The Strange Medical Saga of Elvis Presley


Book Description

Front page headlines on the day Elvis Presley died showed the deep feelings so many had for the first and only "King" of Rock 'n Roll. His early death at a young age was a shock. Not even 24 hours had passed after his death before the controversies started around the cause of his death. Did he really die of a heart attack as stated by the county coroner, or was his death a drug over-dose? Heart or drugs; what actually killed him? What were Elvis Presley's health issues that plagued him during his short life? Why was he in so much pain? Why the early death? His full medical saga has only recently begun to be thoroughly examined. After all these years people still want to know what happened to the "King." Three years after his death, I served as the major expert defense witness for Elvis' doctor, Dr. George C. Nichopolous. The District Attorney of Shelby County originally wanted to charge him with murder/manslaughter for "intentionally prescribing to harm Elvis Presley," but the charges were changed to "prescribing without a legitimate medical purpose." The jury promptly acquitted him, but I was left with many questions about what exactly was physically wrong with Elvis. The question of "was it heart or was it drugs" remained unanswered. In the years since his death, medical research has advanced to the point that we have new insights regarding his underling health problems and untimely death. Many of the mysteries of Elvis' life and death, which I hope to unveil in this book, can now be answered. I am in the unique position of being the only physician in the country who still has Elvis' full medical records from the trial. With expertise in internal medicine, addiction, and pain medicine along with having personally known his physicians, I am in a unique position to help uncover his mysterious medical saga. My hope is to shed some light on his health issues, and with the help of medical science and common sense, solve the mystery of what really happened to Elvis! Forest Tennant




Child Bride


Book Description

The myth-shattering account of the most famous—and most taboo—marriage in rock-and-roll history “Fascinating . . . Finstad’s research and her analysis of Priscilla’s complex character make for a riveting read.”—New York Post The real story [of Elvis and Priscilla] is infinitely more powerful than the myth and, ultimately, tragic; the true Priscilla more complex. Priscilla Beaulieu Presley is not, and never was, the fragile, demure child-woman she has come to personify; she is, in a word, a survivor, a woman of indomitable will and almost frightening determination.—from the Author’s Note Child Bride reveals the hidden story of rock icon Elvis Presley’s affair with fourteen-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu, the ninth-grader he wooed as a G.I. in Germany and cloistered at Graceland before marrying her to fulfill a promise to her starstruck parents. But who is Priscilla—and what was her role in their infamous relationship? Award-winning biographer Suzanne Finstad perceptively pieces together the clues from candid interviews with all the Presley intimates—including Priscilla herself, along with hundreds of sources who have never before spoken publicly—to uncover the truth behind the legend of Elvis and Priscilla, a tumultuous tale of sexual attraction and obsession, heartbreak and loss. Child Bride, the definitive biography of Priscilla Beaulieu Presley, unveils the controversial woman who evolved from a lonely teenager bound to the King of Rock and Roll into a shrewd businesswoman in control of the multimillion-dollar Elvis Presley empire—a rags-to-riches saga of secrets, lies, and betrayal.







Going Under


Book Description

A former law enforcement agent details his adventures during his career working undercover in this memoir. “I just want to make sure I’ve got this right. You hanged all three of them? . . .” That’s how it began, a case where the cops are crooks and the crooks are cops, a kidnapping where the victim is the bad guy, and the good guys must cross some lines to get him back. Welcome to the upside down and backward world of the undercover agent, where nothing is as it seems, and people—including the undercover—may not be what they appear. Going Under: Kidnapping, Murder, and A Life Undercover by former undercover agent John Madinger takes you into that world, and closer to the truth of the undercover experience than any other law enforcement memoir has ever gone. “What is it like to work undercover?” You’re a sheepdog in wolf’s clothing, running with the pack, and Madinger ran with the wolves for almost two decades. Now he shares his story to give you a unique look at American crime and the “War on Drugs” from the perspective of both cops and criminals. You’ll go with the undercover cops to meetings with street-corner hustlers and rip-off artists and into the lives of America’s biggest rock stars, the world’s richest man, an Academy Award–winning actor, the marijuana traffickers conspiring to assassinate a federal judge, and the President of the United States. It’s an amazing ride, and there has never been another story like it.







The Death of Elvis


Book Description

This well-researched probe into Elvis Presley's death includes interviews with Colonel Tom Parker, conclusive autopsy documents, and a thorough account of the autopsy and why its findings are so hotly debated




The Elvis Experience


Book Description

Dave Hebler spent four years (1972-1976) protecting Elvis Presley as one of his personal bodyguards and during that time was also Elvis's Kenpo Karate instructor. Every Elvis fan knows all about Elvis the entertainer, Elvis the actor, and Elvis the singer. In this book Dave takes you through his personal journey with Elvis, sharing many humorous stories to give you a glimpse of Elvis the person. Dave's stories reveal that not only was Elvis the greatest entertainer ever, but also the greatest person ever. Dave takes you through how he met Elvis, how he became Elvis's bodyguard and karate instructor, what it was like during his first day on the job, the things crazy women did during concerts, and more. He goes into some fun stories with Elvis including the big drug bust, the San Diego Chicken, the lady ninja, the gaudy bauble, the gunslinger, the kid with the watches, and more. He talks about Elvis the giver, Elvis the martial artist, and Elvis the Christian to paint the picture of who Elvis the person truly was. Dave shares some stories in this book that have never been told and even goes through his firing, what it was like handling Elvis's prescription drug issues, and provides insights about the controversial book "Elvis What Happened?" This book is Dave's journey as he lived it with Elvis - a man Dave loved dearly and protected from everyone but Elvis himself.




