Elvis - A Lighted Candle

[Di]

When an overweight, sickly Elvis Presley climbed onto an Indianapolis stage 30 years ago, the fans had no idea that they were witnessing his final performance

Todd Slaughter was shocked at the appearance of Elvis Presley when he finally met his idol as he emerged from his private jet at Indianapolis airport on June 26, 1977. "He came down the steps and he did not look very well. He was unsteady on his feet and looked as if he hadn't shaved properly. His lip was bleeding, which I didn't expect because to me Elvis was a god; I didn't think he had blood inside him."

That night, Elvis pulled himself together, donned his white Aztec sundial motif jumpsuit and galvanised 16,000 riotous fans at the local Market Square Arena. It would be his final public show. Just 51 days later, the King was dead of heart failure.

Slaughter had been summoned to the airport to receive a trophy marking his 10 years as secretary of Presley's British fan club. Up close, he says, it was obvious that Elvis, although just 42, was not well. But there would be a transformation on stage: "He sang his heart out. He put on a tremendous show."

Slaughter is still secretary of the fan club and, having devoted more than four decades of his life to the King, he thought he'd seen it all. That is, until Rolf Harris asked him to dinner at his London home in March this year. "He said, 'Come to my house, I've got something to show you,'" said Slaughter. After the meal, Harris ushered Slaughter into his sitting room where he was astounded to discover a Presley portrait. "He said to me, 'I've painted the Queen, now I've painted the King'."

The impending 30th anniversary of Elvis' death on August 16, 1977, is stirring Australian fans at home, too. Eighty members of two of the country's 14 registered Presley fan clubs will join the global pilgrimage to the US. "The tour starts in Vegas, with the highlight being a stopover in Memphis during Elvis week," says Jim Porter, president of the 2000-strong Elvis Presley Fan Club of Australasia.

The rural NSW town of Parkes is holding a scaled-down version of its Elvis birthday festival, held every January. "There will be an Elvis impersonator concert, and candlelight vigil to commemorate the King on the Saturday night, and an Elvis church service followed by an Elvis trivia brunch on the Sunday," says Tracey Ellery of the Parkes Tourism Centre. The town is gearing up for at least 500 fans.

The historic Market Square Arena where Elvis made his last stand was demolished in 2001 and turned into, you guessed it, a carpark. One horrified fan, Kay Lipps, who had camped out all night for her tickets 30 years ago, successfully sought permission to erect a memorial marker. She plans to hold her own personal vigil at the site.

Slaughter, meanwhile, maintains he saw the demise of Elvis coming but that many of those close to the King had no idea. He recalls a conversation with Jerry Scheff, the bass player from Elvis' TCB band. "I said to him, surely you must have seen the deterioration of Elvis," says Slaughter, "And he said, 'To be honest with you, Todd, we were all so off our faces at the time, we didn't see anything'."

[maia]

On my ELC "Elvis - What REALLY Happened" page I write:

Wanda Hill spoke with Todd Slaughter, a renowned British fan club president, who stood and watched helplessly as Elvis was led down the ramp of his plane in 1977 with two men firmly grasping him, one on each side. Elvis was presented to Todd, who reached to shake his hand. The Star was obviously drugged, and on his pale and swollen face was a bright red hand print, and a split and bloodied lip. He grabbed the proffered hand tightly, and refused to turn loose. Finally Elvis’ manager pried his hand away from Todd’s. As Elvis was taken bodily to a waiting car, he turned and rasped to Todd, "They are making me do this." (Todd Slaughter wrote about his experience in a fan club newsletter, but later told Wanda in a long-distance telephone conversation the undiluted version given in this text.)

http://www.elvislightedcandle.org/theman/what_happened.html

[Di]

Thanks Maia

[Blue Moon]

Thank you Di & Maia for the Todd Slaughter stories.

It makes me wonder about the cruel control some of the men had over Elvis, how difficult it was for him to endure that. I just can hardly imagine. To them Elvis' making money for them was more important than his own health. What spiritual strength & light Elvis must had to endure that and not hold on to bitterness.

