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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Jane Lavender

Elvis Presley's tragic final words in the hours before his harrowing death

On the afternoon of August 16, 1977, the music world lost one of its greats - Elvis Presley was dead.

The King was found at his beloved Graceland home and was pronounced dead at 3:30pm. He was just 42 years old.

After finding huge fame two decades before, Elvis had suffered from a troubled final few years.

But the megastar from Memphis, Tennessee, could still pull in huge crowds desperate for a glimpse at the icon.

Still a teen when he burst into the spotlight, Elvis insisted on taking a break from his incredible career to serve time in the Army, where he met his wife Priscilla.

His talent wasn't limited to music, Elvis was also the star of some huge blockbuster films, with his fans flocking to the movies in droves to watch their idol on the big screen.

Elvis Presley with his wife Priscilla (Popperfoto/Getty Images)

However, in the years leading up to his death the Jailhouse Rock hitmaker had seen his health suffer.

As long before as 1973, when his marriage to Priscilla unravelled, Elvis spent three days in a hotel room in a coma after overdosing on barbiturates - the second overdose in less than a year.

Later that year The King was rushed to hospital because of his addiction to painkillers.

Elvis' increasing dependance on drugs was blamed on his relentless touring schedule, and several of his shows were marred by his health issues.

Nothing would make Elvis let his fans down though, and despite his ever worsening problems he insisted the show must go on.

Ann-Margret as Rusty Martin and Elvis Presley as Lucky Jackson in Viva Las Vegas (Getty)

Tony Brown, a keyboardist who played with The King, recalls Elvis falling out of a limousine when he arrived for a show at the University of Maryland three years before his death.

Guitarist John Wilkinson added: "It was obvious there was something terribly wrong with his body.

"It was so bad the words to the songs were barely intelligible. I remember crying, he could barely get through the introductions."

Ignoring the worried pleas of his band to cancel the tour and take a year out to recover, Elvis was determined to carry on.

Two years before his death, desperate to keep their biggest star working but aware of the strain his career was taking on him, Elvis' record label set up a recording studio at his home.

Prolific as ever, Elvis recorded six albums, although they failed to have the same impact on the charts as his earlier material.

Following his divorce, Elvis had also embarked on a new relationship with Ginger Alden, who he asked to marry him just two months after they met.

Elvis was also battling serious weight problems and his previously slim frame had ballooned to more than 25stone.

In the summer of the year he died, Elvis was bed-bound at his Graceland home and needed 24-hour nursing care.

Elvis in concert in Las Vegas in 1975 (Getty)

Following his tragically early death, an autopsy revealed the King had a grossly swollen heart which was twice the size it should have been and was in the advanced stages of cardiovascular disease.

Despite being a non-smoker all his life, Elvis' lungs were also filled with emphysema which would have made it almost impossible for him to breathe.

The Heartbreak Hotel star was also suffering from agonising digestive issues.

He had been prescribed almost 9,000 pills in the months leading up to his death and on the day of his passing had taken huge quantities to ease his pain.

On the morning of his death, Elvis woke and went to the bathroom, telling Ginger 'I'm going to the bathroom to read'. They would be the last words he would ever speak.

Ginger told him not to go to sleep in there and returned to sleep herself, leaving his bedside light on.

When she finally woke up and 2pm and realised her lover was not in bed bedside her and went to look for him.

After opening the bathroom door, she discovered the body of the global icon who was adored by millions - there was nothing to be done to save him.

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