long mired in both mystery and controversy, the death of elvis presley remains a tragic final chapter for one of 20th century americas most important popular artists. though his life may have seemed all but perfect to the public, he was actually suffering through a long downward sprial that eventually ended with his untimely demise. from his first appearance in 1956 on the ed sullivan show, elvis presley embodied rock and roll. his career spawned hit after hit and elevated a simple country boy to the most puplar musician on the planet. presley sold millions of records and played concerts to scores of screaming fans. but behind the scenes, presley was a deep troubled man as the years went by, he sunk into opiate addiction and neglected his health. finally, elvis presley died in his graceland home on august 16th 1977 at the age of just 42. in 1968, presley stood behind an NBC soundstage and prepared for a performance that would soon be broadcasted across the nation. elvis was hardly ever nervous comments his drummer but in that moment he was. presley was nervous because this was the show that could make or break the remainder of his career. he had spent the better part of a decade since his fame in hollywood. he made poorly received movies and neglected to tour for his music. this 1968 comeback special was meant to reintroduce him to america. but what kind of reception would he get?  as it turns out, he did not need to worry. the special was an enormous success. everyone who saw it could make no mistake that elvis still had that unique voice and charmisa that had made him the symbol of a rockstar in the 1950s. but the comeback special came and went, and elvis would soon be in a very different position. however, the slow decline that would soon utiimately lead to elvis presleys death would soon be underway. presley was born in 1935 they lived in a tiny house in tupelo mississippi his parents were poor, but they found solace in the church where their son first learned to sing through gospel hyms. in 1948 the family moved to memphis where presley became immersed in the local blues scene. this provided elvis with one of the elements that made his music so successful.  racism of the time prevented african american music from crossing over to the mainstream. african american performers were also unable to sell records to white americans. in memphis, sun records boss sam philips, therefore looked for a way to introduce blues music to white audiences without an african american performer. what he needed, he decided was a white singer with the same sound as an african american performer. if he could find one, he could make a billion dollars he predicted. in 1954, elvis stopped by the studio to record a demo. philips immediately knew that he found the man he has been looking for. audiences agreed, and presleys first album was a sensation.  from there, presley was on a rocket ride to fame. screaming fans greeted him everywhere he went. he had made more money than he could ever imagined. but presleys personal problems began to catch up with him. the private struggles that would eventually contribute to elvis presleys death were too great for him to outrun. as much as women loved elvis, the real elvis presley was full of insecurity. he was worried that he wouldnt be able to live up to the ideal that had been constructed around him. most of his relationships were short lived and insubstantial.  the one defining relationship in his life, that was with his mother gladys presley, ended when she died in 1958. elvis was devastated by her death. the following years were hard on presley , according to his hairdresser presley once told him that theres gotta be a reason why he was chosen to be elvis presley. i swear to god nobody knows how lonely i get and how empty i really feel. around that time , he had met 14 year old priscilla beaulieu. after a seven year courtship, the two were married. by the time presley had transitioned into making movies. but his music career continued to suffer. though his comeback special performance helped, he never completly recovered his reputation as a musician. by the 1970s, presley had become more of a garishly dressed lounge singer than the rock and roll icon he had once been. by all accounts, the damage to his reputation weighed heavily on him. soon, it began to have an effect on his health. this would have a large role in elvis presleys death. presley had tried to avoid drugs, but while in the army in the late 1950s, he was introduced to amphetamines. he considered them to be merely medicine, which felt more acceptable to him than street drugs.  he eventually extended that same attitude to a range of of other prescription drugs that he got from his personal physican, geoge nichopoulos. DR nick kept presley supplied with a cocktail of the amphetamines he craved and the opiates to bring him back down from those throughout the late 60s and early 70s. by 1972, the presleys marriage had fallen apart after a string of mutual infidelities. the following year he suffered two overdoses, including the one that put him in a  brief coma. by 1976, presley was grossly overweight and suffered from glaucoma and irritable bowel syndrome caused by drug abuse.  he slurred his way through songs and so his performances were generally disasters.  he could have easily over dosed it was also obvious that years of drug abuse had seriously damaged his health and enlarged his heart. the most likely explanation is that the combination of drugs in his system contributed to a fatal heart attack. dr nick received death threats for the death of elvis and he was acquitted in 1981.