The call, from Elvis road manager Joe Esposito. Jesse Garons remains were never moved to Memphis. For security reasons, Elvis was always ensconced on the end of the 18th floor. And both West and Hebler appeared at a press conference on the day after Elvis death. TimesMojo is a social question-and-answer website where you can get all the answers to your questions. No one expected it. Except when it came to what you hear on those records. Adding to the congestion of people were 16,000 Shriners in town for a convention. British Press said: KING ELVIS DEAD AT 42 AND ALONE. I ran into this guy who worked in a drugstore in Detroit. Half an hour later, on the steps of Graceland a grief stricken Vernon announced to the world:My son, Elvis is dead, Memphis Press Scimitar announced: LONELY LIFE ENDS ON ELVIS PRESLEY BOULEVARD The French headlines read: LADIEU A ELVIS! Marion Keiske Who Discovered Elvis Presley? Priscilla Presley has reopened her feud with the woman who was engaged to Elvis at the time of his death in 1977, Ginger Alden - and Hollywood insiders say she won't back down! She looks like she was a sweet girl. Did Ginger Alden go to Elvis funeral? heart failure Gladys Presley was only 46 when she died, after being hospitalized with hepatitis in 1958, when Elvis was undergoing basic training at Fort Hood, Texas, after being drafted into the Army. To this day, he is still buried in an unmarked grave in Tupelo. The fee for this exploit was--depending on who one talks to--somewhere between $35,000 and $75,000. "I'm living it, really," she said."Especially in this footage in this film, it's just been so heartwarming and quite emotional in every way." Already teary-eyed, Priscilla fought to hold back her tears when she was asked to share her memories of Elvis' funeral. Here is a rarely seen interview with Ginger Alden, discussing her relationship with Elvis and the circumstances surrounding his death. Ginger and Elvis and ed Parker. For the record, Ginger Alden was just out of her teens when she met Elvis at Graceland on November 19, 1976. The excitement of those visits, said Elliott, never prepared him for the events of Aug. 16, 1977. The photo also so angered Elvis entourage that a private detective was hired to unmask the culprit--now said to be a black sheep.. Particularly featured was Heavenly Father.. Like the one in the Washington Posts Style section: ALL SHOOK UP ON THE DAY THE 50s DIED. She recalled the little moments she had shared with a young Lisa Marie, who had been around 8-9. Elvis Presley tragically died in his home, Graceland, on August 16, 1977. Which Teeth Are Normally Considered Anodontia. Like Bill E. Burk, reporter/columnist with the now-defunct Memphis Press-Scimitar. Elvis had the arteries of an 80-year-old man, a Baptist Hospital employee said. . Co-authors Sonny West and Dave Hebler also did some talking. Here's the full interview as first printed in Good Housekeeping, January 1978. For three and a half hours, fans filed by the open coffin to catch a glimpse of Elvis, who was dressed in cream-colored suit, blue shirt and striped tie. Elvis Presley: Funeral in Memphis, Page 1 of 3. Of those things Elvis might not have liked said about him, Phillips mused: Honey, listen, Elvis Presley was as full of faults as any damn human being walking on this earth. So the rush was on. Part of that protection was not talking about the drugs. said that someone was having trouble breathing at Graceland. The job escalated each time Elvis Presley checked in. Miss Alden, wearing the black dress she wore only hours earlier to the funeral, said she wanted to convince herself Presley was not dead. Ginger Alden, his fiance at the time, found him on his bathroom floor where he had been for hours. He had planned to announce their engagement publicly on his upcoming tour in Memphis; sadly, he died before this could happen. On August 7th, Elvis had rented Libertyland, a local amusement park, from midnight till dawn. We just knew we wanted everything to run smoothly. .. But Presley had many other loves in his life, including Ginger Alden, the beauty pageant queen to whom he was engaged at the time of his death in 1977. Elvis Presley, was still wearing her 11 1/2-carat diamond engagement ring as she recalled the final hours of the singer's life. The hospital called Vernon Presley to tell him that his son was dead. Elvis was to have begun a 12-city tour on Aug. 17, 1977. Charlie Hodge, Elvis longtime guitarist, kept a brush handy. During an appearance on Today Wednesday morning, Priscilla Presley reflected on the day of Elvis funeral an event that sent Memphis into mourning. Jordan Runtagh is an Executive Podcast Producer at iHeartRadio, where he hosts a slate of pop culture shows including Too Much Information, Inside the Studio, Off the Record and Rivals: Music's Greatest Feuds. Did Priscilla attend Elvis funeral? Ginger Alden who was Elvis' current girlfriend at the time of his death is selling her engagement ring which Elvis gave her. Well, God Almighty, when it came to Elvis Presley. The morgue was sealed off by tight security and the preliminary autopsy began, with every important doctor in the hospital present. But I do regret that Elvis is dead--Ill always regret that. He told me a story of how the two met one day on the way to the studio in the mid-60s. But fans and souvenir seekers frequently tampered with his grave, so Presley and his mother Gladys were moved to their current and so far, final resting place at Graceland. Meanwhile, over at the Commercial Appeal, Lawrence Buser managed to land an interview with Elvis final fiancee, Ginger Alden (who was also interviewed by the National Enquirer). Her father was an Army recruiter and her mother worked for the Internal Revenue Service. Wed always been