Following a report on June 25, Elvis fans around the world expressed anger toward his stepbrother, David Stanley, after a shocking allegation about “The King’s” death came to light. In his upcoming book, My Brother Elvis: The Final Years, David writes about the final years of Elvis’ life, revealing the “dark” side of him that only his inner circle got to see. By exposing this side of Elvis’ life, David is hopeful he can help others dealing with addiction so they don’t meet the same fate as his stepbrother.
But reports by the New York Daily News and others picked up on a line in Stanley’s book, saying he claimed Elvis “done this on purpose.“ In other words, Stanley was implying “The King” took his own life.
Reports also indicate Stanley made the claim that he and other family members discovered syringes and pills near Elvis’ body, though none of these were recovered by police. That’s because Stanley claims in the book that he stuffed all of this evidence in his pockets so they police wouldn’t find it.
Following these reports, Stanley was met with intense backlash, with many fans flat-out refusing to accept his claims. Many others said they won’t buy his book, feeling that he is profiting off of his stepbrother’s name by spreading scandal.
Now, Stanley is stepping up to defend himself, saying the statements he made in his book were taken “out of context.“ He shared a statement on Facebook to clarify what he said:
“Over this past week end the New York Daily News ran an article on my forthcoming book that took what I had written about Elvis’ passing completely out of context. The article went viral and circulated world wide. I am posting this today to refute the articles content and delivery…As far as his passing, only he and God knows what happen[ed] in those final moments that took him from us all.”
When it comes to Elvis’ death, it seems that it will forever remain a subject of mystery. But what is no mystery is the fact that he was one of the greatest musicians to ever exist. You can watch one of his spectacular live performances in the video below.
If you’ve been following this story concerning David’s book, what are your thoughts on his most recent statements?
