Elvis Presley"s ER doctor: trying but failing to save the King - Mercury ...

Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock (Music Video)

Before the world was stunned by news that Elvis Presley had died on August 16, 1977, a Memphis, Tennessee emergency room intern heard a hospital"s chief resident pronounce the tragic news.

The resident"s pronouncement came after Jerry DeVane, then an acting intern at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, worked in vain to give Presley chest compressions in an attempt to resuscitate him.

DeVane, now of Cleveland, recalled that hectic scene on the 39th anniversary of Presley"s death. This somber anniversary always prompts fans to flock to Memphis to remember the King of Rock n" Roll"s life and legacy.

In an interview with WTVC News in Chattanooga, DeVane said he had grown up in a town called Whitehaven, near Presley"s famous home, Graceland.

Elvis Whitney lights his candle during Graceland"s Elvis Candelight Vigil on Monday, Aug. 15, 2016 in Memphis, Tenn. (Nikki Boertman /The Commercial Appeal via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT (Nikki Boertman)

DeVane said he was just ending his shift when he heard the call for a code in the emergency room. "When I entered the room it was absolutely packed with people," he said.

No one said the singer"s name; DeVane just knew he needed to act quickly.

"I kind of marched my way around the corner of the room and got to the other side of the gentleman who was doing CPR on Elvis," he said. "I didn"t know that at the time, and he seemed to be tiring so I asked him if I could take over for him."

As DeVane continued with the chest compressions he noticed an unusual piece of jewelry around the patient"s neck.

"The gold chain had the letters TCB on it with a lightening bolt."

It was Elvis" trademark insignia, which stood for "Taking Care of Business in a Flash."

DeVane also recalled the chief resident asking questions of the paramedics who had brought him in. When he asked where they had picked him up, the paramedics gave him a strange look and said, "Well, on Elvis Presley Boulevard."

DeVane said, "That"s when it kind of sunk in fully that we were resuscitating Elvis."

But after an hour, it was clear that "The King" was gone, DeVane said.

Presley was 42. The cause of his death remains in question, with the main suspects being an enlarged heart, a heart arrhythmia or a drug habit.

Martha Ross provides celebrity commentary for the Bay Area News Group. Follow her at twitter.com/marthajross.

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/celebrities/ci_30259077/elvis-presleys-er-doctor-trying-but-failing-save

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Elvis Presley"s ER doctor: trying but failing to save the King

Suspicious Mind - Elvis Presley

Before the world was stunned by news that Elvis Presley had died on August 16, 1977, a Memphis, Tennessee emergency room intern heard a hospital"s chief resident pronounce the tragic news.

The resident"s pronouncement came after Jerry DeVane, then an acting intern at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, worked in vain to give Presley chest compressions in an attempt to resuscitate him.

DeVane, now of Cleveland, recalled that hectic scene on the 39th anniversary of Presley"s death. This somber anniversary always prompts fans to flock to Memphis to remember the King of Rock n" Roll"s life and legacy.

In an interview with WTVC News in Chattanooga, DeVane said he had grown up in a town called Whitehaven, near Presley"s famous home, Graceland.

Elvis Whitney lights his candle during Graceland"s Elvis Candelight Vigil on Monday, Aug. 15, 2016 in Memphis, Tenn. (Nikki Boertman /The Commercial Appeal via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT (Nikki Boertman)

DeVane said he was just ending his shift when he heard the call for a code in the emergency room. "When I entered the room it was absolutely packed with people," he said.

No one said the singer"s name; DeVane just knew he needed to act quickly.

"I kind of marched my way around the corner of the room and got to the other side of the gentleman who was doing CPR on Elvis," he said. "I didn"t know that at the time, and he seemed to be tiring so I asked him if I could take over for him."

As DeVane continued with the chest compressions he noticed an unusual piece of jewelry around the patient"s neck.

"The gold chain had the letters TCB on it with a lightening bolt."

It was Elvis" trademark insignia, which stood for "Taking Care of Business in a Flash."

DeVane also recalled the chief resident asking questions of the paramedics who had brought him in. When he asked where they had picked him up, the paramedics gave him a strange look and said, "Well, on Elvis Presley Boulevard."

DeVane said, "That"s when it kind of sunk in fully that we were resuscitating Elvis."

But after an hour, it was clear that "The King" was gone, DeVane said.

Presley was 42. The cause of his death remains in question, with the main suspects being an enlarged heart, a heart arrhythmia or a drug habit.

Martha Ross provides celebrity commentary for the Bay Area News Group. Follow her at twitter.com/marthajross.

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/celebrities/ci_30259077/elvis-presleys-er-doctor-trying-but-failing-save

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Elvis Presley"s Graceland getting major upgrade

Elvis Presley Suspicious Minds Live in Las Vegas

USA Today Network Wayne Risher, The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal 9:31 p.m. EDT August 11, 2016

Keith Hess, general manager of The Guest house at Graceland, leads a media tour in the new building in Memphis on Aug. 10, 2016.(Photo: Yalonda M. James, The Commercial Appeal)

MEMPHISGraceland managers say they"ll reveal details on Monday for a $45 million, 200,000 square foot visitor and entertainment complex on the west side of Elvis Presley Boulevard.

The new construction, scheduled for complextion next spring, will replace a decades-old complex containing souvenir shops, dining and exhibits of Elvis Presley"s cars.

Coupled with a $92 million investment in a resort hotel called The Guest House at Graceland, it brings to $137 million the price tag for updated facilities supporting Presley"s Graceland mansion.

The number released by Elvis Presley Enterprises Thursday slightly exceeds a $132 million total investment previously reported by community leaders.

What Graceland owners refer to as the "Westside Project" is directly across the street from the mansion and 450-room hotel, which is on track to open Oct. 27. The site includes the Heartbreak Hotel, slated for demolition after The Guest House is completed.

New facilities will include a new museum of Elvis" cars, two restaurants, a multipurpose building, six retail spaces, an "Elvis the Entertainer" museum and other exhibits. Graceland officials have said they"ll move Elvis memorabilia including gold records, guitars and jumpsuits from the mansion to the new space. An aircraft exhibit of the "Lisa Marie" will stay in place.

Graceland, Elvis Presley"s home in Memphis.(Photo: Mark Humphrey, AP)

Elvis Presley Enterprises had previously sought construction permits for at least $28 million in westside work.

Joel Weinshanker, managing partner of Graceland/Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc., and Jack Soden, chief executive of Elvis Presley Enterprises, are scheduled to participate in the Monday announcement.

Weinshanker leads a group that bought the operating rights to Graceland in 2013 and put together a master plan for redevelopment. It"s the most sweeping overhaul of Graceland"s Whitehaven complex since the home opened for tours in 1982.

The development is being aided by key public incentives including a tax-increment financing (TIF) district and a tourism development zone. Graceland officials said the future incentives had a net present value of $78.6 million when approved in 2014.

Follow Wayne Risher on Twitter:@gwrisher

Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2ba5IKA

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/nation-now/2016/08/11/elvis-presleys-graceland-getting-major-upgrade/88598600/

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