such Kennedy supporters, you know. Elvis was very down-to-earth, Priscilla Presley, who met the star at age 14 and married him seven years later, once said. . "It's not always easy knowing all/what to say in moments sometimes but here goes," she wrote on Facebook. In 1976, she left Presley as Elvis began dating Mindi Miller from 1975 to 1976 and then Ginger Alden, his last serious girlfriend and the person who found his unresponsive body on the day he died. Ginger Alden, the dark-haired beauty who in five months was to become the next Mrs. Elvis Presley, was still wearing her 11 1/2-carat diamond engagement ring as she recalled the final hours of the singer's life. That amount in 1977 money is about $19.6 million in 2021 dollars. But the infamous musician was engaged to Ginger Alden before his death. Of Elvis problems with drugs, Klein stressed, They were prescription drugs--not illicit drugs., Not that he didnt have colorful exploits with Elvis. The moments of uncertainty began about 2:20 p.m. and passed like hours, Miss Alden said. His personal doctor, George Nichopoulos, was administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation. They began with a phone call from a nursing supervisor in the emergency room. Alden was reportedly the last person to see him alive, and she still has fond memories of her short time with The King. May you rest in peace Lisa. A headstone in his honor sits at Graceland. When the news broke that Elvis Presley passed away, it shook the world to its core. . Explained Joe Esposito, Wed always protected Elvis--OK? No matter that there was no room in the inn (the citys 9000 motel rooms were already overflowing with 16,000 conventioning Shriners), no matter that only a couple of thousand out of 75,000 got to view the regal body lying in state, no matter that only 200 or so close friends attended the services. Why isnt Elvis buried next to his mother? The next day, hundreds of beautiful floral arrangements lined the gates of Graceland as a way to honor the late rock-n-roll star. Alden notably didn't spend much time at Graceland, and did not want to move there. In their book, When Elvis Died, Neal and Janice Gregory revealed that Kennedy was actually on assignment for the New York Daily News. I think about her a lot., Joe Esposito wondered if the reporter was going to mention what a great friend Elvis was. Said Esposito, For all the things that have been said and written about him--and it seems as if thereve been a lot of negative things--what about the fact that he was a good friend. Elvis proposed to her in early 1977 with a diamond engagement ring. The tentative ruling was heart failure, but the autopsy was expected to continue for at least a week. But we certainly saw the journey he was taking.. When reporters for the National Enquirer, based in Lantana, Fla., boarded a specially chartered private plane for Memphis, they knew they had to get something that no other publication would have. Then he just got in his car and headed for Memphis. Elvis used Ginger's white Lincoln Continental during this 24 hour visit. Then came a request from Nichopoulos: He wanted to drive to Graceland to break the news to Vernon Presley. Just days after his death, Elvis Presley was buried in a cemetery in Memphis, Tenn. Presleys body was already blue. So we kept telling reporters that he was in respiratory distress--and we were working with him.. Although they werent together at the time of his passing, one of Elvis former flames had an emotional moment with Elvis father at the time of his funeral. How did Elvis mom die? However, she soon discovered that he had passed away and immediately felt struck with grieve over losing someone she loved dearly. Just look at her face, she is devastated she didn't care what she had on, the love of her life had just died, they hadn't been apart that long and maybe she was hoping they could . Seated in his office at Methodist Health Systems (just down the street from Baptist Memorial), where he is now executive vice president, Elliott recalled that on the day Elvis and Priscilla left the hospital, carrying newborn Lisa Marie, There was a face pressed against every single patient window of the 20-story hospital building. Mused Elliott, I always found that pretty amazing., It wasnt easy work having Elvis as a visitor: A little Elvis went a long way.. Ginger was one of the worst choices Elvis ever made, said Marty Lacker of the Memphis Mafia. There is no doubt that with Elvis' death rock n roll music died and the world would never be the same again. Elvis Presleys funeral, held on the 18th, was a modest affair, though attended by stars such as his Viva Las Vegas co-star Ann-Margret, James Brown, and actor George Hamilton. The two met on the set of the filmViva Las Vegasin 1964. West had already done a fight sequence and was in the midst of a scene that found his character, Sgt. Vernon (Presley, Elvis father) was especially touched., Soul man James Brown had already made an appearance. He was just 42 years old. Over the course of his career, he's profiled the surviving Beatles, Brian Wilson, Aretha Franklin, Roger Waters, David Byrne, Pete Townshend, Debbie Harry, Quincy Jones, Brian May, Jerry Lee Lewis, James Taylor and many more. His daughter and his companion, a local woman named Ginger Alden, and about 15 friends spent the. She also noted how special Lisa Marie was to her father and recalled a moment between her and Elvis where he commented on just how alike they were. Even in the middle of the almost hysterical adulation, though, persisted the nagging reports and speculations and rumors about the cause of death. But the infamous musician was engaged to Ginger Alden before his death. He was also at the hospital when his father suffered a heart attack and