Legacy Issue

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NPM: Why do we need this foundation?
David: We’re living in a society of rampant
drug abuse. 78 people die each day from pre-
scription drug abuse and 15 million are af-
fected by it every year. 9% of the teen deaths
in America are from prescription drug abuse.
I grew up in a rock and roll whole
life was growing up with Elvis Presley in the
late ‘60s and ‘70s, touring with him and be-
ing around rock and roll bands. We lost El-
vis, which was a tragedy. We lost Michael
Jackson, which was another tragedy, almost
a carbon copy of Elvis’s death: prescription
medication. Most recently, we lost Prince. I
thought to myself, two kings and a prince:
What can we learn from these tragic deaths?
The Foundation will draw attention to the
issue and raise awareness about prescription
drug abuse, sustaining the level of conscious-
ness about it, and it will support foundations
that provide treatment for drug abuse. This
is a serious issue that is plaguing America
and the world. It’s a way to draw people to
the problem through the celebrity of El-
vis Presley. I created the Foundation as an
awareness support for people to wake up and
fight back so that we can save a lot of lives.
NPM: Why are you called to this?
David: I will never forget the loss, the pain,
the suffering from the death of a guy who
had picked me up seventeen years before
and said, “Welcome to my family.” Addiction
was taking control of my life, too, and I was
blessed to overcome it. Being related to Elvis
Presley opened the door, and then God gave
me the gift of communication to be able to
share it with authority, passion, and purpose,
motivated by the fact that I could help save
a life. When I cradled Elvis in my arms the
day he died, I, along with others, had a wake-
up call. His death was my resurrection. His
passing was my wake-up call, and I woke
up from addiction. I had my faith and was
able to overcome what killed him. I don’t talk
about Elvis Presley unless I can communicate
a positive message. The positive message,
unfortunately, lies in the tragedy of his death.
NPM: You’ve said a few times Elvis was a
giver. He wrote checks to support people.
That’s an important part of this legacy, isn’t it?
David: I was brought up with a giver. Elvis
Presley was the king of rock and roll. He did
33 movies. He sold countless records. He is
the undisputed king of rock and roll, and
probably the most popular rock icon ever. But
his thing was giving.
If you see somebody walking down the
street, you might give him a buck, but Elvis
would give him a job, buy him a car, and
put his kid in college. Elvis would go to St.
Jude’s Hospital and give out teddy bears and
perform concerts for the kids, writing checks
to them all the time. Elvis had the gift of
music, of melody in his heart. But his main
gift was giving. Elvis always said, “The main
reason I have anything is to give it.”
In the spirit of giving, this is my way to honor
him from that perspective. What I’ve learned
from him, I want to share with other people.
When I’m dead and gone, the news will
talk about the youngest stepbrother of Elvis
Presley. I’d rather it say that the youngest
stepbrother of Elvis Presley leaves the
legacy of the My Brother Elvis Foundation
to reach and help prescription drug abusers
throughout the United States and the world.
It’s a legacy to leave behind for my children,
and long after my children’s children are
gone. We are giving to people who can’t help
themselves, to others who are lost in a needle,
a bottle, a pill, or the abuse of self-prescribed
medication.
NPM: What is your primary leadership fo-
cus in making sure the Foundation follows
your vision?
David: I believe every great thing is started
with a vision. Once you get a vision given by
God, it’s going to happen. I am the visionary,
seeing what it can and will do. I am also the
spokesperson driven by passion and purpose
to make sure it does happen. By building a
team around me, my strategic team, my board
of directors, my lawyers, everybody involved
has a part that makes this the reality. I am the
spokesperson. I am not an expert in addiction,
but we are putting the pieces together.
Delegation is key. Too many people who
fail have egos that suppress their results.
They need to have an ego for success instead
of an ego of success. They need to embrace
the reality that they have a part, which they
then need to take and turn into that reality.
They delegate the other portions of that to
individuals. They are transparent. They are
authentic. Nobody knows everything, but