It was obvious to many of those close to Elvis Presley in the final years of his life that his health had been in dramatic decline throughout the 1970s. His diet, which consisted of high-cholesterol snacks such as hamburgers and, famously, fried banana and peanut butter sandwiches which he would consume to excess, began to affect him physically to the point where he would appear onstage a bloated version of his former self, which his audiences found shocking. In “The Ultimate Elvis: Elvis Presley Day By Day,” Patricia Jobe Pierce claims that while Presley was still capable of attracting appreciative audiences, but 1976 many of those who bought tickets did so to witness Presley’s troubling transformation. 

Questions were also being asked about Presley’s private life, particularly his rumored addiction to prescription drugs, particularly opioids. Presley took to denying such rumors on stage, though the fact was that the addiction that was obvious to his friends and family would later become evidence during his concerts when a confused Presley would struggle to remember lyrics to even his most familiar songs. 

In early December, Presley found himself facing a daunting 15-date residency in Las Vegas, a city in which he performed often in his final years. Per the same source, the concerts went smoothly despite Presley’s health problems, with the King fighting through physical pain to deliver shows that received numerous standing ovations. Presley also had a new fiancee at the time, Ginger Alden, who came to visit Presley in Vegas with her family. Presley’s reportedly showered the Aldens with numerous gifts on their visit. Little did they know that the King was in crisis.