. Gladys passed a way due to a heart attack with the main contributing factor being liver failure due to alcohol poisoning. Details surrounding his mothers death reported that Elvis sobbed at the hospital, quoting “She was all we lived for...It broke my heart. She was always my best girl”. Reporters also stated that during his mothers funeral, the King Of Rock was near hysteria, and could barely walk.
25. He Refused To Look At Priscilla Without Makeup
Image Source / People
Elvis and Priscilla’s relationship proved to be volatile once again. It is confirmed by Priscilla that her late husband had very high expectations of her, as well as controlling her every move, there would also be consequences if she didn’t fit his standards of presentability. To avoid these consequences, Elvis never saw Priscilla without makeup on.
26. He Suffered From Stage Fright
Image Source / Graceland
It may come as a surprise as Elvis was one of the most confident looking performers in history, but he suffered from a bad case of stage fright. He was so nervous during his first performances in the 50’s, that his legs would shake which led to the notorious Elvis dance moves that we all know; he would dance erratically to mask his nerves.
27. Thieves Tried To Steal His Coffin
Image Source / The Mirror
Although not part of his lifetime, Elvis’ legacy was tainted when thieves attempted to steal his coffin just days after his funeral took place in 1977. Three men were arrested at the cemetery before their act could take place; one criminal explained that they would each be paid $40,000 to steal the body, then it would be held ransom for an intended $10 million from the family.
28. He Forced Himself On Priscilla
Image Source / E Online
When Priscilla admitted her affair on Elvis, he punished her in a way that is completely inappropriate and today, illegal. Elvis forced himself upon Priscilla, exclaiming “this is how a real man makes love to a woman”. Although she still claims that they had a very loving relationship with one another, the abuse she suffered shocked the world.
29. He Dated Dixie Locke At Aged 14
Image Source / Country Living Magazine
Before was Elvis as we know him, the 18 year old began dating Dixie Locke when she was just 15. They first met one another at a service at the First Assembly of God church 1953. When Elvis’ fame began to skyrocket, they never sat down to have a formal breakup, instead, she just let him go to achieve his dream. This now very illegal relationship between the pair was celebrated at the time between the families, Elvis’ mum even treating her like the daughter she never had.
30. He was Believed To Have Faked His Own Death
Image Source / TIME
This has been branded by conspiracy theorists as one of the biggest conspiracy theories of all time. Many sightings of the late singer have been reported since his death, leading many to believe he couldn’t handle the fame anymore so faked his own death to live an ordinary life. On the day of his death, it was reported that a man under the name Jon Burrows bought a one-way ticket to Buenos Aires from Memphis, a pseudonym that Elvis used frequently when checking into different hotels. Is Elvis really dead? Yes. However, you make up your own mind.
31. He almost died as a baby
Image Source / vintagNot many people are aware that Elvis Presley almost died as a baby when he was just 15 months old. A huge tornado hit his hometown and baby Elvis was very almost caught up in it. Fortunately, him and his family survived the incident, but it was a close call.
32. Hye dyed his eyelashes
Image Source / PinterestElvis used to not only have blonde fair hair, but this meant his eyelashes were also the same. So, his dark features are actually just an illusion as we have discovered was much of his fame. He used to dye his eyelashes to make them dark so that his eye colour would stand out.
33. He only trusted one man only with his hair
Image Source / hollywoodtreasuresThere was one man, and one man only who was entrusted with the iconic hair of Elvis Presley. The person behind his style. It was actually his mother's hairdresser who he used to use as a child and, once he trusted him to create the exact look he wanted he never had anybody other than Mr. Gill doing his hair.
34. He loved to collect guns and rifles
Image Source / flickrThere were many dark sides to Elvis Presley, and one of these is his fascination with guns. Not only did he just like guns he also collected them, and he had a fair few in his collection. Guns, pistols, rifles...Elvis Presley was interested in them all.
35. He hated Mel Torme or Robert Goulet
Image Source / thevontagenewsNow Elvis Presley truly hated both Mel Tourme and Robert Goulet. And not just a little bit, or a mild dislike. No, he would actually sometimes shoot at the TV screen when they appeared on the screen before him with one of his guns from his collection.
