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At 85, James Burton FINALLY Opens Up On Elvis Presley’s Death, And It’s Bad
For decades, guitarist James Burton has been remembered as the driving force behind Elvis Presley’s legendary live performances. As the lead guitarist of Elvis’s TCB Band (Taking Care of Business), Burton stood on stage night after night, delivering the fiery riffs and soulful licks that gave Presley’s concerts their unmistakable power. Yet through all the years of retelling Elvis’s story, Burton himself remained relatively quiet about one of the most painful chapters of his life: the death of the King of Rock and Roll on August 16, 1977. Now, at 85, Burton has finally opened up—and what he revealed has left fans shaken.
Burton recalls that the news of Elvis’s death hit him like “a lightning bolt out of nowhere.” Though the world knew Elvis had been struggling with exhaustion and health problems, Burton admits that those closest to him never fully grasped just how bad things were. “We saw he was tired, we saw the weight of the tours on him,” Burton shared, “but none of us wanted to believe he was in real danger. Elvis had always been larger than life. You thought he’d bounce back, no matter what.”
In his emotional recollection, Burton revealed the guilt that has haunted him for decades. He admitted that there were signs—a demanding schedule, an over-reliance on medications, and the emotional toll of fame—that pointed toward serious trouble. “We should have stopped, slowed him down,” he said. “We should have spoken up more. But Elvis never wanted to let his fans down. That was his biggest weakness—he gave everything, even when he had nothing left to give.”
Burton also described the surreal moment when he learned Elvis had passed at Graceland. He was preparing for upcoming shows when the phone call came. “I couldn’t believe it. I just sat there, numb. It felt like the whole world stopped turning.” In the days that followed, Burton joined the millions of fans in mourning, but his grief was compounded by the personal loss of not just a bandleader, but a dear friend.
Looking back, Burton says the hardest part is knowing how much Elvis still had to give. “He loved music, he loved the stage. Even when he was sick, once he hit those lights, he was alive again. But behind the curtain, the struggles were real. And in the end, they took him from us too soon.”
Fans have often speculated about the circumstances surrounding Elvis’s passing, but hearing Burton—one of the men who stood right beside him during his final years—speak so candidly adds a new layer of heartbreak. His words confirm what many feared: Elvis’s decline was worse than most imagined, and those closest to him have lived with the pain of wondering what could have been done differently.
At 85, James Burton carries not only the legacy of some of rock and country music’s greatest guitar work but also the heavy burden of losing a friend he could never replace. “Elvis was family,” Burton concluded softly. “And losing him—it never stops hurting.”
