Elvis Presley’s Last Words to His Dad Were ‘I’ve Really Enjoyed This’ After Talking for 6 Hours Straight at Graceland

The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Elvis Presley, left his mark on music and his memory continues to live on after his untimely death at the age of 42. The music world was rocked by the great loss of Presley, but his family felt the loss the hardest. Presley’s father, Vernon Presley, shared about the time he got to spend with his son before he died.

The death of Elvis Presley was not glamarous

Elvis had a very successful career. He was a force to be reckoned with in the music industry. He amassed 108 hits on the Billboard Top 100 and 67 total weeks at the top of the charts, according to Grunge. Sadly, the second half of his career saw a steady personal decline that ultimately led to his death at the young age of 42.

Even after all this time, the truth behind the details of Elvis’ death remains a mystery. What we do know is that his then-girlfriend, Ginger, found his body on the floor of his bathroom at his Graceland estate on the morning of Aug. 16, 1977. 

The official cause of death was listed as cardiac arrest. New revelations many years later showed that drugs were a major contributing factor. Presley was a liberal user of a drug cocktail that included barbiturates, opiates, and other addictive sedatives. This prescribed cocktail was not uncommon in the entertainment world at the time. Further investigation showed that Elvis had Dilaudid, Percodan, Demerol, Quaaludes, and Codeine in his system at the time of his death.

The blame for his death was put on the shoulders of his personal physician, Dr. George “Dr. Nick” Nichopoulos,  whose name appeared on all the prescriptions. In response, the state of Tennessee suspended his medical license for three months. 

Presley’s family worked hard to keep his drug use a secret during the immediate aftermath of his death. Tennessee’s Chief Medical Examiner at the time of Elvis’ death said, “Elvis Presley died of heart disease, and prescription drugs found in his blood were not a contributing factor. Had those drugs not been there, he still would have died.” It took two years for the real cause of death to become public. 

Vernon Presley got to spend time with Elvis days before he died 

Only a few months after his son’s death, Vernon Presley offered an interview to Good Housekeeping. He shared about what is like raising Elvis, his son’s music career, and how the death impacted him. 

Vernon opened the interview by saying, “First of all, I want to say that telling this story is going to be difficult now that Elvis is gone. Those of you who have lost loved ones, who have suffered what I’m suffering now, will understand what I mean.” 

Vernon continued, “Elvis’ death was so sudden that it will be years before I’ll be able to accept the fact that it really happened. Yet, even while grieving, I’ve been greatly comforted by the thousands of fans who loved Elvis and who have expressed their sympathy. They know they’ll never see him perform again, but they’ll always cherish always the memory of the pleasure he gave them, as will I.”

Vernon had the privilege to spend a few hours with his son at Graceland just days before Elvis died. About this special time, Vernon said, “A few days before he died, Elvis and I talked at Graceland for five or six hours about all sorts of things until I finally said, ‘Son, I have to go home now and get something to eat.’ ‘I know, Daddy,’ Elvis told me. ‘But I want you to know that I’ve really enjoyed this.’ So had I.”

Vernon thought his son’s career was fated  

Many people may not know that Elvis was a twin. His twin brother died during childbirth, leaving Elvis an only child. At the time of his brother’s death, Elvis’ parents did not know they were having twins. So, when Elvis surprisingly came into the world, his parents knew he’d be special. 

Vernon had this to say about Elvis, “Of course, Elvis and I both wondered over the years whether his life would have been drastically different had his brother lived. I’ve concluded that it wouldn’t have been because I believe Elvis’s career and contribution to the world were fated from the first. For during his early life, certain things happened that convinced me that God had given my wife and me a very special child for whom He had some very special plans.”