Elvis Dies at 42: The King of Rock Is Gone
Elvis Presley was found unresponsive on his bathroom floor at Graceland on August 16, 1977, and was pronounced dead at Baptist Memorial Hospital. He was 42. The official cause was cardiac arrhythmia, but his system contained fourteen different drugs at the time of death, including codeine, morphine, and several barbiturates. Presley had revolutionized popular music in 1954 by blending Black rhythm and blues with white country at Sun Studios in Memphis. His hip-swiveling performances on television provoked moral panic and ratings records simultaneously. He sold over 500 million records worldwide. Eighty thousand fans filed past his casket at Graceland. The mansion became a museum and is now the second most-visited private home in America after the White House.
August 16, 1977
49 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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