ELVIS: A MAN'S SECRET ORDEAL

The medical astrology of Elvis Presley

On January 8, 2025, Elvis Presley would have been 90 years old. But, given his more than difficult congenital health conditions, it is doubtful he would have reached such a ripe old age even if he hadn’t been confronted with the pitfalls of the rock and roll lifestyle.

Few other superstars this side of Michael Jackson have been as viciously mocked, dehumanized and exploited by the tabloid press as Elvis. Since his passing in 1977, the obvious physical deterioration during the final years of his life has been continuous fodder for gossip magazines and has spawned more or less outlandish speculation. Malicious hacks like Albert Goldman wanted the public to believe that Elvis was a gluttonous addict spiraling into depression and degeneracy while becoming a pathetic caricature of himself, and they didn’t bother investigating what was actually going on with him.

The proof that tabloid “journalism” did a great job influencing public opinion can be found in practically every comment section on the internet: People who don’t even know the most basic facts about Elvis, and don’t care to, mindlessly repeat the myths they have been presented. From a detached observer’s standpoint, it’s fascinating to see the hive mind in action, and Elvis is a prime subject for its study. But was it really a horrendous diet and drug excess that can be blamed for Elvis’ death at only 42, as the gossip-saturated hive mind will exclaim in unison?

Maybe not everything is new to everyone who reads this, but apart from fans who are the most likely to be interested in detailed research, the average person or casual fan is probably much less aware of what I’m outlining here, if at all.

Before getting to my interpretation of the medical astrology, this article draws upon the invaluable and heretofore barely attempted research by journalist and author Sally A. Hoedel and her book Elvis: Destined To Die Young. Despite being a lifelong fan, she makes no attempt at romanticizing or sugarcoating, but lays out in a grounded, matter-of-fact way how Elvis’ health was severely compromised from birth due to his mother’s parents having been first cousins. Instead of deformations like those seen in certain inbred aristocrats, the infamous Habsburg jaw comes to mind, the results in Elvis’ family lay mostly hidden as ticking genetic time bombs, preventing a noticeable number of relatives from reaching old age. However, there were also relatives on the paternal side who died young due to their own congenital diseases. Elvis’ genes were a very unfortunate mix in terms of health, even though they produced a strikingly beautiful and gifted man.

Here’s the TL; DR version (too long, didn’t read): Due to a number of extremely serious genetic diseases and disorders that preceded fame, Elvis’ body required a certain baseline of medication just to be able to function normally. Over the years, it had to be tweaked and increased, which led to him becoming addicted on a physical and psychological level. In spite of the “burgers and drugs” not exactly having contributed to a healthy lifestyle, it is more than probable that he was indeed bound to die young due to his genetic makeup.

By all accounts, Elvis did not take recreational drugs to get high or crave prescription pills for a buzz. He needed medication to not die, simple as that, and addiction eventually came as an inevitable consequence. What came on top of that was frequent overdosing in a misguided attempt to self-medicate, and being somewhat deluded about the abilities of the pills, but given the medical understanding of the time, can you blame a medical amateur for not knowing then what doctors only know now? What the press portrayed as reckless, bizarre and decadent was, in fact, a man’s mounting desperation to ease his suffering, as flawed as his methods were.

While he certainly was no poster boy for lean cuisine, Elvis did not gorge himself to death on burgers or fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. His eating habits and prescription drug intake alone didn’t cause his heart to be twice the normal size. They also didn’t cause the fact that he was chronically constipated due to being born with a twisted colon (which developed into a highly toxic megacolon that must have become excruciating to endure).

Elvis had severe damage in 9 of the 11 systems in the body, and was born with serious disease in at least 5 of them. According to former backup singer and girlfriend Kathy Westmoreland, he knew as far back as 1970 that something was very wrong with his body. But he didn’t know what it was exactly, and neither did his doctors.

Elvis was usually very tight-lipped about his problems and would downplay them to anyone apart from a select few whom he trusted to not go blabbing to the press.

According to Hoedel and others, his secrecy concerning his health situation was the product of his upbringing where this topic was seen as strictly private, but also due to the fact that he tried to be the strong leader in front of his male entourage. But most of all, he felt obliged to provide for not only his immediate family, especially his beloved daughter Lisa Marie, but for the numerous relatives and friends that made up his circle which would further include musicians, singers and various other employees when he was on tour. Not least, he didn’t want to let his fans down.

