Elvis Presley, often called the “King of Rock and Roll” made a big impact on the music world with his amazing performances and strong singing. Besides his music, people were also interested in how he looked, especially how his weight changed over time. This post takes a closer look at Elvis Presley’s weight gain, talking about the reasons behind these changes and how it affected his life, both personally and professionally.
How Much Weight Did Elvis Presley Gain?
Elvis is still remembered as one of the most influential and iconic figures in music history. Before the death, the globally renowned singer Elvis Presley gained an immense amount of weight and shocked his fans.
It is estimated that Elvis weighed around 350 pounds (159 kg) at the time of his death, which was about 180 pounds (82 kg) more than what he weighed a decade earlier.
Elvis was constantly worried about his weight. He neglected to take care of his physique even as he rose to fame across the country. Colonel Tom Parker, his manager, was quite worried about his weight when he first started acting.
What is the Reason Behind Elvis Presley Weight Gain?
Elvis’ initial weight gain was partly caused by his extremely unbalanced eating habits. Some of the possible causes of his weight gain were:
- His unhealthy eating habits such as consuming large amounts of fatty, sugary and fried foods.
- His excessive use of prescription drugs, especially sedatives and painkillers, which caused fluid retention and slowed down his metabolism.
- His emotional stress and depression, which were worsened by his divorce from Priscilla Presley in 1973 and his declining career.
Elvis was regarded as a “foodie.” During his life, he praised a number of foods, leading to the naming of dishes in his honor at restaurants all over the world. The Elvis sandwich made its way into popular culture, serving as a constant reminder of the impact his eating habits had on him. Elvis’ cousin Billy Smith told:
“Elvis liked sweets, and he loved to eat, period. […] In the sixties, he gained [weight] because he liked to eat too much, and the wrong things, like a pound of bacon and a six-egg omelet. Away from Hollywood, man, he ate like a stevedore.”
The prescription medication Elvis used was a key contributing factor in his weight gain. The singer used many “downers” which are medicines that calm or depress the user, such as barbiturates. Fike said about his friend’s weight gain:
“In ’70, he looked great. God, he was trim, and his cheekbones showed when he smiled. He was damn near gorgeous. But downers will put weight back on you pretty quick. Elvis loved downers, and he loved getting totally fucked up.”
According to Fike, Elvis’s drug use worsened after his divorce from Priscilla Beaulieu. Fike added:
“I think the divorce weakened his resolve. When all this brewed up, Elvis got more into downers and started gaining weight. […] he got into sleeping pills in a big way. Elvis loved downers. It was nothing for him to have all this stuff in his system at one time, like a Valium, a Placidyl, a Valmid, some Butabarb, phenobarbital — all of which are downers, sedatives — and some form of codeine. So, he started looking to other things — things past Percodan and liquid Demerol, even,”
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Is Elvis Presley’s Weight Gain is a Reason Behind His Death?
The singer’s then-fiance, Ginger Alden, discovered him on the toilet floor of his Graceland estate. Soon after being found, he was taken to the hospital, but sadly, he did not survive and was pronounced dead at 15:30.
Elvis Presley was a famous American singer and actor who died in 1977 at the age of 42. He suffered from various health problems, including obesity, which affected his appearance and performance. His weight gain was a visible sign of his deteriorating health condition, which resulted in a fatal heart attack.
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