Elvis Presley: Remembering 'the King' 40 years later
A look back at the life and death of Elvis Presley, 'the king of rock & roll'
An X-Ray that shows Elvis Presley’s broken pinky on his left hand that he sustained after reportedly practicing karate is heading to auction next month.
Julien’s Auctions, which is behind the unusual sale, confirmed in their online catalog the scan was ordered by the singer’s friend, Las Vegas-based physician Dr. Elias Ghanem. The two X-Ray prints of Presley’s hand were taken on September 9, 1973 and is accompanied by a letter of authenticity from widow Jody Ghanem.
The Las Vegas Sun reported Dr. Ghanem passed away in 2001.
The X-Rays also include three medical notes written by Ghanem on yellow and green paper, confirming that there was “no evidence of any recent chest disease,” as well as there was “complete clearing of the previously described right upper lobe pneumonia since previous exam on Jan 31, 1973.”
The starting bid for the rock ‘n’ roll artifact is $1,000 and is expected to rack up between $4,000-$6,000. The auction is set to take place online on November 4 as part of the “Icons & Idols: Rock ‘n’ Roll” collection.
In addition to the X-Rays, Julian’s Auctions will also be featuring other Presley memorabilia, including his credit card, karate weapons, jewelry and a prescription pill bottle for Temaril, an antihistamine with a sedative.
Back in 2012, Jody told the Las Vegas Review-Journal Presley stayed for weeks at a time at the physician's home to cope with his personal health battle.
“I think they were trying to get him off medication – what you would call detox – and lose some weight,” said Jody at the time. “Elias tried to get him in shape to perform.”
Dr. Ghanem’s brother Nasser also claimed he helped the doctor replace Presley’s drugs in capsules with “sugar powder” to create placebos. The King’s bodyguards reportedly learned about the placebos and told their boss.
“He got very upset but Elias calmed him down,” insisted Nasser.
Dr. Ghanem also helped Presley manage his “Vegas throat” after non-stop performances, which threatened to prevent him from singing. And after Dr. Ghanem helped Presley battle pneumonia, he allegedly surprised him with a Stutz Bearcat sports car.
Presley died in 1977 at age 42 in his Graceland home.
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