There have been a handful of artists that have left a mark as big as the one Elvis Presley left in the world of music and entertainment. Unfortunately, it is often the case that these sorts of "icons" end up suffering from an assortment of physical or mental health issues, and Elvis was not the exception. Now, his former bodyguard and now-author, Ted Pryor, revealed Elvis avoided physical contact due to his declining health.
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"Elvis was at a point where he was so heavy he didn't like to be touched because he was constantly perspiring and hot," Pryor told Fox News Digital. And Pryor or Elvis would not be wrong to associate both things. There is a connection between being overweight or obese and the feeling of being hot. This is due to the inflammation, swelling, and pain that the joints might suffer from bearing a person's weight, according to Mayo Clinic.
And, according to Pryor, fans touching Elvis was a major concern, as Elvis Presley was pretty much idolized by his female fans. "The women used to rush the stage," Pryor said. "It was interesting, because you'd have a chokehold around their waist. We would take them to the floor slowly, and our junior bodyguards would take them away."
He would also share how, while he fended off some Elvis-infatuated women, one of them choked him with a scarf. The "King of Rock and Roll" gifted the scarf to the choking fan.
An Elvis Presley Bodyguard
Elvis Presley hired Ted Pryor while he was training FBI and DEA personnel. Pryor, a self-defense master and a super middleweight kickboxing champion, recalls his time with Elvis as being an "exciting" time. "Elvis, when he was younger in the service, he learned a little bit of martial arts, and he was infatuated with it," Pryor said. "Getting to bodyguard for 'the King' was pretty exciting for me."
Pryor also talked about Elvis' troubled relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, mentioning his gambling addiction. "He had to start touring because his manager gambled his money away," Pryor said, stating that Elvis was broke at the time, although nobody knew it. He then attributed the fact that Elvis never toured outside of the United States to Parker's gambling problem.
While Elvis was "sour" toward women, according to Pryor, Presley was still very nice to him, treating his bodyguard "really well."
