1960's Famous Musician

Born in Tupelo, Mississippi, Elvis Presley was debatably the most talented individual to come out of the music industry in the 1950's. Moving to Memphis, Tennessee at the age of 13, his talent was recognized quickly by Sun Records owner Sam Phillips. After realizing his potential, Elvis was signed into a two decade contract with Colonel Tom Parker, who managed most of his career.

Recording his first single, "Heartbreak Hotel", in 1956, it was widely considered a hit. Presley quickly became the new sound of rock, proceeding to release chart-topper after chart-topper, appearing on national television, and becoming famous world-wide. His association with African American music, along with his unmatched style quickly made him popular.

In 1958, Elvis was enlisted in the military for mandatory service. Accompanied by fans and press, he told the recruitment officer that "I don't wanna be treated any differently than any other soldier here." A short two years later, and he was back in the studio, recording songs and albums.

In the 1960's, his agent suggested he took a stab at the movie industry. His movies were moderate successes, but not one of them is particularly noted as a 5-star classic film. Finally, in 1968, he hit the stage once more and went on some more tours, up until 1973 when he aired a broadcast via satellite. It was viewed by about 1.5 billion people across the world, as satellite broadcasting was still fairly new.

Aloha in Hawaii, the concert's name, was the most expensive production for it's time, costing about 2.5 million dollars to put together. The ticket fares were non-existant - Viewers were asked to pay what they could, all of the proceeds going towards the Kui Lee Cancer fund. In total. $75,000 was raised for the fund.

It was noted that by early 1977, "Elvis Presley had become a grotesque caricature of his sleek, energetic former self. Hugely overweight, his mind dulled by the pharmacopoeia he daily ingested, he was barely able to pull himself through his abbreviated concerts." For years, Elvis had been abusing prescription drugs. It should also be known that upon meeting Richard Nixon, the current president at the time, he took the opportunity to voice his out-spoken contempt for the pot-smoking, LSD-tripping hippie community. Because he was getting his drugs from a doctor, he didn't view himself as a dirty junkie, getting everything off the street.

Then, on August 16, 1977, he was discovered on the floor of the bathroom in his hotel, unresponsive. He was announced dead upon arrival to a hospital. Many symptoms could have attributed to his death, such as glaucoma, high blood pressure, an enlarged colon, and liver damage.