People who saw Elvis Presley before his death thought the King of Rock and Roll was miserable, but his cousin did not think so.
Presley's final days were always seen as something gloomy and somber as the singer suffered several health issues before his death. Though the public saw his life like it was miserable, his cousin Danny Smith revealed the truth behind it.
Elvis Presley Not Miserable During Final Days
The late King of Rock and Roll was about to start his 12-date tour following the 55 shows he already held in 1977. But in the wee hours of Aug. 17, he was pronounced dead after he was rushed to the Baptist Hospital.
Elvis Presley Music's website cited a statement from Presley's cousin, Danny Smith, who said that the "Can't Help Falling in Love" singer's life was anything but miserable.
"I don't think that's true at all, in my opinion," he said, explaining: "I'm saying, who wouldn't be upset over a divorce? Splitting up that's family problems that some people have in life. But I think the best way to answer that question is to look at Elvis in the past. Did he ever look like life was over?"
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The article came up after Closer Weekly shared what Presley's former private nurse, Letetia Henley Kirk, said about the singer. The King hired her in 1972 after she treated his saddle sores at a Memphis medical clinic alongside her husband, who worked for Presley as a security.
According to the couple, Presley slowly "self-destructed" years before his death and that he was miserable "because he'd gained so much weight." Reports claimed his gluttony led him to have an unhealthy lifestyle that caused more health problems, including constipation.
One report from The Mirror disclosed that the "Love Me Tender" locked himself in his bedroom for months while devouring platters of cheeseburgers, and it soon led to chronic constipation.
Even Elton John Thought Elvis Presley Was Pathetic
In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 1996 (via Express UK), John shared the same sentiment and described Presley's "sad and pathetic" final days as he became "a big man with no eyes" at that time.
He also knew about Presley's activities with drugs and cheeseburgers, expressing how it was a shame to see him become a shadow of his former greatness.
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