By love-89.com When Lisa Marie Presley, the only daughter of legendary Elvis Presley, passed away last year at the age of 54, she left behind a poignant request for her daughter, Riley Keough, to complete her memoir. This book draws from recorded tapes and their shared experiences. On the release day of “From Here to the Great Unknown,” the BBC sat down with Keough in New York to explore her mother’s tumultuous life, marked by trauma, addiction, loss, and grief.
“It really touched me that she chose to share her story with the world, a story she was so protective of,” shared the soft-spoken 35-year-old actress. In the memoir, Lisa Marie opens up about how her father’s death at just nine years old profoundly impacted her life. For the first time, she recounts the harrowing details of that day in August 1977—waking up later in the day and sensing something was off, rushing to his room, and discovering him face down on the bathroom floor.
Identifying as a “total daddy’s girl,” Lisa Marie admitted her strong attraction to “alpha types” in her relationships. After Elvis’s death, his body was displayed in an open casket at Graceland for two days. Once the crowds had left, Lisa Marie would visit, touching his face and holding his hand, attempting to communicate with him. “There’ve been nights as an adult when I’d just get drunk, listen to his music, and cry. The grief is still there,” she wrote.
Keough expressed her belief that her mother never fully processed her father’s death. She recalled feeling anger towards her famous grandfather as a child, as she associated his music with her mother’s suffering, lingering long after his passing.
While there were also cherished memories at Graceland, tragedy was a constant companion, particularly after the heartbreaking loss of Lisa Marie’s son, Benjamin Keough, who took his own life in 2020 at the age of 27. Keough revealed that her mother kept Benjamin’s body at home for two months before the burial, a choice she felt helped Lisa Marie gather her thoughts during such a profound period of grief.
“I think it’s common in the Western world to handle death very quickly without a proper grieving process,” Keough reflected. “The body is taken away, and you don’t get to see anything—a stark contrast to practices in other cultures.” Following Benjamin’s death, Lisa Marie’s health declined, prompting Keough to express fears that her mother might ultimately succumb to a broken heart.
Delving into her mother’s past, Keough revealed that Lisa Marie had a close bond with pop icon Michael Jackson, whom she first met at age six. Their connection was reignited in 1993, leading to a secret communication plan and frequent meetings. During an eight-day stay in Las Vegas, they spent their nights talking and watching movies together. Lisa Marie recalled, “Nothing happened physically, but the connection was incredibly strong. No one had ever witnessed that side of him.”
On their last night together, Michael proposed in their dark hotel room, saying, “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m completely in love with you. I want us to get married and have children together.” They married in 1994, marking Lisa Marie’s second marriage after her divorce from Keough’s father, Danny. However, the relationship was fraught with tension due to concerns over Jackson’s suspected drug use, leading to frequent conflicts.
Keough reflected on their passionate yet tumultuous relationship, emphasizing that despite their deep feelings for each other, a myriad of issues ultimately led to its fiery conclusion.