On this day in 1977, Elvis Presley,whose singing and style revolutionised popular music in the 1950s, died. Presley 42, was discovered slumped in a bathroom at his mansion in Memphis, Tennessee.He was rushed to the Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis but was pronounced dead on arrival. The Tennessee state pathologist, Dr Jerry Francisco, said a postmortem examination of the singer's body had revealed he died from cardiac arrhythmia - a form of heart attack. The three-hour examination uncovered no sign of any other diseases or, any drug abuse, Dr Francisco added.
Presley was divorced from his wife Priscilla, in 1973 but it was rumoured that he had recently become engaged to Ginger Alden, 20.
Ms Alden and other members of his entourage were at Graceland when he collapsed. There had been indications of Elvis Presley's declining health for some time. Earlier that year the singer had cancelled several performances in Louisiana and returned to Memphis suffering what his doctors termed 'exhaustion.'
Thousands gathered to file past Elvis Presley's body which lay in state at his mansion, Graceland, the day after his death. Although it was officially stated that he died of heart failure there has always been speculation that an overdose of cocaine and barbiturates also played a part. Since his divorce from Priscilla in 1973 he had relied heavily on prescription drugs and was known to be a junk-food addict. During his lifetime he sold over 300 million albums and made 33 films.
