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Elvis Presley’s downward spiral, punctuated by health problems routinely written off as the consequences of addiction, may have actually been triggered by an event that happened generations before he was even born: Elvis’s maternal grandparents were first cousins. “I think that even if he wasn’t ‘Elvis Presley,’ he would have had severe health problems and probably an early death,” said historian and author Sally Hoedel. Elvis: Destined to Die Young is Hoedel’s exhaustively researched investigation into the real reasons why the world lost Elvis Presley on August 16, 1977, when he was only 42. Hoedel offers factual and scientific data, plus never-before-published information she gained by interviewing people who personally knew Elvis, to dive deep into his struggles with multiple chronic health conditions. She thoroughly examines Elvis Presley — devoted son, husband, father and friend — while plowing through the negative hype and sensationalism surrounding the man. Elvis’s health problems are intertwined with