To address what Todd said about Elvis being overweight in 1977 - He wasn't meaning to be insulting, just observing, but it's fair to say that Todd was not aware at that time of Elvis' medical conditions.
This is not to say that Elvis never had a weight problem, but from what I've read on Maia's ELC site and from reading what Wanda has said, he was not overweight at the end of his life. The bloated belly was due to fluid retention, from I think his colon & liver problems? Perhaps Wanda can elaborate again, as I have forgotten all the details.

Remember that Elvis looked good in his casket, as many have commented (and Elvis himself predicted he would). If it was belly fat, then it would still have showed in the casket, but in fact Elvis looked slim, so it could not have been fat. The excess fluids had drained away from the embalming.

[Di]

Laurie, I so agree with you. When we read things about Elvis we have to keep in mind the things that we know to be true.

It took me almost 30 years to get confirmation of the things in my heart I felt about Elvis. That happened when I found this great group and met Maia, Wanda and all the great people in here. They have opened my eyes and confirmed my beliefs.

I just hope in the future more people will know the truth and find the real man behind the "Legend" and the spirit that continues on.

Di

[Wanda June Hill]

Yes, it's true. Elvis was bloated by fluid build up in his entire body cavity. He was suffering from severe hardening of the artries, from liver and kidney failures, from congestive heart condition that eventually killed him according to the autopsy and the tests that were performed by THREE independant labs in different areas, all of whom are considered premiere labs for such tests.
And by several doctors other than Dr. Nick as well. Elvis was almost off most of the addictive drugs he had been on that his doctor kept giving him - enough he said that would knock a horse out but his body was used to it so most of it didn't affect him. He just didn't realize it was destroying his liver's ability to function. And too, his own immune system was attacking his liver and kidneys due to the toxic stuff going into them. It was a kind of no win situation but had he been taken away, kept off such stuff and ate healthy etc:...he might have been around awhile and go to do some of the things he wanted...Finally Larry Geller who was there at the end and before-has come forward in his new book and revealed the things that were going on that he saw and his conversations with Elvis about what to do about it all. I only wish Elvis had been able to get away and do what he would have wanted and was planning. I guess he waited too long-his time ran out-and perhaps it was as God intended. He was an example for many things, as well as how not to be controled and how not to end up having your world destroyed by the greed of others. It wasn't Elvis who wanted to have vast amounts of money for himself-he was working for everyone, he loved it, but in the end greed from others who had control of his career etc:, took over and time ran out.
Elvis told so many people during his lifetime that he didn't expect to live to be much past 42- 50 at the most-
as none of his family lived to be really old-his mom died young, liver failure and heart, his dad had a bad heart and eventually it got him too, and then there was Elvis who burned his candle at both ends and right to the floor as he put it. He knew in the last years he had to do something, but he just couldn't bring it about-and when he finally had some help, it was too late. As I said, he was a wonderful example in so many ways. Most of them good. When he died and everything they do was done to him and he was dressed and made ready for his public as he lay in state, he was thin again. He was not fat as we think of fat-the fluid was gone, the swollen and blocked colon was now normal and shrunken, he was wearing clothes that were a bit too big for him because he was back to his "fighting weight" and he looked very young again-just as he said he would look great in his coffin-he did. That's why people said it wasn't him-they expected to see what had been on stage and in photos-a sick, bloated man doing the best he could. But what they saw in that coffin was the real man, the glorified man who was a living spirit in heaven with God the father and what was left in the coffin was the body that had housed that spirit. And true to his words, he looked "damn fine" . wjh

[Rainbow Light]

Thank you, Wanda, for helping all here to realize the situation as it was and from the pictures I saw of Elvis at the last, he surely lived up to his words.

I just hope in the future more people will know the truth and find the real man behind the "Legend" and the spirit that continues on.

Right on, Di!!

[MaryInTheMorning]

Thank you, Wanda, for helping all here to realize the situation as it was and from the pictures I saw of Elvis at the last, he surely lived up to his words.

I just hope in the future more people will know the truth and find the real man behind the "Legend" and the spirit that continues on.

Right on, Di!!

AMEN to what both you and Di said here Sue and my thanks to you also Wanda for the information you shared with us.

[Rainbow Light]