Claim: A heart attack killed Elvis Presley.

Elvis Aaron Presley -LRB- January 8 , 1935 -- August 16 , 1977 -RRB- was an American singer-songwriter and actor . Regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century , he is often referred to as the `` King of Rock and Roll '' , or simply `` the King '' .   Presley was born in Tupelo , Mississippi , and relocated to Memphis , Tennessee , with his family when he was 13 years old . His music career began there in 1954 , when he recorded a song with producer Sam Phillips at Sun Records . Accompanied by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black , Presley was an early popularizer of rockabilly , an uptempo , backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues . RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker , who managed the singer for more than two decades . Presley 's first RCA single , `` Heartbreak Hotel '' , was released in January 1956 and became a number-one hit in the United States . He was regarded as the leading figure of rock and roll after a series of successful network television appearances and chart-topping records . His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style , combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines that coincided with the dawn of the Civil Rights Movement , made him enormously popular -- and controversial .   In November 1956 , Presley made his film debut in Love Me Tender . In 1958 , he was drafted into military service . He resumed his recording career two years later , producing some of his most commercially successful work before devoting much of the 1960s to making Hollywood films and their accompanying soundtrack albums , most of which were critically derided . In 1968 , following a seven-year break from live performances , he returned to the stage in the acclaimed televised comeback special Elvis , which led to an extended Las Vegas concert residency and a string of highly profitable tours . In 1973 , Presley featured in the first globally broadcast concert via satellite , Aloha from Hawaii . On August 16 , 1977 , he sustained a heart attack in the bathroom of his Graceland estate , and died as a result . His death came in the wake of many years of prescription drug abuse which lead to his poor health and death .   Presley is one of the most celebrated and influential musicians of the 20th century . Commercially successful in many genres , including pop , blues and gospel , he is one of the best-selling solo artists in the history of recorded music , with estimated record sales of around 600 million units worldwide . He won three Grammys , also receiving the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36 , and has been inducted into multiple music halls of fame .