What Sarah Ferguson Thinks Lisa Marie Presley Really Died From
Lisa Marie Presley, the only daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, died on January 12, after being rushed to the hospital for suffering cardiac arrest. She was 54. Lisa Marie's final days were spent in celebration of her father; she attended the Golden Globes to celebrate Austin Butler's portrayal of her father in Baz Luhrmann's production of "Elvis." Despite this brief period of publicity, Lisa Marie lived out of the spotlight for much of the end of her life, and was living in California with her ex-husband, Danny Keough, who performed CPR on her until ambulances arrived.
Lisa Marie was mourned by daughter Riley Keough, a successful actor in her own right, and twins Finley and Harper Lockwood, whom she shared with ex-husband Michael Lockwood. Her son, Benjamin Keough, died by suicide in 2020 when he was 27. Lisa Marie was laid to rest at Elvis' famous home, Graceland, next to her son Benjamin. Her funeral took place on January 22, with friends from all over the world joining in to bid farewell to Lisa Marie. One among them was Sarah Ferguson, ex-wife of Prince Andrew, who was actually a longtime friend of Elvis' daughter — and Fergie had her own take on why Lisa Marie died.
Sarah Ferguson believes Lisa Marie Presley died of a broken heart
Sarah Ferguson joined mourners at Lisa Marie Presley's funeral, held at Graceland in Tennessee. While at the Memphis airport, Fergie spoke with Page Six and gave her theory that Lisa Marie died of a broken heart following her son Benjamin Keough's suicide. "I think she's with Ben now," Fergie said.
The Duchess of York also spoke of Lisa Marie's three remaining children. "I think we need to make sure Finley, Riley and Harper are fully supported going forward," she said. "[Lisa Marie] was so proud of them, so proud. She used to write to me saying, 'Yeah, I'm really gushing at how wonderful my children are right now.'" Fergie also spoke about how much Priscilla Presley must be hurting. "Also, we've got to look after Priscilla now, don't we?" Fergie noted.
Lisa Marie and the duchess became friends when the former moved to Sussex, England, with her then-husband, Michael Lockwood. They became lifelong friends and supported each other through their various ups and downs. After Lisa Marie died, Fergie jumped on Instagram to pay tribute to her friend. "I say hello to you everyday and I love you my sissy and I will continue to say hello to you everyday," Fergie wrote. "You were my sissy, an amazing mother to Ben, Riley, Harper and Finley and a superbly loving daughter to Priscilla. You have been my devoted friend for many years... I am deeply saddened my sissy, you are in my heart."
Lisa Marie Presley was devastated after Benjamin Keough's death
In July 2020, Lisa Marie Presley's manager, Roger Widynowski, told TMZ that the singer was "completely heartbroken" over her son's death. "She adored that boy," the manager said in a statement. "He was the love of her life." Widynowski added that Presley was trying her best to keep it together for her other children — Riley, Harper, and Finley.
In May 2022, Presley took to Instagram to promote Baz Luhrmann's Elvis biopic. At the beginning of her caption, she addressed her absence from social media. "I am and will forever be mourning the loss of my son," she wrote. "Navigating through this hideous grief that absolutely destroyed and shattered my heart and my soul into almost nothing has swallowed me whole."
And in August 2022, People obtained and published a personal essay that Presley wrote about grieving her son's death. She mentioned that she "beat herself up tirelessly" and "blamed herself" for the death, adding that other people's judgment made her feel worse. "Nothing, absolutely NOTHING takes away the pain," she wrote.
The Presley family is coping with Lisa Marie Presley's death
Riley Keough, Lisa Marie Presley's eldest daughter, shared how she has continued on with life amid her brother's death. "I'm just generally trying to be grateful for everything at the moment, trying to operate in love, and keep my heart open, and give and receive love," she told InStyle. She added that although she still does have "hard days," she tries her best to think about the positive things in life.
As for Presley's younger children, the singer's ex-husband Michael Lockwood is doing everything he can to make sure the twins, Harper and Finley, are feeling "loved" and "safe" after their mother's death. "Both of them have incredible spirit and they will carry our family's legacy on for the rest of their lives," Lockwood told People. "Since they were born, Harper and Finley have brought me profound joy and I remain devoted to them."
Riley may be able to help her younger siblings too. In March 2021, the actor took to Instagram to announce that she completed her training to become a death doula. The inspiration came after losing her brother. "I think it's so important to be educated on conscious dying and death the way we educate ourselves on birth and conscious birthing," she wrote in her caption.