For Elvis, weight was always a problem and a concern, fluctuating up and down throughout his career (especially in the 1960s and 1970s as his consumption of drugs and alcohol increased).

Elvis' weight was often remarked on.  For example, according to Linda Ray Pratt, "When Elvis aged and put on weight, men were his cruelest detractors." (ER, 101).  Also, when Elvis died, the New York Times called him "puffy and drug-wasted." (ER, 102).

Elvis began taking prescription drugs for the first time while in the army to lose weight and increase his energy.  He never dropped them and his addition escalated throughout the 1960s and 1970s, eventually contributing to his fatal heart attack at the young age of 42. Notice that his thin frame matures into a fuller adult one in the 1960s. Even though he gets noticeably heavier in the 1970s, it's not until the middle of the decade that he really starts to put on weight. The final two pictures were taken in 1977, only months prior to his death.

1950s

1960s

1970s