when his daughter, Lisa Marie, was born. You do it. , So Elliott made the announcement: And, to tell you the truth, Im not sure what all I said at the time., What followed was sort of a mad-dash-to-the-phone type of thing.. But the Elvis autopsy report was never made public--at the request of his family. So, of course, I asked him Why? And he looked at me and said, Well, man, its the king. Just like I should know., That is: It was as if the whole city of Memphis got together and worked to produce Elvis final show.. It happened in the early morning hours when a driver (later charged with manslaughter and drunken driving) charged into a crowd of mourners. (Her twentieth birthday was just six days earlier. Moreover, she has a pair of brown hazel eyes and brown color hair. For Thomas--whose coverage of Elvis death included getting into the mausoleum, where the body was first entombed--covering the story began with a visit to Graceland. Just after 2pm Tuesday, August 16, 1977 Ginger Alden found Elvis, face down, unconscious, on the floor in the bathroom at Graceland. Can you imagine what all went on? After Linda, The King briefly dated Mindi Miller before his last serious girlfriend in Ginger Alden. That is not an unusual complaint, since fans often faint outside the Presley mansion. The press descended like a flood. Elvis Presleys Ex-Girlfriend Claimed He Thought Affairs Were Different for Men I Was Deeply Hurt By His Need to Be With Other Women After Elvis Presley divorced Priscilla Presley, his wife of six years, in 1973, he began a four-year relationship with Linda Thompson. He was found in the room next door to the bedroom of his daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, by his girlfriend, Ginger Alden. In writing Elvis: What Happened?, West lost the friendship of some of the Memphis Mafia. And he is no longer in touch with Col. Tom Parker--with whom he had many disagreements over the management of Elvis career. There is an odd footnote to the legend of the coffin photo: After it was run, the photo disappeared from the Enquirer offices. The burial ground had initially been chosen as Elvis final resting place (He was ultimately moved to the Graceland grounds several months later following a plot to steal his body), and Murray positioned himself to take in the proceedings. Did Ginger Alden attend Elvis funeral? Calder is insistent: It was a terrific news photo at the time. After the hospital finally received its call from Graceland, where Vernon Presley had been told about his son, it was decided that Joe Esposito would officially announce the death to those members of the press (maybe 30 or so) who had already gathered at the hospital. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Ginger was living with Elvis Presley when he died on August 16, 1977. Elvis had Ginger's family flown in to Harrison, Arkansas where they drove 20 miles to Jasper, Arkansas for the services which took place in a very small church. Time magazine went with LAST STOP ON THE MYSTERY TRAIN. She has an estimated net worth of between $500k and $5 million as . And all of his family the distinction between blood relatives and employees long ago having become blurred continued, in the midst of their sorrow, to keep their cards close to their chests. As such, Kingsley scored a coup earlier this year when he accompanied the Colonel on a Mothers Day weekend visit to Graceland--the Colonels first return to Graceland since Elvis death.). TV news anchor Chuck H. Elvis lived in Memphis for 29 years. Ginger Alden, Presley's former fiance and final companion who found him dead in his bathroom in 1977, penned a tribute to the King of Rock and Roll's daughter, whom she had known for a short time before Elvis' untimely death. Sheila Ryan Caan, the most silent of Elvis' lovers to date, has written a new book on her relationship with Elvis and the three years she was the constant companion of the "King." The first national interview with Sheila aired on Entertainment Tonight on Friday, December 8, 2006. Ronald Leyser was 61 years old at the time of his death. He was so shy about admitting he even had a problem.. Elvis Presley, was still wearing her 11 1/2-carat diamond engagement ring as she recalled the final hours of . Likewise, there is no information available regarding Ron's physical appearance. Around 5 a.m. on the morning of August 16, 1977, Elvis Presley and fiancee Ginger Alden went to bed together, after spending much of the night awake despite Elvis trying to nod off with the aid of various prescription drugs, according to the Express. And thats what was going on with Elvis. Today, the Presley estate is estimated to be worth between $400 million and $500 million, according to one Presley exec. Like the Memphis woman whose house included an Elvis shrine, complete with stained glass portrait of Elvis and a red velvet altar. Dr. Nichopoulos finally pronounced Elvis Presley dead at 3:30 p.m. His body, which was becoming bloated, was moved to the hospital morgue on the second floor. Thats how Bob Kendall described the largest funeral ever held--anywhere--for a private citizen. Yet, Ginger still has an enormous diamond ring to prove he planned to marry her. Miss Alden, wearing the black dress she wore only hours earlier to the funeral, said she wanted to convince herself Presley was not dead. They were all staring at me and pointing. Due to the ferocious nature of the attorneys representing Elvis Presley Enterprises, the originating story of these photos cannot be told, but these photographs match in every detail the written descriptions of Graceland's upstairs rooms, as found in books authored by Ginger Alden, Joe Esposito, David Stanley, Red West and Priscilla herself. 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