Reissued to coincide with the 20th anniversary of his death, this is the definitive account of Elvis's final hours alive.

The result of six years of research and some 1,200 interviews, this book takes fans deep into Lennon’s secretive world, from his traumatic childhood to his Beatles days to his hidden life with Yoko Ono. While the Lennon of legend enjoyed a gifted and inspired life, the private Lennon lived in torment, poisoning himself with drugs and self-hatred. The Lives of John Lennon exposed for the first time all of his various lives, from idealist to cynic, from ascetic to junkie. It is a lasting tribute to his brilliant achievements and a revelation of the price he paid for them.

Why is this book more engrossing than Goldman's biographies about Elvis & John Lennon? Mainly because both of them had been done thoroughly during their lifetimes. When the books came out, most who cared to read them already knew most of the contents. Not so with this book on comic Lenny Bruce. He died in 1966, his personal life unknown to most, mainly because his act was considered unfit for decent audiences & was ignored by the media.Goldman gets much of his material from reporter Lawrence Schiller (the cover says, "by Albert Goldman from the journalism of Lawrence Schiller"). The book explores Bruce's youth as Leonard Alfred Schneider, his showbiz-oriented mother, quietly serious father & strange relationship with his stripper wife Honey. Goldman & Schiller analyze Bruce's comedy & whence it came, believing this the key to understanding Bruce himself. The book progresses thru Bruce's difficult 1st years in Manhattan nightclubs, then moves to LA &, finally, San Francisco, where Bruce became a star. It also deals with the comic's insatiable appetite for IV drugs, his fall from a San Francisco hotel room & the legal battles which haunted him till his death.