There might not be a celebrity death more clouded in suspicion, rumor or mystery than Elvis Presley’s.
In light of that, Wednesday marks a day in which the world might inch one year closer to finding out what really caused the “King of Rock ‘N’ Roll’s” death.
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On Aug. 16, 1977, Presley was discovered dead in his Graceland mansion at the age of 42, found motionless on a bathroom floor by his then-21-year-old girlfriend, Ginger Alden.
The debate of what truly happened still rages on, more than four decades later.
Tennessee’s chief medical examiner at the time, Jerry Francisco, wrote on his death report that the cause was Hypertensive Cardiovascular Disease, essentially meaning Presley suffered a heart attack or heart failure.
Others say Presley’s rampant drug use contributed to his death. In a 1980 article in People magazine, multiple people in the medical profession and Presley’s own stepbrother said Presley abused prescription drugs and felt he had an enormous amount in his system at the time of his death.
Then in 2010, Presley’s longtime friend, Dr. George Nichopoulos, told Fox News that Presley actually died from chronic constipation.
Since Presley’s death, these theories -- and the information released officially -- are all people have had to go on, because his father Vernon, sealed the official autopsy report for 50 years.
But in 2027, the 50th anniversary of Presley’s death, his official autopsy report will be made public.
Whether that day in four years brings full closure remains to be seen.
Until then, not only will theories of how he died continue to be debated, but adoring fans might even insist he is still alive.
Some say he faked his death and is known by a different name, others say they’ve seen him at places such as a Burger King in Michigan, a supermarket in Mississippi and a parking lot in Las Vegas, while others say he went into a witness protection program, according to an article in Newsweek.