Elvis Presley's manager opened up about the thing that could have saved the King of Rock and Roll from his addiction battle.
Decades after Presley's death, an upcoming tell-all will reveal his connection to his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, who believed the singer could have survived his drug addiction through gospel music.
How Gospel Music Could Have Saved Elvis Presley Revealed
Author Greg McDonald wrote the tell-all "Elvis and the Colonel: An Insider's Look at the Most Legendary Partnership in Show Business" which explores Parker and Presley's past business and the manager's comment about gospel music.
"He loved Elvis like a son," McDonald said of Parker during an interview with Fox News Digital. "The Colonel never wrote a tell-all, even after these negative stories came out about him. He refused. And when I saw Baz Luhrmann's film, I knew somebody had to come out and finally tell the truth."
Presley and his manager had a rocky relationship, but they both had a deep respect for each other.
Months before the "Can't Help Falling in Love" singer's death, his addiction battle reportedly started showing signs that it had taken a toll on his health. With that, people reportedly looked to Parker to get the help Presley needed.
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There were suggestions to take him to rehab or get him out of the house, at least. After Parker told him to get his act together, Presley reportedly did not have enough will to quit prescription drugs. With that, he believed that gospel music would have done the job.
"Billy Graham was there for several days. He had a 100-piece choir... There must have been 50,000 people... On our way home, the Colonel said, 'The thing Elvis loves the most in his life is gospel music. And if he had a 100-piece choir like Billy Graham and only did gospel music... It might save his life,'" McDonald continued.
Parker felt the genre could have done something to make Presley realize his battles. However, the music industry still lost the King on Aug. 16, 1977, at 1:30 p.m., when he was found unresponsive inside a bathroom of his Memphis mansion.
According to reports, he died from a heart attack that was likely worsened by his addiction to prescription barbiturates.
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