Elvis Died Alone in a Bathroom—But What He Was Holding Will Destroy You August 16th, 1977. 2:30 PM. Paramedics arrived at Graceland to find Elvis Presley dead on a bathroom floor. But when they tried to move his body, they discovered something that made their hands shake. Elvis's fingers were wrapped so tightly around a photograph that they had to break his grip to get it free. The photograph wasn't of Graceland. It wasn't of gold records or screaming fans or any of the things that made him a le