Elvis: What Happened?

Elvis: What Happened? is a book about the personal life of singer Elvis Presley. The book, which is based on the personal accounts of three of Elvis' former bodyguards, went into detail on the singer’s dangerous drug-dependence. His death, only two weeks after the book’s publication in July 1977, made it highly topical and helped boost its sales to over 3 million.

The guards, Robert Gene West, his cousin Sonny West, and David Hebler, had been fired, officially for cost-saving reasons, but at the time, many suspected it was because they had been heavily critical of Elvis’ increasing intake of, and dependence upon, various drugs. 

With help from reporter Steve Dunleavy, they produced the tell-all memoir which they claimed to be a friendly warning, rather than a money-making exercise. Since the singer’s death, most of its claims have proven accurate.

References

Category:1977 books
Category:Elvis Presley