“I do not feel good”
Elvis Presley continued to push himself physically in 1977 as he prepared for another tour. The entertainer was still a profitable draw as loyal fans flocked to see the king of rock and roll live. However, during this period, Presley struggled with poor health. The ‘Elvis: Destined to Die’ author says Presley claimed “I don’t feel well” ahead of his final scheduled tour, which is set to begin the day after his death on Aug. 16.
Between 1976 and 1977, Elvis Presley gave more than 140 concert dates
Between mid-March 1976 and the end of June 1977, a period of less than 16 months, Elvis spent 141 days touring the country, ten days in Lake Tahoe and 11 days in Las Vegas.
The King’s last concert was at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis on June 26, 1977, reported smooth radio.
During breaks in the grueling schedule, Presley faced several problematic issues. These included the blood release of “Elvis, What Happened?” by Red West, his cousin Sonny West and David Hebler as told to Steve Dunleavy. The Wests and Hebler were former bodyguards who allegedly criticized Presley’s drug addiction.
Presley also faced health issues, including those brought on by his drug addiction.
Elvis Presley claimed ‘I don’t feel well’ before his death, author says
Sally A. Hoedel, author of “Elvis: Destined to Die,” said Fox News Digital the artist was ill during the last years of his life.
“We find it hard to imagine [that he was in physical pain] because it once seemed so perfect on the outside that it couldn’t have been flawed on the inside,” Hoedel wrote.
Hoedel reportedly spoke to numerous sources close to Presley. She had the “privilege of seeing material that people haven’t seen and used it for the research aspects of this book”.
The author revealed that Presley confided in backup vocalist Kathy Westmoreland and said “his eyes were a constant source of pain as well as other ailments.”
“It’s documented that just before leaving for his last tour, he had phone conversations with several people where he said, ‘I don’t feel well,'” Hoedel explained.
“He was encouraged to cancel the tour. And he was like, ‘I can’t. Everyone is counting on me. I have to do the payroll, you know? He had such an obligation as a supplier. Presley lifted his entire family out of poverty, which has always remained with him. So when he was sick, he didn’t stop like he should have. He just took more meds to keep going.
Despite poor health, Presley had a strong work ethic, author says
Presley pushed himself even as his health deteriorated, Hoedel claims.
“Elvis had an incredible work ethic,” the author told Fox.
“When he played in Vegas, he played two shows a day for 30 days. That’s 60 shows. But his immune system wasn’t fighting off the infection like it should have. He often had a fever and symptoms people assumed, ‘Well, that’s just an excuse to get some medicine.’ But he had this problem with fighting infection, and there’s evidence of that time and time again.
In “Elvis: Destined to Die”, Hoedel wrote that in 1977 an event occurred documented in the feature film Elviswith Austin Butler and Tom Hanks.
A semi-conscious Presley had his head dunked in a bucket of ice water so he could perform.
His manager, Colonel Tom Parker, reportedly shouted, “The only important thing is that he’s on stage tonight!”
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