Elvis Presley passed away on August 16, 1977, in one of the darkest days in music. Presley died at his Graceland home that day, alone in the bathroom, with fiancé Ginger Alden sleeping in the next room. Happy last week of his life? How did he spend it? Here are the details.
Elvis Presley gave his last live performance in June 1977
Presley’s last live performance was on June 26, 1977, at the Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. According to LiveAbout, 18,000 fans attended the event.
The website reported that during the concert, Presley appeared “pale, frail and overweight.” However, he went through a list of his most famous songs, including “See See Rider”, “Jailhouse Rock”, “Little Sister”, “Hound Dog” and “Can’t Help Falling in Love”.
For this particular concert, Presley strayed from his usual rhetoric. Often, he shares the names of his bandmates and backup singers. However, he “introduced almost everyone in his life on stage” that night, writing on the website, in a departure from his usual audience jokes.
How did Elvis Presley spend the last week of his life?
In an editorial about Presley’s funeral, Rolling Stone reported that Elvis’ last week alive was a happy one. He was visiting Graceland with Lisa Marie, Priscilla Presley’s daughter, two weeks before the new school year.
So Presley wanted to do something special for his nine-year-old daughter. On August 7, 1977, Elvis rented his local amusement park, Libertyland, overnight. During that time, Lisa Marie, Alden, Presley and his friends owned the park alone. During the week, Presley, Alden and Lisa Marie attended a screening of the James Bond film “The Spy Who Loved Me” at a local theater, according to Elvis Music.
Presley reportedly swam in Graceland’s pool the week before his death and played his favorite game, squash, every day. He’s gearing up for an upcoming tour date, and he’s reportedly not bothered by the release of his new book, “Elvis, What Happened?” Steve Dunleavy. The account, which appeared on the shelves two weeks before Presley’s death, is based on the personal accounts of three of Elvis’ former bodyguards, Sonny and Redwest, and David Hebrer.
The documentary Elvis Presley: The Last 24 Hours revealed that Presley spent the last 24 hours at the dentist on the day of his death, playing squash and piano. Alden said the last time she saw the entertainer was when he went into the bathroom to read a book. On August 16, 1977, around 2pm, she found his lifeless body in the same room. Presley was pronounced dead at 3:30 p.m. at Baptist Memorial Hospital.
Booking site for trips that did not take place
This year, we’re celebrating the 50th anniversary of Elvis’ documentary, “The Elvis Tour.” This documentary follows Elvis on a tour of 15 cities in the United States in April 1972. #elvis presley #ElvisonTour #travel #icon #Record pic.twitter.com/tian4qPxDc
— Elvis (@ElvisPresley) October 2, 2022
Presley’s tour was scheduled to begin on August 17, beginning with a performance at the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, Maine. In Utica and Syracuse, New York, Stops is close behind.
Dating in Hartford, CT, then Uniondale, NY. The tour traveled to Lexington, Kentucky and Roanoke, Virginia. Finally, on Aug. 25, Presley is scheduled for two homecoming performances in Fayetteville, Tennessee, Asheville, North Carolina, and South Central Coliseum in Memphis.
RELATED: Graceland Guards Stopped Bruce Springsteen After ‘Jumping the Wall’ and ‘Running Up the Lane’ to Meet Elvis