Right Here on Our Stage Tonight!


Book Description

Before the advent of cable and its hundreds of channels, before iPods and the Internet, three television networks ruled America's evenings. And for twenty-three years, Ed Sullivan, the Broadway gossip columnist turned awkward emcee, ruled Sunday nights. It was Sullivan's genius to take a worn-out stage genre-vaudeville-and transform it into the TV variety show, a format that was to dominate for decades. Right Here on Our Stage Tonight! tells the complete saga of The Ed Sullivan Show and, through the voices of some 60 stars interviewed for the book, brings to life the most beloved, diverse, multi-cultural, and influential variety hour ever to air. Gerald Nachman takes us through those years, from the earliest dog acts and jugglers to Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and beyond. Sullivan was the first TV impresario to feature black performers on a regular basis-including Nat King Cole, Pearl Bailey, James Brown, and Richard Pryor-challenging his conservative audience and his own traditional tastes, and changing the face of American popular culture along the way. No other TV show ever cut such a broad swath through our national life or cast such a long shadow, nor has there ever been another show like it. Nachman's compulsively readable history, illustrated with classic photographs and chocked with colorful anecdotes, reanimates The Ed Sullivan Show for a new generation.




Murder of an Elvis Girl


Book Description

It's one of the most brutal unsolved murders in the Elvis Presley universe - the 1981 slaying of his beautiful "Blue Hawaii" co-star, Jenny Maxwell. It was reported at the time that the murder was part of a botched robbery in Beverly Hills, but that's not at all what happened. Forty years after the murder, thanks to this book, it's finally been solved. Who killed Jenny Maxwell, and why? For the first time, the truth is revealed in "Murder of an Elvis Girl: Solving the Jenny Maxwell Case," And the truth is incredible.Jenny Maxwell was one of the hottest young actresses in Hollywood in the early 1960s, and she became best known as an Elvis Girl, playing the bratty Ellie Corbett in Elvis Presley's classic 1961 film, "Blue Hawaii." The performance made her one of the most memorable Elvis Girls ever and endeared her to generations of the King's fans. She appeared in dozens of TV shows, as well - everything from "Bonanza" and "My Three Sons" to "Father Knows Best" and "The Twilight Zone." In the 1960s, Jenny Maxwell's career was red-hot. She was friends with Sharon Tate and Peggy Lipton and dated a slew of young Hollywood stars.Off the screen, though, her personal life was a mess. She married film director Paul Rapp when she was just seventeen and became a mom at nineteen. Her marriage and her motherhood fell apart thanks to a lifestyle of Hollywood parties, drugs and sex. In an effort to win back her son, she quit Hollywood altogether in 1968 and married Ervin "Tip" Roeder, a high-powered and mobbed-up Los Angeles divorce attorney who was twenty years her senior. Their marriage was a rocky one, and by the time 1981 came around, they were separated and heading for divorce. Tip Roeder was at Jenny's side that fateful day in Beverly Hills, as they were both gunned down by the assassin outside her condo."Murder of an Elvis Girl" tells the amazing Hollywood life story of a true Elvis legend. Jenny Maxwell shared the screen with the likes of Jimmy Stewart, Robert Conrad, Joey Bishop. Bob Hope and Joan Crawford. She rubbed elbows with Frank Sinatra and Sandra Dee. And biggest of all, she was an Elvis Girl.The story of how this book came about is just as incredible. "Murder of an Elvis Girl" is written by Buddy Moorehouse, a longtime journalist from Michigan who is actually Jenny's first cousin, once removed (his grandfather and her father were brothers). The family had always been told that Jenny's murder was part of a botched robbery, but they never quite believed that, so Buddy embarked on a journey in 2019 to learn the truth of what really happened to their famous cousin. He eventually struck pay dirt when he found the detective who had investigated - and solved - the murder.This is the untold story of a long-forgotten Hollywood legend - how she lived, how she loved, and how she died.




Chinese Medicine and the Management of Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome


Book Description

Hypermobility syndromes are more common, complex and varied than most practitioners realise. Every hypermobile patient is unique, and therefore challenging to treat using a pre-set paradigm or protocol. The hEDS population can be underserved by Western medicine and there is much that Chinese medicine can do for this community. This book is one of the first of its kind - a Chinese Medicine text focusing specifically on hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. Presenting existing bio-medical narratives before providing an in-depth exploration of the Chinese Medicine paradigms, this guide gives an overview of comprehensive treatment scenarios and addresses issues faced by EDS patients including pain management, psycho-emotional challenges, disruption of gut health, and chronic inflammation, including post-Lyme syndrome.