Elvis Presley's ex Priscilla says he took his own life

Wedding Photos of Elvis Presley to Priscilla on May 01,1967. Photo / Getty

Elvis Presley's ex-wife Priscilla has shockingly claimed the music icon knowingly took his own life when he died from a drug-related heart attack.

The 72-year-old made the admission ahead of the premiere of the new HBO documentary, Elvis Presley: The Searcher, which explores the King's ties to Memphis, Tennessee, and airs on Saturday according to DailyMail.

Priscilla Presley listens to Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton address a group of Elvis fans on the front lawn of Graceland March 27, 2006 in Memphis, Tennessee. Photo / Getty

Priscilla opened up about the depths of addiction of her late ex-husband, who died at the age of 42 in 1977, saying he 'knew what he was doing'.

The confession comes several months after concerning 'suicide' notes, believed to have been written by Elvis himself, were unearthed.

Priscilla said she and loved ones had failed to try to wean him off drugs, as his will was strong and influence was overpowering.

She said: 'People go, well why didn't anyone do anything? Well, that's not true.

'People there in the inner group did, but you did not tell Elvis Presley what to do. You did not. I mean, you'd be out of there faster than a scratched cat. They would try and no way.'

Elvis died age 42 at his Memphis estate Graceland in 1977.

He and Priscilla had married in 1967 and they welcomed their daughter Lisa Marie the following year.

They divorced in 1973 but Priscilla remained the rock 'n' roll star's beneficiary when he died. As the head of Elvis Presley Enterprises, she turned Graceland into one of the top tourist attractions in America.

Priscilla blames her ex-husband's addiction on his brief stint in the US Army.

Speaking of his deployment in Germany, Priscilla says in the documentary: 'They gave them (drugs) to the soldiers over there to keep them awake. He had manoeuvres that he had to do late at night, so the pills were given to the guys and that's how he started.

Portrait of American rock and roll singer Elvis Presley (1935 - 1977) and his girlfriend and later wife Priscilla Beaulieu, 1960s. Photo / Getty

'And if you take a sleeping pill, you have to do something to get yourself awake. He was in uncharted territory, he truly was, and he did this and tried to do this alone.'

In December, letters from Elvis to his friend and road manager Joe Esposito were discovered.

The two notes hint that the singer was depressed, with the icon saying 'I'm sick and tired of my life' and 'I need a long rest'.

Elvis also admitted he was 'embarrassed [he] can't kick drugs' and that he 'could not recover' from 'losing Priscilla', which was 'the greatest mistake of my life'.

One of the notes was dated January 1977, seven months before he died.

Rick Stanley, Elvis' step-brother told Radar Online: 'The handwritten note appears to be genuine. To me, it's a clear indication that suicide was on his mind.'