The medical professionals cited by Hoedel, one of them Elvis’ former nurse, have concluded that it was not his infamous diet of burgers and Southern, deep-fried whathaveyou (as was grotesquely exaggerated by the unhinged hater Albert Goldman and those who followed his example) that caused his weight to balloon and his vitality to plummet so dramatically within the short span of 3 or so years. Elvis’ visible change towards a heavier figure began around 1972, during which time he not only began putting on extra weight, but was increasingly plagued by a variety of ailments, especially on tour. Before his 1973 Aloha From Hawaii concert, he underwent one of several questionable diets that put a massive strain on his body. However, he was still looking quite fit in 1974 and was not obese by any stretch of the imagination. He was also mostly in good spirits according to then-girlfriend Linda Thompson. His body was more like a so-called dad bod, with a bit of a belly as is typical of many men around the age of 40, but otherwise averagely slim.

The “fat“ he carried around in the 1970s, and tried to shed through dangerous crash diets, should more accurately be labeled as water retention and the symptoms of his increasingly malfunctioning colon, although no one is ignoring the fact that a not-so balanced diet won’t exactly make you thin. However, diet played a smaller role than generally assumed, even though it has become a widely perpetuated trope. Surgically tackling the colon problem was deemed very risky at the time in Elvis’ specific case, which is why he opted out.

Elvis’ rapid deterioration was eerily similar to his mother’s, who had died at age 46 from diseases brought on by the same genetic defects she had inherited from her parents’ union. In Baz Luhrman’s ELVIS movie and various biographies, Gladys Presley is portrayed as a morose alcoholic, but those who knew her were not aware of any alcohol consumption prior to the last year of her life, during which she took to drinking beers. It was also during this year that her normally high-strung, but upbeat personality slipped into despondency and paranoid anxiety, much like Elvis’ mental health had also been compromised during his final years. Concerning the latter, there is a lot of sensationalist claptrap that paints him as a Howard Hughes-like recluse who stopped taking baths and developed strange phobias. There are conflicting statements from so-called insiders ranging from, “he totally let himself go and did nothing but eat and watch TV all day”, while other (female) company was adamant that he never even so much as smelled bad and always looked after himself, because his ego and pride didn’t allow him to appear weak in front of others. Somewhat bizarre and erratic behaviours are definitely accounted for, but, as is so often the case, it’s not easy to draw the distinction between reality and exaggeration.

Here’s what was really wrong with Elvis, as per the medical professionals referenced in Hoedel’s book:

Resulting from the first cousin marriage of his maternal grandparents, Elvis was born with Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (first identified in 1963 and not diagnosed in Elvis during his lifetime).

Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (sometimes just called “Alpha-1”) is an inherited genetic disorder that causes low levels of a protein (AAT) that protects your lungs. Alpha-1 increases your risk of developing certain diseases, including emphysema (damaged air sacs in your lungs), cirrhosis (liver scarring) and panniculitis (an uncommon skin condition). Some of these conditions can be life-threatening.

Alpha-1 is sometimes referred to as “genetic COPD” or “genetic emphysema.“

Quoted from: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21175-alpha-1-antitrypsin-deficiency

Furthermore:

His heart (circulatory system), his lungs (respiratory system), and his bowels (digestive/excretory systems) required medication. Insomnia affected his nervous system. The adrenal gland failure and resulting low testosterone are both issues of the endocrine system. His immune system was compromised. His urinary system was not functioning properly. The arthritis that caused Elvis severe pain throughout his body impacted his muscular system and skeletal system. There is clearly more at play here than a dependence on prescription medication when more than eighty percent of Elvis’ bodily systems did not function properly. When we add to that the evidence that I have uncovered proving that of those nine, five—the circulatory (heart disease), respiratory (Alpha 1), digestive/excretory (megacolon), nervous (insomnia) and immune (hypogammaglobulinemia)—were present since birth and certainly prior to the prescription drug use that accompanied fame.

Quoted from: http://www.elvisinfonet.com/interview-Sally-Hoedel-Elvis-Destined-to-Die-Young.html

Another extremely important, and usually omitted, factor is the repeated head trauma Elvis endured throughout his life, the worst by far in March 1967 when he tripped over a cable, hit his head and was unconscious for hours. He was filming the atrocious Clambake movie at the time which he abhorred the script and soundtrack of, and was deeply embarrassed about having somehow maneuvered himself into recording idiotic tunes like “Song of the Shrimp”. He had delayed his filming duties as long as possible while spending time with Priscilla and his friends on his short-lived sanctuary, the Circle G Ranch that he had recently bought. There, he enjoyed his usual culinary preferences, but went horseback riding and was otherwise physically quite active, surrounded by peaceful nature. His entourage and Priscilla all agreed that he hated leaving it behind for yet another trip to Hollywood to make yet another silly movie. Out of frustration, he had put on a good amount of weight from comfort eating before Clambake, and combated the pounds with amphetamines.

