**Spooky Similarities Between the Autopsies of Lisa Marie Presley and Elvis Presley Raise Questions About Inherited Illnesses**
*Published: Dec. 30, 2025, 7:00 p.m. ET | RadarOnline.com*
Newly released findings about the deaths of Lisa Marie Presley and her father, Elvis Presley, reveal “spooky” similarities that revive questions about inherited illnesses possibly contributing to the King of Rock ’n’ Roll’s early death.
Sally A. Hoedel, author of *Elvis: Destined to Die Young*, highlights correlations between the autopsies of Lisa Marie and Elvis. Lisa Marie Presley passed away in January 2023 at age 54 following a double cardiac arrest. Her autopsy reveals health conditions long present in the Presley family—conditions potentially linked to incestuous cousin marriages within Elvis’s ancestral lineage.
### A Legacy of Genetic Illness
Elvis died in 1977 at just 42 years old. While his death has often been attributed to prescription drug abuse, Hoedel argues that congenital and genetic diseases were the underlying causes. The Presley family history is marked by premature deaths: Elvis’s mother, Gladys Presley, died at 46, and three of his uncles passed away from heart, kidney, and liver diseases in their forties and early fifties.
Hoedel emphasizes that this pattern is crucial when assessing both Elvis’s health and that of his only child. She explains:
> “By the time Elvis died in 1977, he had a disease or disorder in nine of the 11 systems of the body. At least five of those were present prior to fame and have likely been there since birth. This is even more relevant now that the autopsy of Lisa Marie Presley revealed a great deal of disease.”
She also notes that the official cause of Lisa Marie’s death—small bowel obstruction linked to bariatric surgery—raises broader questions about her lifelong health struggles.
### The ‘Chronic Presley Problem’
Lisa Marie’s autopsy confirmed the bowel obstruction was caused by scar tissue resulting from a gastric bypass surgery performed years earlier. Hoedel explains that the obstruction caused a loss of blood supply, which led to infection, organ failure, and ultimately her death.
While this may seem different from Elvis’s fatal heart attack, Hoedel points out that both deaths share underlying digestive disorders.
> “Risk of intestinal obstruction increases post-surgery, as seen in this case, but also when conditions like Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBS) and chronic constipation are present. Lisa Marie battled with a digestive/bowel disorder all her life,” Hoedel says. “She referred to it as a ‘chronic Presley problem’ and stated that it traced back to her childhood.”
Elvis, too, suffered lifelong bowel problems, documented as early as his toddler years—long before fame or medication played a role.
Hoedel also questions whether Lisa Marie’s surgery was performed not just for weight loss, but possibly to alleviate chronic digestive pain that may have been a normal part of her life since childhood. She points to autopsy details describing a distended abdomen and reports of months of abdominal pain experienced by Lisa Marie, drawing compelling parallels to Elvis’s abdominal swelling late in his life.
Additionally, the autopsy noted metabolic acidosis in Lisa Marie, indicating kidney dysfunction. Hoedel remarks:
> “There is a known presence of genetic kidney disease in her paternal line.”
She highlights that Elvis’s uncle died from kidney disease in 1968, and a cousin still lives with the condition. Symptoms of kidney disease often overlap with those of bowel obstruction, including nausea, confusion, and changes in heart rate.
### First Cousins Chaos
Hoedel further underscores blood pressure issues and stroke history found in Lisa Marie’s report. Two of Elvis’s uncles, Travis Smith and Tracy Smith, also suffered strokes in their forties and fifties.
Regarding medication, Hoedel confirms that substances found in Lisa Marie’s system were at therapeutic levels and did not contribute to her death. She also draws attention to an infection following cosmetic surgery, which echoes Elvis’s own struggles with immunity.
She stresses that the Presley family’s medical history deserves closer examination.
> “Elvis’s story is one of survival and not self-destruction,” Hoedel states. She suggests that the tragic death of his daughter may help reframe a legacy long clouded by sensationalism.
A key detail emerging from her research involves Elvis’s maternal grandparents—Robert Lee ‘Bob’ Smith and Octavia ‘Doll’ Smith—who were first cousins and married in 1903.
> “It was that union some 30-something years before Elvis’s birth that dictated his short life,” Hoedel explains.
She adds that the King’s family tree had “branches which got tangled,” resulting in a rare DNA combination that was “not supposed to happen” or survive—and whose consequences have been largely ignored.
> “Creating Elvis took a rare DNA combination that was not supposed to happen. It was not supposed to survive—and the consequences of that have long been ignored,” Hoedel concludes.
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This fresh insight into the Presley family’s medical history sheds new light on the possible genetic factors influencing two beloved icons’ untimely deaths. As understanding deepens, it may lead to a more compassionate and informed narrative surrounding Elvis and Lisa Marie Presley’s legacies.
https://radaronline.com/p/lisa-marie-elvis-presley-autopsy-similarities-revealed/
