The Tragic Death Of Lisa Marie Presley
Lisa Marie Presley, the singer who was also famously the daughter of Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley, has died at 54 years old, on January 12, according to People. Aside from her well-known parents, Lisa Marie was in the spotlight for her high-profile marriages to guitarist Michael Lockwood, Michael Jackson, Nicolas Cage, and her first husband, Danny Keough. She had four children from her marriages: Finley Aaron Love Lockwood, Harper Vivienne Ann Lockwood, Benjamin Keough, and actor Riley Keough.
Just prior to her death, it was reported that Lisa Marie was rushed to the hospital after suffering cardiac arrest on January 12, per TMZ. When paramedics arrived, she was under "full arrest," but they were able to revive her. However, Lisa Marie's mother, Priscilla Presley, confirmed her untimely passing in a statement. "It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us," Priscilla wrote.
This came as a shock to fans, as only days before the incident, Lisa Marie attended the 2023 Golden Globes and was in high spirits as she showered praise on Austin Butler for his portrayal of her father in "Elvis," per Entertainment Tonight. Here's a look back at the singer's life and career.
Followed in her father's footsteps
Being the only child of Elvis Presley, the "King of Rock 'n' Roll," came with its fair share of baggage. People assume you'll go into the music business when your father essentially defined it for an entire generation. And Lisa Marie Presley did just that after a while. According to the Los Angeles Times, she launched her own music career at 35 when she put out her first album. At the time, she told the outlet she was entering the business to establish her own credibility.
Her debut song, "Lights Out," premiered in 2003 and gave an inside perspective on what it's like to live in Elvis' shadow, per the LA Times. "I really went back through a lot of the dark corridors of my life in this record," she told the LA Times of her first album "To Whom It May Concern." She added, "I wanted people to know who I am based on my music, not on what they read in the tabloids."
Following her debut album, Presley released two more albums — "Now What" in 2005 and "Storm & Grace" in 2012 (via All Music). Her first two albums went platinum, according to The Providence Journal. While she took her time getting into the music business, she told the outlet that music, particularly songwriting, was a really special part of her life. "It truly is a labor of love. I've seen too much in my life. It's all I really want to do," she shared.
She was married to some big names
Not that Lisa Marie Presley was in need of a big name -– hers was big on its own. But her relationship history included some big names in their own right. First, she was married to musician Danny Keough from 1988 to 1994 and then tied the knot with Michael Jackson, per Entertainment Tonight. After divorcing the international superstar, Presley was briefly married to Nicolas Cage, but they split after only two years of marriage. Finally, she married guitarist Michael Lockwood. Presley and Lockwood were married for a decade before their divorce was finalized in 2016 (per CNN).
In speaking to ABC in 2003, Presley told the outlet that she's always been drawn to artists. "I like when someone's shaking it up, when they're different. I don't know why. I'll never know why. But it's just what I get attracted to." She then admitted that she had a hard time picking men for relationships though she thought her first husband, Keough, was one of the good ones.
Lisa Marie Presley's time with Michael Jackson was real
Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie Presley's mother, wasn't a fan of her daughter's relationship with Michael Jackson and even went so far as to say their marriage was just a way to distract people from his sex-abuse scandal (per a 2003 interview with ABC). But Lisa Marie loved him and noted his incredible connection with kids — especially her own. Their marriage lasted just shy of two years and was bad at the end though she refused to get into details at the time. But by 2019, a decade after Jackson's death, Lisa Marie wanted to be more open about her marriage to the pop idol.
In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Presley admitted that she enjoyed staying awake on nights when Jackson couldn't sleep. "I loved taking care of him," she shared. "It was one of the highest points in my life when things were going really well, and he and I were united. It was a very profound time of my life." Lisa Marie even told Winfrey that Jackson had voiced worries that he would end up just like Elvis, an eerie thought for Lisa Marie. Yet she really loved him. "He had something so intoxicating about him," she revealed. "I don't know if I've ever been that intoxicated by anything ... He was like a drug for me."
Lisa Marie Presley had four children
Not all of her marriages resulted in children, though two of them did! Lisa Marie Presley and Danny Keough had two kids together: Riley and Benjamin, while she had twins with her last husband Michael Lockwood — daughters Finley and Harper (per People). Per the outlet, Riley has inherited her parents' artistic genes, diving into modeling, acting, and directing. She even made her directorial debut in 2022 with "War Pony."
Although Presley can't escape the fame brought about by her name, she always tried to give her family a sense of normalcy, she told Healthy Living Magazine. She told the outlet that her priorities, first and foremost, were her children. "I am very protective. I just smother them in love and I am also ferociously protective," Presley admitted. "I keep them close to me and make sure they are happy and healthy." Presley added that she and her kids were all one another's best friends.
The singer lost her son to suicide
Losing a child at any age is never easy, especially in the spotlight. Lisa Marie Presley learned that all too well in 2020 when she lost her son Benjamin Keough at 27 years old to suicide. At the time, her rep told The Hollywood Reporter, "She is completely heartbroken, inconsolable, and beyond devastated but trying to stay strong for her 11-year-old twins and her oldest daughter, Riley. She adored that boy. He was the love of her life."
In her son's honor, Presley wrote an essay depicting her grief which People published on National Grief Awareness Day in August 2022. Presley vulnerably revealed that she blamed herself daily for her son's death and said that her grief had left her very lonely. Despite her overwhelming sadness, Presley spoke to the strength it took to push through life without Benjamin. "It's a real choice to keep going, one that I have to make every single day and one that is constantly challenging, to say the least ... But I keep going for my girls," the artist wrote. At the end of her essay, she signed off as if writing to a close friend: "Written with all of my love and my pain, most sincerely ~ LMP."
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255).