Legendary music creator Elvis Presley brought consumers original best-selling hits such as “Hound Dog” and “Jailhouse Rock,” which combined country, rhythm and blues, and rock 'n' roll, with his sound and charisma. Both sexes were rewarded. He has hysterical fans.
Presley was a pioneer in youth music at the same time Patsy Cline was creating the country-pop crossover and Ray Charles was creating a groundbreaking soul bridge. The King of Rock and Roll was a cultural icon in both the music and television industries of the 1950s.
Presley reportedly suffered greatly in the months leading up to his sudden death on August 16, 1977.
Former Elvis Presley bodyguard turned drug smuggler publishes book about his conviction, “The True Miami Vice''
Elvis Presley died on August 16, 1977 at his home in Memphis, Tennessee. (Photo courtesy of Sunset Boulevard/Corbis, via Getty Images)
“He was really heavy,” author and Presley's former bodyguard Ted Pryor told Fox News Digital.
“Elvis was so heavy that he didn't even want to be touched because he was always sweating and had a fever,” he said.
Pryor, a super middleweight kickboxing champion, was hired by Presley's team because he was a world champion.
“When Elvis was in the military as a young man, he learned a little bit of martial arts and was obsessed with it,” Pryor said. “I was pretty excited to be the bodyguard of the King.”
'M*A*S*H' actor Elliott Gould recalls being asked by Elvis Presley about Barbara Streisand's breakup: 'Shut up, Elvis'
Ted Pryor recently published a book titled “Three-Time World Champion: The True Story of the Death-Fearing Kickboxer-turned-Drug Smuggler,'' which tells the story of his time working for Elvis Presley. It describes this in detail. (Jack Randall; Getty Images)
Pryor and his friend Joe were training Florida law enforcement, FBI, and Drug Enforcement Administration agents in field self-defense when they received a call from Presley's team offering him a job as bodyguards on a tour of the United States. received.
“Unfortunately, no one knew it at the time, but he was bankrupt,” Pryor told FOX News Digital.
“He had to start touring because his manager ran out of money gambling,” he added of Presley's then-manager, Col. Tom Parker.
The kickboxing duo traveled with “The King” across the country to Tennessee, Florida, New York and California, but never outside the country.
Author claims Elvis Presley suffered physical pain in his final months as he went on a grueling tour
Elvis battled an addiction to prescription drugs and experienced weight gain in the years leading up to his death in 1977. (Getty Images)
“Elvis never traveled outside of the United States,” Pryor said. “Elvis's manager, there was a reason why he stayed in America. He had a gambling problem.”
Presley's weight gain has been widely analyzed in the decades since his death, but women flocked to the “It's Now or Never” singer as he deftly weaved his way through the crowd onto the stage.
“Women would often run up to the stage,” Pryor told FOX News Digital. “It was interesting because we would be putting them in chokeholds around their waists. We would slowly bring them to the floor and Junior's bodyguard would take them.”
Pryor said the men used takedown techniques to fight off three to four women at a time, and one woman, given a scarf by Presley himself, used the accessory to strangle Pryor. That's what it means.
Elvis moved Priscilla Presley into his Graceland home in 1963, and the couple later married in 1967 and divorced in 1973. (Getty Images)
Elvis Presley 'deeply dissatisfied' with Hollywood, 'afraid' to perform before return: Dr.
“She was trying to get close to Elvis,” he said. “She put it around my neck and started strangling me.”
Pryor and Joe were unknowingly by his side on what would become the last tour of his life until they received sudden news that would later shock and have devastating effects on the world. Presley's death was so shocking that former President Jimmy Carter issued a public statement regarding his death in Memphis.
“It wasn't a good decision,” Pryor said. “I think the whole world was shocked when that happened.”
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Elvis and Priscilla had one child, Lisa Marie Presley, who was born to the couple in February 1968. (Photo courtesy of Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images)
Pryor looked back fondly on his time with Presley, saying the vocalist treated his bodyguards “really well” and was “nice” to them, even though he was “grumpy” overall.
“He lost his mother, he lost his wife, he was bitter towards women,” Pryor said.
