On August 16, 1977, the world was shocked by the untimely death of Elvis Presley, who passed away at the age of 42 in his mansion, Graceland, located in Memphis, Tennessee. Fans from all over mourned the loss of the iconic singer, making their way to Graceland to pay their respects.
Presley was found unresponsive in the master suite bathroom by his then-fiancee, Ginger Alden. He was immediately rushed to the hospital, but unfortunately, he was pronounced dead at 3:30 p.m. The initial autopsy findings indicated that his death resulted from a ‘cardiac arrhythmia’ and ruled out drug involvement. However, later toxicology reports revealed that Elvis had extremely high levels of various opiates, including Dilaudid, Percodan, Demerol, and codeine, as well as Quaaludes in his blood.
Ginger Alden, in her 2015 memoir titled ‘Elvis and Ginger: Elvis Presley’s Fiancée and Last Love Finally Tells Her Story,’ said the following about the death of the King of Rock and Roll:
“I loved Elvis with all my heart, and I knew deep down he was a good person. I don’t think anyone could have saved him on that particular morning.”
Over the years, there have been various rumors surrounding Elvis’ death, including one alleging that the National Enquirer was alerted before he was found in the bathroom. In response to these claims, Ginger, in an interview with her sister Rosemary Alden, explained:
“Yes, It is long past time to shine the light of truth on what is a malevolent fabrication. I don’t see how the writer can live with himself knowing the lies and vicious rumors he has tried to spread about so many as a last-ditch sensationalistic grasp at making money off of his association with Elvis. There was no phone call made by my mother or myself to anyone dealing with a publication of any type on the day that Elvis died.”
She continued:
“I was stunned and heartbroken and am appalled that anyone would think differently. The day after Elvis’ death, our home was besieged by reporters from all branches of the media and tabloids trying to cover this tragedy. You can imagine the scene with more than 500,000 mourners and press from all over the world converging on Memphis. My mother turned everyone away at that time, protecting me as I told her I did not want to give any interviews.”
Ginger added, expressing how those rumors initially came about:
“I finally decided to grant an interview with our local paper to try and set the record straight after seeing Elvis’ road manager on our television stating he had found Elvis’ body. The tabloids had also returned to our doorstep, literally shouting at one another. Next, the National Enquirer told us that Elvis’ ex-girlfriend had given them a story, and they were going to print a story about Elvis’ death anyway, so that is how my interview in the National Enquirer came about.”
Reflecting more on the issue, she said:
“As distraught as I was at that time and not knowing what in the world would be said about Elvis, I consented to do an interview for the National Enquirer. I remember Elvis telling me when we first started dating that there would be a lot of people who would be jealous of our relationship. He also asked me if I could handle it. I naively answered yes. I never foresaw the kind of self-promoting denigration of his character and memory that has appeared in print and on television since his death.”
In another interview, Alden directly pointed to Dick Grob, an Elvis bodyguard, as the person responsible for spreading malicious lies. She expressed her belief that Grob’s intentions were driven by financial gain and emphasized the damaging impact such deceitful tales could have. She again denied any involvement in calling the National Enquirer, stating that she was heartbroken after finding Presley.
