Elvis Presley’s half-brother, David Stanley, says the star would not have died at 42 if he had not taken an outrageous number of pills in the months leading up to his demise. He also accused Elvis’ doctor, George ‘Nick’ Nichopoulos, who died in 2016, of killing the rock and roll legend.
Although hardly mentioned, Stanley grew up with Elvis and moved around with him for trips and shows. They became inseparable ever since Stanley’s mother married Elvis’ dad Vernon Presley, and even moved into his Graceland home.
Elvis Presley’s brother insists his doctor was guilty
Dr. Nick was indicted in 1980 on 14 counts of overprescription; however, he was acquitted of the charges. The accusation haunted him for the rest of his life, as the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners revoked his medical license more than a decade later.
Stanley continues to stand by his claims that Nick should have gone to prison for pumping his brother with up to 33 sleeping pills each night. Nick defended himself back then, saying he was treating the Rock ‘n’ Roll King for insomnia, but the stigma of the allegations remained and severely impacted his latter years.
David Stanley claps back at doubters as he defends Elvis Presley
While the doctor may have contributed to Elvis’ untimely demise, many believe his lifestyle was not any better as he reportedly ate unhealthy junk food, hardly got sleep, and would rot in bed for days in the months leading up to his passing. He also battled multiple health problems at a time, and a nurse had to move into Graceland to care for him.
Stanley clapped back in his brother’s defense, reminding doubters that he witnessed Elvis’ daily decline due to drugs. He admitted to doing all he could to keep him alive, but to no avail. Stanley wrote a book based on Elvis, My Brother Elvis: The Final Years, in 2016, and is the producer behind the My Brother Elvis show, which takes place many times a year.