Lisa Marie Presley's son and Elvis Presley's grandson, Benjamin Keough, was found dead in 2020. Photo / Lisa Presley Instagram
Lisa Marie Presley’s final post on social media was a discussion about grief.
Presley, the US singer and only child of the late Elvis Presley, was rushed to hospital on Friday morning after suffering a cardiac arrest, with her mother Priscilla Presley, 77, confirming her death at age 54 just hours later.
Lisa Marie, a mother of three daughters, was at the Golden Globes in Beverly Hills just two days ago, where she sat alongside her beloved mother as they watched US actor Austin Butler win Best Actor - Drama for his portrayal of Elvis in Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 biopic - of which they were heavily involved.
The star last posted on Instagram in August on National Grief Awareness day, sharing a first-person piece she wrote in People about losing her only son, Benjamin Keough, to suicide in 2020. He was 27.
Lisa Marie wrote how she’d been living in a “horrific reality” following her son’s death, as she shared how she was handling grief.
“Death is part of life whether we like it or not,” Lisa Marie wrote in the emotional essay.
“Grief is incredibly lonely. Despite people coming in the heat of the moment to be there for you right after the loss takes place, they soon disappear and go on with their own lives and they kind of expect for you to do the same, especially after some time has passed.”
She described how she “beat myself up tirelessly and chronically”, and blamed herself “every single day”.
“The unrelenting reality is that you are FORCED into this horrendous ‘club’, if you will, that you never wanted to be in or a part of, and you are FORCED to then, for lack of a better term, have to go and find your new people now.”
Lisa Marie conceded she “keeps going for my girls” - daughters, Riley Keough, 33, and twins Finley and Harper Lockwood, both 14.
“My and my three daughters’ lives as we knew it were completely detonated and destroyed by his death. We live in this every. Single. Day,” Lisa Marie added.
“I’m saying all this in the hopes that I can help raise awareness on grief and loss.”
Lisa Marie was found unresponsive in her home by a housekeeper on Friday. Her mother confirmed her death to People shortly afterwards.
“It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us,” the statement read.
“She was the most passionate strong and loving woman I have ever known. We ask for privacy as we try to deal with this profound loss. Thank you for the love and prayers. At this time there will be no further comment.”
Her ex-husband, Danny Keough – with whom she lived with – had performed CPR until paramedics arrived at her Calabasas home. Medical professionals declared at the time that Presley had gone into “full arrest,” according to TMZ.
The publication reported that Presley was given adrenaline at the scene to help her regain a pulse. She was then transported to hospital, where she was placed on a life support machine.
Lisa Marie, the sole heir to Elvis’ Graceland estate, tried to maintain privacy throughout her life in the spotlight, though her rocky periods have made headlines over the years including drug use, multiple stints in rehab and financial struggles.
She was married four times, first to Keough from 1988 to 1994. The pair welcomed two children, son Benjamin and daughter Riley.
The singer went on to have two high-profile marriages, including a two-year union with the late Michael Jackson until 1996, and US actor Nicolas Cage from 2002 until 2004.
Lisa Marie’s last marriage was to US guitarist Michael Lockwood, with the pair tying the knot in 2006 before divorcing in 2016. The couple had their twin daughters in 2008.
Legal documents filed by Lisa Marie as part of the former couple’s divorce proceedings painted a picture of an unstable home life, as she battled drug and alcohol problems.
In the documents obtained by Radar Online in 2017, Lisa Marie admitted to a serious drug addiction where she “abus[ed] cocaine terribly” and took part in multiple stays in rehab.