The 1967 head trauma almost certainly contributed to Elvis’ preexisting problems while creating new ones, and was even credited with changing his personality. While he was convalescing at the hospital, only Priscilla and his manager were allowed to visit him, and “Colonel” Parker, according to Elvis’ friend Larry Geller, used this opportunity to brainwash Elvis into abandoning his spiritual pursuits and finally marrying then almost 22 year-old Priscilla, which he did less than two months later in a rushed and unspectacular ceremony in a Las Vegas hotel suite (in a 1977 phone call with ex-bodyguard Red West, Elvis claimed to have been railroaded into marriage). He significantly upped the ante on prescription medication after being pumped full of drugs at the hospital. Geller described how Elvis was not himself then, high as a kite from pain meds, numbly nodding along with a vacant look in his eyes as Parker unleashed a tirade, declaring how things would change from now on, resolving to get Elvis off his “religious kick”.

This article details the implications of the head traumas on Elvis’ already fragile health. The article was last updated years before Hoedel’s book came out and therefore does not agree on all points with her findings. Nonetheless, this aspect is a crucial piece of the puzzle.

The medication that Elvis’ personal physician, Dr. George Nichopoulous (“Dr. Nick“), tried to adapt to Elvis’ increasing health problems, was also the very thing that kept him going so that he could function as Elvis Presley, the performer and provider. With his manager’s skyrocketing gambling debts in the 1970s along with his ex-wife’s ever growing financial demands, his own irresponsibility with money, and not least his legendary generosity, Elvis was between a rock and a hard place when it came to either making money or getting his health somewhat sorted. Both seemed impossible to reconcile the more touring exhausted him and, consequently, the more his health deteriorated in the process. Looking into the year 1975 in particular makes it seem miraculous that Elvis lived for two more years. Things clearly took a turn for the much, much worse after 1974, and with alarming speed.

For some reason, his manager wasn’t able or willing to negotiate career opportunities for Elvis other than endless, soul-sucking US tours in addition to increasingly exhausting Las Vegas engagements, in spite of highly lucrative and less strenuous offers from abroad. It was an open secret that “Colonel” Parker (not a colonel, but a certified psychopath as per his army discharge papers) may have been scared of leaving the US because he was an illegal immigrant.

It has been reported by close friends how Elvis would regain the spark in his eyes, become more physically fit, even eat healthier, and would not take copious amounts of medication during his spare time or while on vacation. The real “excess” always seemed to start as soon as he went on tour, which he came to dread as he had dreaded making the formulaic movies during the 1960s. He had left one creativity-draining rut for another despite the spectacular 1968 comeback, fantastic new hit songs (“In the Ghetto”, “Suspicious Minds” etc.) and the initial Vegas years that were filled with genuine excitement and optimism.

Dr. Nick faced harsh scrutiny after Elvis’ death and was accused of malpractice when in retrospect, he, like every other doctor of his day, had no idea how to help him. While there were always opportunists around, Dr. Nick seemed to have the best of intentions and was able to identify and manage certain ailments that others couldn’t. Many things that are no-brainers today, such as ‘vitamin D is good for your immune system’, weren’t mainstream medical wisdom in Elvis’ time. Amphetamines were freely available during the 1960s and prior, their use even being encouraged by doctors who lauded their appetite-suppressing or mood-lifting properties that were only deemed to be less than safe and effective in 1970 and later. Not to mention that research into genetic diseases was in its infancy compared to what it is today. Always keeping up to date with the latest edition of the Physicians’ Desk Reference, Elvis thought he was informed enough to know all he needed to, and Dr. Feelgood types would give him whatever he wanted, often badly interfering with Dr. Nick’s protocol and thus putting Elvis in hospital more than once.

A tour photographer who followed Elvis’ performances during the 1970s observed that whenever Elvis’ hands and wrists were looking slender and rather delicate like they normally were, he was alert, energetic and agile. However, when they were swollen, he was lethargic and seemed off. Side note: Every Elvis concert, even when he was “fat“ and “groggy“, was sold out.