36. He received death threats
Image Source / truehollywoodtalkMany very high-profile celebrities can come under fire from crazed fans. Presley was no exceptions, particularly considering he could be seen as a controversial figure. He received a kidnap and assassination threat which made him live his life more fearfully.
37. He would perform with a pistol in his boots
Image Source / americaremembersThis is one of Elvis's pistols that he had in his collection. This one was one of his favourites. Ever since he received death threats which scared him, Elvis would carry a pistol in his boots whilst he was performing on stage in case there was ever an emergency.
38. A book revealed everything about Elvis
Image Source / catawikiJust a couple of weeks before the death of Elvis Presley, one of his former bodyguards published a book called Elvis: What happened? It revealed many things that nobody had known about him, including some of his secrets. He tried to stop the release however it did not work.
39. His physician was found to be responsible for his death
Image Source / thecommercialenquirerThe physician of Presley was found to have prescribed thousands of narcotics, as well as amphetamines and also sedatives within just a few months. In fact, at one time he had his license suspended for 3 months and then in the 90s it was permanently taken away.
40. Elvis had expected to die at the same age as his mother
Image Source / OldsoulretroIt seems that Elvis premature death was not as shocking as it would have been to Elvis, as it was to his fans at the time. For some reason. Elvis Presley had always been convinced that he would die in his 40s because that was the age that his mother died.
41. His autopsy tools were sold
Image Source / Emirates247The tools from his autopsy were set to be sold at an auction. The decision was met with controversy given that these tools were used to determine the death of a man. In fact, in the end they were stopped from being sold at an auction. Not because it is morally wrong, but because they could not prove they were legitimate.
42. He had a strong desire to stay young
Image Source / PinterestElvis had a very strong desire to stay young and keep his good looks and the handsomeness of his youth. But not the usual amount, he became stuck on it. In fact, when he reached his 40s, he had a secret facelift to try and make his face appear younger again.
43. Paranoid of Pricilla's lover
Image Source / PinterestHis wife Priscilla had a lover named Mike Stone. Presley was on stage one time when people tried to attack him, and he became convinced it was because of Mike Stone, He even revealed that he wanted him dead because he could not rest. His fascination became extreme.
44. His lover's secret pregnancy
Image Source / PinterestAs a result of his affair with Joyce Bova, she ended up falling pregnant with Elvis Presley's baby. She decided that she would secretly have an abortion, and never informed Elvis that there was ever a pregnancy. So, he remained unaware that she had ever had an abortion.
45. His daughter was part of Scientology
Image Source / ClassicrockworldElvis Presley's daughter Lisa Marie Presley joined Scientology. Her mother was also in the group and her daughter then continued to join the group too. In the end, she became disillusioned by them and decided to leave, although her mother and daughter decided to stay.
46. And she also struggled with drugs...
Image Source / likeitviralShe also went through her life with struggles. She had always had a complicated life in terms of her mother and father splitting, and her father's troubles as well as his extreme fame. Lisa Presley battled with drugs and drug addiction for a long time.
47. He met with the president
Image Source / Rolling StoneElvis Presley had the honour to meet the president at the time. But Elvis Presley went on to ask the President for an award during their meet. In fact, he claimed that he actually felt uncomfortable during the meeting and warned Presley that he had a good opportunity to make an impression on young people.
48. Elvis was barely functioning during his last performances
Image Source / ElvischaosperformanceElvis Presley loved to perform, right up until he could not even manage it any longer. Durning his last performances he could barely carry on. His manager found him collapsed onto a chair during a quick break and he still insisted he would go out and perform.
49. He was obsessed with James Dean
Image Source / fanpopElvis Presley loved James Dean; he was pretty much obsessed with him. The two of the were friends. But Presley had spent years replicating Dean's image and his bad boy aura which Presley tried to copy. Much of his image is due to his inspiration from James Dean.
50. Someone drove into a crowd at his funeral
Image Source / Houston ChronicleDuring Presley's funeral there were thousands of people there. Of course, most fans were outside paying their respects and queuing to see the car drive passed. But a man drove his car into the crowds intentionally and hit three women, killing two of them.
