An author has claimed in a biography that Elvis Presley’s premature death was unavoidable and brought on by genetic flaws caused by incest in his family tree.
In Elvis: Destined to Die Young, Sally Hoedel claimed Elvis’ premature demise from a heart attack at 42 was a foregone conclusion brought on by flawed genes handed down from his maternal grandparents, who married despite being first cousins.
Sally Hoedel, a lifelong fan of Elvis Presley, told a newspaper outlet she was motivated to research the book after noticing similarities between the rocker’s demise and the demise of his mother Gladys Presley, who also died in her forties.
Much like Elvis Presley, Gladys suffered a sudden period of intense health decline and substance abuse, leading to her demise at 46 of heart failure.
Gladys’ three brothers also died at similar ages to her of heart or lung-related illnesses.
Sally Hoedel said that it ceased being a coincidence by the time it got to Elvis Presley because there was so much going on in that family tree.
Elvis Presley was discovered dead in his Memphis, Tennessee bathroom on August 16, 1977. His demise was officially ruled as being caused by cardiac arrest, but the role drug use played in bringing that about has long been subject to controversy.
Elvis Presley was known to have become addicted to multiple prescription medications throughout the 1970s trying to cope with the demands of a decade of famously gruelling touring.
But in her book, Sally Hoedel claimed Elvis Presley’s decline was not driven by overindulgence or reckless drug use, but that he was overprescribed medication to mitigate illnesses he’d already developed and was being exasperated by his tour demands.
She said that Elvis had various health problems but he concealed them so well that over-medication is what we remember now. He often took too much, and there were issues there, but you have to question why he was taking those pills in the first place.
Sally Hoedel argued the clues to understanding Elvis Presley’s death lay in his mother, whose demise came almost 19 years to the day before her sons.
Like Elvis, Gladys’ health deteriorated unexpectedly and rapidly in her 40s. She also developed a substance abuse problem of her own, dying as a drunk on August 14, 1958, days before her son was due to begin his military service in Germany.
I’m guessing that out of this a new film about Elvis’s life will appear, with all the insects and malicious stories, but the fact is he was a legend and always will be.
His mother always looked so glum though. I don’t believe that I’ve ever seen a photograph of her smiling.
And whether the steady diet of high-grade drugs on which Elvis was dependent, wasn’t a factor. Or the fried sandwiches and huge burgers that blocked his arteries, no, evidently it was all predestined by his DNA.
Elvis Presley was such a wonderfully handsome man, and it’s such a shame what happened to him, and clearly, it wasn’t his family DNA that was the issue. Food was his addiction along with the medication that he was taking, and sadly addiction is an extremely bad habit that’s very hard to kick.
The man has been dead for 45 years, I believe it’s time to let the poor man be because it actually doesn’t matter now.
Maybe it’s not good marrying your first cousin, but I believe that his addiction to medication and extremely unhealthy lifestyle was a huge factor in his demise. Sadly he didn’t really have anyone to look out for him apart from those that benefitted, and his death was a tragic ending.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 