Listed below is an exemplary 1970s tour protocol as per Dr. Nick’s orders (quoted from Elvis: Destined To Die Young) for one performance. You read that right, for ONE show:

Stage 1 (3:00 pm) – first voice shot*, vitamins, meds for dizziness, a laxative, 3 appetite suppressants, testosterone

Stage 2 (Hour prior to performance) – second voice shot, meds for vertigo, decongestant laced with codeine, an amphetamine, sometimes Dilaudid

Stage 3 (Moments before performance) – dose of caffeine, Dexedrine, Dilaudid

Stage 4 (Immediately after performance) – pill for lowering blood pressure, antihistamine, strong sedative, Demerol

Stage 5 (Bedtime) – Quaalude, Placidyl, amphetamine, laxative, blood pressure pill, three other sedatives

Stage 6 (If needed) – Only if restless and unable to sleep – more Quaaludes and Amytal

…And this for weeks or months on end while touring in 1969 - 1977, with one or two shows a day (generally two in Vegas).

Needless to say, the dosages would have started relatively moderately and had to be increased as Elvis’ resistance levels were building up. His natural resistance was extraordinary to begin with, whereas he had practically zero tolerance for alcohol due to his inherited conditions, which is why he rarely drank. Had he been an alcoholic (as some erroneously claim), he more than likely would have died much sooner.

His daughter, Lisa Marie, died at the age of 54 from bowel obstruction. Her prescription drug abuse started in her 40s after becoming addicted to pain medication following the birth of her twins. After dabbling with drugs as a teenager, she had been clean until that point; she led a quiet life in her final years and had nowhere near her father’s lifestyle. Lisa Marie, too, had the genetic family “curse”.

Hoedel concludes in Elvis: Destined To Die Young that the no doubt extremely detrimental abuse of medication contributed to shortening Elvis’ life, although medication was also, ironically, the very thing that kept him alive by managing his ailments.

Burgers and drugs didn’t kill Elvis. His own DNA did.

*A voice shot contains cortisone, various vitamins, and steroids to enhance vocal performance. If Elvis received steroids with these injections, they would have been extremely detrimental to his glaucoma that required him to wear sunglasses at all times due to hypersensitivity and caused shooting eye pain and debilitating migraines.

Medical astrology of Elvis Presley

This is an overview of the most prevalent diseases or dysfunctions related to the astrological placements. The astrology normally indicates predispositions we are born with that can be triggered by certain transits or progressions, and lifestyle choices, but do not necessarily come to pass.

Sun in Capricorn: People born with the Sun (life energy) in Capricorn often display a rather sensitive physical constitution when they’re younger, but can develop a lot of strength with age; dietary complications in particular are often found with Capricorn children. It is known that Elvis’ health was the cause for much concern when he was a child, including digestive problems and severe bouts of asthma. Adult Capricorns often display remarkable physical stamina and endurance, which Elvis had even before taking chemical aids to help him perform his physically taxing shows.

Chiron in the 6th house in Gemini: The 6th house is one of the most important in medical astrology and is generally known as the house of health. With Chiron (showing a weak spot) in Gemini, it is clear that pulmonary and respiratory issues are likely to manifest. With a relatively tight square to the Moon (distributor of the life energy) in Pisces denoting a propensity for dreaminess, sleep disorders, weakened immune responses and sluggishness, it comes as no surprise that difficulties breathing, in the most direct sense, are in the ballpark. This aspect will also have contributed to a highly imaginative, artistic personality that couldn’t necessarily express themselves easily, or may have had a speech impediment. Elvis had stuttered as a child, and later in life, a slight stutter came back whenever he was very nervous.

A Chiron (“wounded healer”) and 6th house theme: Many fans used to ask Elvis to hold or kiss their babies or small children as if they sensed some kind of healing ability in him. Larry Geller, a very spiritually inclined friend who was often ridiculed by Elvis’ macho entourage, claimed that Elvis had the gift of healing people’s headaches and such, simply by laying his hands on them. He and others also stated that Elvis was able to manipulate the weather through sheer will power. Gemini also governs the hands, is ruled by Mercury (mental faculties), and represents the element of mutable air. Whether the latter is true or not, the correspondence is eerily on point.

