The Bizarre Moment Elvis Presley Almost Drowned in a Bowl of Soup
Posted: October 27th, 2025, 11:32 am
https://parade.com/news/bizarre-moment- ... a-thompson
The Bizarre Moment Elvis Presley Almost Drowned in a Bowl of Soup
Linda Thompson was ‘terrified’ after finding Presley passed out while eating.
By Lucille Barilla
Entertainment Writer, Parade
Elvis Presley and Linda Thompson
Tom Wargacki/WireImage Oct 27, 2025 10:25 AM EDT
Key Points
Elvis Presley’s drug use nearly caused him to drown in a bowl of chicken noodle soup.
Linda Thompson saved his life multiple times during their relationship, she later revealed.
Thompson ended their relationship in 1976; Presley died eight months later.
In his later years, Elvis Presley experimented with countless ways to lose weight. But one extreme diet, coupled with his reported drug use, caused the King of Rock and Roll to almost drown in a bowl of soup.
In an excerpt from her book A Little Thing Called Life, Linda Thompson shared details of the harrowing moment she saved the King of Rock and Roll from a dangerous, life-threatening event. The passage was excerpted by PEOPLE Magazine in 2016.
Thompson revealed details about Presley’s declining health from 1972 to 1976, during the years they were together. He tried many different types of diets to remain healthy enough to continue his touring schedule, but those extreme methods, along with an ongoing drug habit, almost caused him to perish in an unlikely way.
She explained that one of the more extreme methods of weight loss included being sedated for almost two weeks, so the King of Rock and Roll couldn’t overeat. However, that drug, along with the many others Presley took, caused the harrowing incident.
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“Whatever he took besides the Placidyl for sleeping had hit him hard and fast. I shouted to wake him up, but he was completely passed out,” Thompson wrote.
“Terrified, I jumped onto the bed. As I held his head up by his hair, he had chicken soup and noodles all over his face. I started to clean his throat, literally pulling out chunks of food.”
Thankfully, Thompson was there at the right time, saving Presley’s life. Sadly, this wouldn’t be the only time she would do so.
According to Linda Thompson, she saved Elvis Presley’s life on more than one occasion. In a 2025 interview published by Elvis Australia, Thompson admitted to having pulled the King of Rock and Roll back from the brink “several times.”
She said, “I know that I’ve had a past record of having saved his life several times when certain things happened. And you’re right, it’s a difficult one because everybody around him, including his father, had said that if I had been with him, he would have still been alive.”
Thompson continued, “His father [Vernon Presley] told me that on the night of the funeral. All of his friends and relatives have said that to me, too. That is something that we will now never know.”
“I could have stayed there and kept him alive for another ten years, or I might have found him dead the same way that Ginger [Alden] did. That would have been even more devastating to me than the fact that I could have been there, or I might have done something. I think God has a way of working things out. He removed me from the situation because maybe there was nothing I could’ve done,” she concluded.
Linda Thompson ended her relationship with Elvis Presley in late 1976 after over four years as his girlfriend. He died eight months later, in August 1977, at his Graceland home in Memphis, Tennessee.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, help is available 24 hours a day through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health hotline at 1-800-662-4357.
About the author
Lucille Barilla
Entertainment Writer, Parade
Lucille Barilla is an entertainment writer with almost four decades of experience in the entertainment industry. She has deep industry knowledge and works to create stories that are not only entertaining but also informative. She's interviewed some of the notable musicians in the industry, including Jon Bon Jovi, Dave Matthews, Darius Rucker, and Gene Simmons.
The Bizarre Moment Elvis Presley Almost Drowned in a Bowl of Soup
Linda Thompson was ‘terrified’ after finding Presley passed out while eating.
By Lucille Barilla
Entertainment Writer, Parade
Elvis Presley and Linda Thompson
Tom Wargacki/WireImage Oct 27, 2025 10:25 AM EDT
Key Points
Elvis Presley’s drug use nearly caused him to drown in a bowl of chicken noodle soup.
Linda Thompson saved his life multiple times during their relationship, she later revealed.
Thompson ended their relationship in 1976; Presley died eight months later.
In his later years, Elvis Presley experimented with countless ways to lose weight. But one extreme diet, coupled with his reported drug use, caused the King of Rock and Roll to almost drown in a bowl of soup.
In an excerpt from her book A Little Thing Called Life, Linda Thompson shared details of the harrowing moment she saved the King of Rock and Roll from a dangerous, life-threatening event. The passage was excerpted by PEOPLE Magazine in 2016.
Thompson revealed details about Presley’s declining health from 1972 to 1976, during the years they were together. He tried many different types of diets to remain healthy enough to continue his touring schedule, but those extreme methods, along with an ongoing drug habit, almost caused him to perish in an unlikely way.
She explained that one of the more extreme methods of weight loss included being sedated for almost two weeks, so the King of Rock and Roll couldn’t overeat. However, that drug, along with the many others Presley took, caused the harrowing incident.
Parade Daily
SIGN UP for Parade’s Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox “Whatever he took besides the Placidyl for sleeping had hit him hard and fast. I shouted to wake him up, but he was completely passed out,” Thompson wrote.
“Terrified, I jumped onto the bed. As I held his head up by his hair, he had chicken soup and noodles all over his face. I started to clean his throat, literally pulling out chunks of food.”
Thankfully, Thompson was there at the right time, saving Presley’s life. Sadly, this wouldn’t be the only time she would do so.
According to Linda Thompson, she saved Elvis Presley’s life on more than one occasion. In a 2025 interview published by Elvis Australia, Thompson admitted to having pulled the King of Rock and Roll back from the brink “several times.”
She said, “I know that I’ve had a past record of having saved his life several times when certain things happened. And you’re right, it’s a difficult one because everybody around him, including his father, had said that if I had been with him, he would have still been alive.”
Thompson continued, “His father [Vernon Presley] told me that on the night of the funeral. All of his friends and relatives have said that to me, too. That is something that we will now never know.”
“I could have stayed there and kept him alive for another ten years, or I might have found him dead the same way that Ginger [Alden] did. That would have been even more devastating to me than the fact that I could have been there, or I might have done something. I think God has a way of working things out. He removed me from the situation because maybe there was nothing I could’ve done,” she concluded.
Linda Thompson ended her relationship with Elvis Presley in late 1976 after over four years as his girlfriend. He died eight months later, in August 1977, at his Graceland home in Memphis, Tennessee.
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, help is available 24 hours a day through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health hotline at 1-800-662-4357.
About the author
Lucille Barilla
Entertainment Writer, Parade
Lucille Barilla is an entertainment writer with almost four decades of experience in the entertainment industry. She has deep industry knowledge and works to create stories that are not only entertaining but also informative. She's interviewed some of the notable musicians in the industry, including Jon Bon Jovi, Dave Matthews, Darius Rucker, and Gene Simmons.