Elvis Presley spent the last four hours of his life completely alone. He was scheduled to fly back out on tour on the day he died. As plans were made for the journey, the king of rock and roll spent time in isolation before passing away.
The announcement of Elvis’ death would shock the world. He was a major contributor to the development of rock ‘n’ roll. While he did not write any of his own songs, the way he sang, acted on stage, and introduced so many different upbeat tracks to the mainstream paved the way for many other artists to do the same. People still mourn his death today.
Many people simply weren’t ready to accept Elvis’ death. Many conspiracy theories debunked, but one gaining traction was that of Orion, a vocal doppelganger of Elvis who many believed sang under a persona and faked his death to escape the spotlight. Some people found it difficult to accept his death for two reasons. Firstly, he garnered widespread admiration as a musician, and secondly, it happened unexpectedly.
As previously mentioned, the day Elvis Presley died, he had plans to go on tour. It’s not like he didn’t make any future plans because he was ill. Furthermore, it had been a short time since he had been in the studio recording new music. Just one month before his death, he released his final song, ‘He’ll Have to Go’.
Jim Reeves initially released ‘He’ll Have to Go‘ in 1959. The track’s original version was a hit in the early 1960s. It tells the story of a man talking on the phone to the woman he loves when he discovers she is with another man. Though primarily a country song, the arrangement lent itself to the world of country pop, which the King was eager to pursue when preparing his 1977 album Moody Blue.
They say Elvis recorded his cover of ‘He’ll Have to Go‘ on October 31, 1976. Even though his health was deteriorating at the time of recording, his voice’s distinct low-humming essence shines through on every syllable.
When Elvis died, people simply didn’t anticipate having to say goodbye. He had ushered in a completely new era of music and performance. The news came as a surprise, given that he was still releasing music and about to go on tour. People gathered around the radio to hear the untimely news that Elvis had left the building. They no doubt went over to their record player to listen to some of his final songs, including ‘He’ll Have To Go‘.