Moon in Pisces: This plays an important role in Elvis’ case as he was often said to be extremely intuitive to the point of being psychic, and was also plagued by a typical aliment for Moon in Pisces, insomnia. He had it all his life and was usually unable to get more than 4 hours of sleep per night, and someone always had to be with him to make sure he would not get into accidents while sleepwalking. With the demands of his career, insomnia was definitely a greatly detrimental factor as it deprived his body of the cell rejuvenation that happens during a good night’s sleep (and likely had some implications for his mental health). Other issues can include weak lungs, depression, a more easily susceptible immune system, addictive tendencies.

Saturn in Aquarius: Weakened heart; specifically with Saturn reflexing back to Leo, the theme of heart attack and blood pressure extremes is prevalent. Reflexing to Taurus, we get possible throat issues (from which Elvis suffered frequently throughout his life, especially tonsillitis – note that the 6th house cusp is in Taurus, so there’s a definitive predisposition here). Saturn, the malefic, makes a square to Jupiter in Scorpio (Saturn squares can be highly indicative of trouble as in slowing down or impeding functions), emphasizing constipation, a sluggish/ toxic colon as well as digestive problems. Jupiter expands everything, so the placement in Scorpio, whose rulership includes the colon, could be interpreted quite literally as a tendency for enlargement within the organ.

Although Pluto hasn’t yet been researched extensively in medical astrology due to its relatively recent discovery, the general theme of toxicity with Pluto is interesting in the context with the Grand Trine in water signs formed with Jupiter and the Moon: Given the respective signs’ domains and expressions, we have a strong emphasis on digestive/ colon/ immune system themes that facilitate one another. A trine is a supportive aspect, regardless if it supports something positive or negative, so the toxicity of Pluto, Scorpio’s modern ruler, is also supported. With the North Node (excessive inflow of vital energy/ chi) in Aquarius, the sign’s predispositions are exacerbated; the South Node (deficient chi) is located in Leo, whereby Leo’s domain (the heart) is weakened.

Ascendant in Sagittarius: Nervous temperament, highly active nervous system; the Gemini-Sagittarius axis rules the nervous system as well as the respiratory system, with the latter mainly governed by Gemini. Elvis was notoriously hyperactive, finding it impossible to sit still. He would almost certainly be diagnosed with ADHD nowadays.

The nervous nature is also highlighted by Uranus (ruling extremes and the disturbance of electrical currents in the body) in Aries, which additionally emphasizes sensitivity to brain injuries such as trauma and concussion, which Elvis suffered multiple times throughout his life. One of the most obvious manifestations of this placement are sudden, intense rages, which were no doubt exacerbated by side effects from medication later in his life, whereas he was described as normally very sweet-natured, easygoing and compassionate, unless truly provoked, in which case it was advised to give him a wide berth until he calmed down. In this context, it’s almost comical how ex-bodyguards painted him in their “tell-all” book Elvis: What Happened? – co-written by a tabloid journalist – as a gun-crazed macho with no impulse control after they got fired for roughing up fans and starting unprovoked fights left and right.

Mars in Libra: The other malefic besides Saturn is to be observed with acute illnesses, whereas Saturn governs the lingering, chronic ones. Mars is in detriment in Libra, which makes it harder for the physical energy and drive to express itself. A typical problem is adrenal exhaustion, which Elvis suffered from (and which depleted his testosterone levels), and a hyperactive immune response resulting in allergies. One particularly significant aspect for Mars in medical astrology is the quincunx, and here we have one with the Moon, accentuating lung weakness and yet again, immune responses. Other Mars reflexes indicate shooting head pains, wounds to head and eyes (as mentioned earlier, in addition to the head trauma, Elvis suffered from glaucoma-related pain), sudden, and in Elvis’ case, persistently recurring bouts of sore throat and tonsillitis (Taurus reflex), pneumonia. Squaring the Sun, the Mars themes directly attack the life force and can occur in a particularly violent, eruptive manner.

Given that a significant number of Elvis’ diseases were written into his DNA, what’s “written in the stars“ is, in his case, unfortunately a sentence and not merely a potential outcome.

There is no I Am: Elvis Presley documentary on Netflix or Amazon Prime like there is for Celine Dion. There doesn’t seem to be any widespread public awareness of, let alone empathy for, the ordeal that Elvis went through during his short life, culminating in the last few years that depleted and aged him with shocking rapidity.

Elvis passed away on August 16, 1977. His next tour was scheduled to start August 17.

“Before you abuse, criticize and accuse, walk a mile in my shoes…“

© Olivia Solner

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