Priscilla Presley Claims Depressed Elvis Took His Own Life: 'He Knew What He Was Doing'

April 9, 2018 14:33

The upcoming two-part HBO documentary Elvis Presley: The Searcher tells the story of the rock icon through his music whilst unveiling details of his life that might not have been known before.

The premiere is set on April 14 and will aim at restoring the image of the forgotten King.


READ ALSO: Priscilla Presley: Revisiting Elvis’ Final Days, Drug Abuse Was ‘Difficult’

“We didn’t see it coming”

While promoting the documentary, Elvis Presley's ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, has talked about the musician’s drug abuse and the “final chapter” of his life.


She commented:

It was difficult for all of us, we certainly didn’t see it coming. But we certainly saw the journey he was taking,

She then continued that nobody could stop him, no one could “tell Elvis Presley what to do”.


His drug addiction started during his two-year service in the U.S. Army when the music icon was stationed in Germany. Priscilla remembers that he was taking pills that were given to the soldiers to keep them awake.

READ ALSO: Bill Murray Recalls How He Almost Got Shot For Crashing Elvis Presley’s Funeral

 “He knew what he was doing”

Priscilla has also shockingly claimed that Elvis knowingly took his own life when he passed away from a drug-related heart attack at 42 years old in 1977.

The 72-year-old talked about the depth of her ex-husband’s drug addiction, saying he “knew what he was doing”.


Her confession comes a few months after so-called 'suicide' letters, believed to have been written by the music icon himself, were discovered.

The king sent two notes to his friend and road manager Joe Esposito, which indicated on the icon’s depression and said that he was sick and tired of his life and that he needed a long rest.

Did Elvis really end his life? We will probably never know. But the fact that drugs ruined it is clear.

Drug addiction facts

Drugs have taken lives of many celebrities. Stars like Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson, Prince, Heath Ledger, Amy Winehouse, Jimi Hendrix, and many more died from drug overdose.


Drug addiction is a complex disease that may be hard to understand. People might think that drug addicts just have low willpower but in actuality, drugs change the brain in ways that even if the person wants to quit, it’s very difficult for him or her to do so.

Drug addiction can’t be cured but it is treatable and can be managed. But recovering drug addicts will be at risk for relapse for a long time and more often than not for their whole lives.


People can get addicted to drugs without realizing it, so be sure before taking any medicine to read the labels and learn as much about it as possible. And never take a new drug without checking with your pharmacist about possible side effects.

READ ALSO: Music Icon Prince Died From Accidental Overdose Of Opioid Painkiller