Elvis Presley near the end!

When Elvis Presley hit the road in June 1977 he was an absolute

mess. He was only 42, but years of prescription drug abuse and

horrifying dietary habits had left him bloated, depressed and near

death. He had an enlarged heart, an enlarged intestine and

hypertension. He was barely sleeping and should have probably

been in the hospital, but he was still a huge draw on the concert

circuit and the money was too good to turn down.


It had been over a year since Elvis last released a studio album, and

his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, was determined to get more

product into the stores. Despite Elvis’ horrid shape, Parker

arranged for a camera crew to film the June 19th show in Omaha

for a planned TV special and live album. It eventually did air on CBS

two months after Elvis died, but has yet to resurface in any official

capacity. Of course this isn't the image of Elvis that his estate

wants the fans to remember.


Two days later ( 21 June), the cameras were still rolling when the

tour hit Rapid City, South Dakota. It was another weak and sad

night until Elvis sat down at the piano near the end of the show to

deliver what was a spellbinding rendition of “Unchained Melody."

As guitarist Charlie Hodge held a microphone, Elvis dug deep and

poured his heart into the song. His body was falling apart, but his

voice remained almost as powerful as ever. Without any doubt, it's

the last great moment of his career. The tour limped along through

five more shows, wrapping up June 26th at the Market Square

Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana.

He died less than two months later. Here's that great performance.

http://www.flixxy.com/elvis-pr...m#.U_iNvpmsJuw.gmail


http://www.flixxy.com/elvis-pr...m#.U_iNvpmsJuw.gmail

Wow. I had never seen that.

He died too young!

Thanks for that xg.He was indeed a great performer alas, also greatly exploited. Yes died too young.jc