Years pass, the death of some entertainment icons continues to attract the most curious, not least because in many cases, life and even disappearance are surrounded by mysteries and “unsolved affairs”. One such case is Elvis Presley, one of the most important cultural symbols of the 20th century, who died in 1977 at the age of 42.
To this day, the cause of death of the rock king is the subject of controversy and conspiracy theories. The most common conclusion is that the singer died from a sudden cardiac arrhythmia caused by a drug overdose. In fact, the day after his death, The New York Times spoke to his medical examiner Dr. Jerry Francisco, who examined the corpse for about two hours and said that initial tests had already pointed to this cause as the cause of death.
However, almost 45 years later, a new theory appears that refutes the general thesis that the singer’s health problems are related to his drug addiction. The theory appears in a biography entitled Elvis: Destined to Die Young. According to the author, journalist, historian and Presley fan Sally Hoed, the rock and roll star was “destined to die” because she inherited several genetic diseases on the maternal side – Elvis’s grandparents were direct cousins. Hence, according to the new book, Elvis Presley’s death will ultimately be linked to the treatment of the congenital diseases he suffered from.
In an interview with Sally Hode, the British newspaper Observer, the writer stressed that three of Elvis Presley’s uncles died at a young age, and the singer’s mother, Gladys, died at 46 (only four years older than her son).
“They had a similar four-year period of degenerative health, which is interesting because she wasn’t taking the same medications,” Hode explained. In the same interview, the author admitted that she began to study the medical history of Elvis Presley in order to “clear the artist’s image.” “It is not enough to say that the person who culturally changed our universe died of an overdose. This is inaccurate and not enough. Elvis was a sick man who hid many of his weaknesses in order to fill concert halls and support his family. By examining your flaws and health problems, perhaps we can see your humanity again, ”said the author, explaining that Presley suffered from diseases in nine of the eleven body systems.
