Elvis heroically jumped out of limo to stop fight with karate skills just before his death
The popular image of The King’s final years is of a bloated wreck, a shell of his former glory. Yet, just over a month before his untimely death, the star was able to leap out of his car after a gruelling concert and night flight to defend a young man he saw being attacked on the street. On June 24, 1977, at just after 1am in the morning, Elvis saved a young gas station attendant from being beaten in Madison, Wisconsin. A plaque to commemorate the moment was later placed on the site.
In his latter years, Elvis pursued a love of martial arts which had started during his 1958 military service in Germany. From 1970-1974 he trained under Master Kang Rhee in Memphis, eventually attaining at 8th level Black Belt on September 16, 1974.
As well as enjoying the discipline of training and the break it gave him from being Elvis (his training name was Mr Tiger) the star incorporated karate moves into his stage performances.
The King was also obsessed with being able to defend himself from potential threats but few ever expected him to leap out into the street and use his karate moves in a dramatic real-life fight.
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