Ginger Alden Speaks About Finding Elvis Presley Dead On The Toilet
Elvis Presley passed away at the age of 42 in August 1977 at his renowned residence in Graceland, Memphis. This event occurred approximately four years following his separation from Priscilla Presley, and at that time, he was in a relationship with 21-year-old Ginger Alden.
Ginger was the first to discover the “Heartbreak Hotel” singer, who was found unresponsive beside the toilet, with his arms resting on the floor, positioned close to his body and palms turned upward. In her 2014 memoir, Elvis and Ginger: Elvis Presley’s Fiancée and Last Love Finally Tells Her Story, Ginger, who was engaged to Elvis, recounted the traumatic experience in detail.
Ginger Alden recalls Elvis’ death
Upon discovering her unconscious partner on the bathroom floor, Ginger quickly rolled him over and noticed that the tip of his tongue was caught between his teeth, and his face appeared discolored. Dan Warlick, the chief investigator for the Tennessee Office of the State Chief Medical Examiner, indicated that Elvis likely passed away while exerting himself on the toilet.
According to Warlick, the intense effort Elvis exerted while attempting to defecate resulted in the compression of his abdominal aorta, leading to cardiac arrest. Coroner Joseph Davis supported this account, refuting allegations that Elvis’s death was caused by a drug overdose. Davis clarified that a drug-related death would typically involve a period of unconsciousness; however, the singer “fell forward onto the carpet, with his rear elevated, and was lifeless by the moment he reached the ground.”
Elvis did not place a strong emphasis on his health, particularly during the last ten years of his life. To meet the demands of his performances and the high expectations for his abilities, he frequently turned to substances such as opioids and sedatives, including barbiturates and benzodiazepines. His exercise routine was minimal, and he often indulged in unusual food pairings and rich meals, consuming items like deep-fried biscuits, sausage patties, fried bacon, multiple scrambled eggs, and excessive amounts of butter.
His weight dramatically increased, leading to the development of sores on his body, and he refused to bathe for months. Elvis chose to remain in bed, consuming high-calorie fast food, which resulted in chronic constipation, with stool remaining in his bowels for up to four months before his death. The singer frequently visited the hospital due to various ailments, including megacolon, emphysema, jaundice, bleeding ulcers, hepatitis, hypogammaglobulinemia, and several others. During his final performance at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, he appeared as a mere shadow of his once-healthy self, with a swollen and frail body. Approximately two months later, Ginger discovered him deceased in his mansion.
