Elvis is one of the many adaptations of Elvis Presley’s life, but the movie also highlights the singer’s mother’s death, significantly affecting his world and career. The 2022 epic biographical drama film, directed by Baz Luhrmann, stars Austin Butler as The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll and Helen Thomson as his mother, Gladys Presley. Although the feature includes numerous important moments for Elvis, as told and framed by his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, Gladys’s death was undoubtedly one of the most devastating tragedies that the famous performer experienced in his short life.
The movie begins with Tom Hanks’s Colonel Parker having a heart attack and being rushed to the hospital in January 1997 (about 20 years after Elvis’s death), where he begins to narrate his time with Elvis. However, instead of instantly jumping to the moment Colonel Parker first encountered Elvis in 1955, the film goes back to the singer’s childhood. Of course, Elvis features multiple noteworthy points in his life that led him to become the iconic star who continues to transcend time. But it wouldn’t be right to tell Elvis’s story without recounting Gladys’s death.
Elvis Was 23 When His Mother, Gladys, Passed Away
Elvis was only 23 years old when his mother died in August 1958. A few months before Gladys’s death, Elvis had been drafted into the United States Army and assigned to Company A, 2d Medium Tank Battalion, 37th Armor. So when his mother fell ill, Elvis was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, where he was working to complete his basic and advanced training. Gladys was diagnosed with hepatitis, brought on by alcoholism, in early August of the same year, and she continuously got worse instead of better.
About a week after her diagnosis, Elvis was made aware of her worsening condition and used his emergency leave to return to Memphis, Tennessee, to be by her bedside. Gladys passed away due to heart failure (as a result of hepatitis) just a couple of days after Elvis’s arrival. She was 46 years old at the time of her death, and the rock and roll performer was extremely devastated after losing his mother.
Austin Butler’s Elvis Presley Voice Explained
For his role in Elvis, Austin Butler trained hard to nail the King of Rock’s voice — and continued the charade long after the movie stopped filming.
How Gladys Presley’s Death Impacted Elvis’ Future & Career
Elvis was Gladys’s only son (she was pregnant with twins, but one of the boys, Jesse, was stillborn), so the two were very close. As a result, Elvis’s world was completely rocked when his mother died in 1958. He was only in his early twenties and was just starting out in his career (which was slightly on pause due to his military service), and his heart was broken. Many who were close to The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll claimed that he was never the same after Gladys’s passing, and Elvis died just 19 years later, as mentioned in Elvis.
