Truth behind Elvis Presley’s death exposed on music icon's 90th birthday after 'gruesome' myths

Elvis Presley's death at 42 stunned the world in 1977. However, in the years since, rumours have since spread about his cause of death and an expert plans to debunk those myths

On what would have been the 90th birthday of Elvis Presley, he will forever be remembered as the King of Rock n Roll.

Fans across the globe continue to mourn - and celebrate - the iconic musician's life following his tragic death aged just 42. His passing sent shockwaves around the world when the Suspicious Minds singer died at his Memphis home, Graceland, on August 16, 1977.

In the years that have followed, a number of theories surrounding his death continue to hit the headlines. However, for one Elvis expert, the myths have now been debunked, with author Sally A Hoedel intent on setting the record straight. The author of Destined to Die Young has carried out extensive research in a bid to get to the bottom of Elvis' demise and try to halt all the "sensationalised" stories that have continued to follow the star since his passing.

Speaking to The Mirror, Sally revealed anyone eagerly awaiting the star's autopsy to be "released" in 2027 will be hugely disappointed. Instead, she says it is actually already available. She told us: "The myth of the autopsy report being released in 2027 continues to plague him. First, it suggests some smoking gun, which is just not the case. Second, it is a private family document and they will not be required to release it upon the 50th anniversary of his death. I believe this rumour began just over pure confusion.

"According to Tennessee State Law, it is the death certificate that will be made public in 2027, not the autopsy report. The autopsy report and its contents are very much public already...there is no big mystery waiting to be revealed."

Doubling down on her point, Sally described how Elvis' death wasn't quite the "gruesome" and "dramatic" demise that many continue to claim. While she said his drug abuse and unhealthy lifestyle certainly wouldn't have aided his health, she claimed his passing could have been more closely linked with a genetic issue.

"The simplistic idea is that it was a drug overdose and that he ate himself to death," she went on. "Both are as far from the truth as you can get. There's absolutely zero evidence of a drug overdose death; zero. It was a very quick heart-related issue."

While Sally continued to say Elvis "absolutely" had a medication problem, she said his genetics would have likely meant his life was destined to end prematurely.

Opening up on his health issues being linked with a genetic condition, Sally said: "I don't think he would have had a long life, given everything that was wrong with him and especially the heart and liver disorder that is present in his family. The heart issue is not necessarily recognisable. We don't know what that is, but it's absolutely precedent. We see it in the family, even his father died young. There is young related death on the Presley side of the family, too."

She explained how she tried to dive into why such a young person like Elvis had a number of geriatric diseases. "It's not normal for a 30-something-year-old to have glaucoma. It's normally genetic in nature if you get it that young," she said. "So, researching it and discovering his maternal grandparents were first cousins - that doubling of the gene pool creates a lot of issues and we see it, and it makes sense, right?

"It's been talked about before I talked about it, but it was always talked about in a sensationalised way as opposed to what would the consequences be of that marriage? Because they're very real. And we see it in Gladys, his mother, and three of her brothers and then by the time it gets to Elvis, in my opinion, just from a common sense standpoint, but certainly a scientific one. It's just undeniable that there are factors there and consequences so his mother dies at 46."

Gladys, Elvis' mother died of a heart attack, but Sally says her doctor had also been at a loss as to what her liver disease was, with Sally also saying this had to play a big part in her death. Sally went on to discuss Elvis' mother's brothers' deaths at a young age too, at 46, 49, and 59, all from liver, heart, and lung-related illnesses.

Sally also revealed through her in-depth research that by the time Elvis died in 1977, he had a disease or disorder in 9 of the 11 systems of the body. She said she has unearthed evidence and testimony that shows at least five of those were present prior to fame and most likely since birth, proving that Elvis’ death was most certainly heart-related and not drug-related.

Destined to Die Young by Sally A Hoedel is available to buy in the UK at Strictly Elvis, and in the US at Elvis Author.

A version of this story was first published on February 17, 2024.

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