Besides being known as the King of Rock 'n' Roll, Elvis Presley is remembered for his epic
love story with his wife, Priscilla Presley. According to Biography, the pair met in 1959
and married in 1967. Nine months later, Priscilla gave birth to their only child,
Lisa Marie Presley. The marriage did not last, and the couple divorced in 1973, Country Living notes.
Presley died in 1977, but his legacy lives on through his daughter and grandchildren.
According to People, Lisa Marie married musician Daniel Keough in 1988, when she was just 20 years
old. All That's Interesting writes that they met at the Church of Scientology's Celebrity Center
in Los Angeles. The pair welcomed two children, Danielle Riley Keough in 1989 and Benjamin Keough
in 1992. The couple then divorced in 1994. Lisa Marie went on to marry Michael Jackson,
then Nicolas Cage, then musician Michael Lockwood, with whom she has two daughters.
By all accounts, Lisa Marie and her son Benjamin were extremely close. In 2012, she tweeted that
she and Keough had gotten matching Celtic tattoos for Mother's Day. On July 12, 2020, Entertainment
Weekly announced that Benjamin, then 27, had died. A representative for Lisa Marie stated:
"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."
A year after her brother's death, Riley Keough told The New York Times that she felt,
quote, "like I was thrown into the ocean and couldn't swim."
"He was just a magical person."
Days after his death, TMZ reported that Benjamin had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
According to Extra, Keough's body was found at his home in Calabasas,
California by his girlfriend, Diana Pinto, during her birthday party. Metro reported that an autopsy
later revealed that he had cocaine and alcohol in his system at the time of his death.
Benjamin reportedly had a long history of depression and addiction. All That's Interesting
noted he had gone to rehab shortly before his death. Extra reported that Benjamin had previously
attempted to take his life by "overdosing on alcohol and cocaine" six months before he died.
It's been noted that he strongly resembled his late grandfather, Elvis Presley. In 2012,
Lisa Marie told CMT that when she performed at the Grand Ole Opry …
"Everybody was grabbing him for a photo because it
is just uncanny. Sometimes I am overwhelmed when I look at him."
In October 2020, Graceland, Presley's famed home, announced on its official Facebook page that
Keough had been buried next to Presley and his other family members, including his grandparents,
Gladys and Vernon Presley. After Keough's death, an unnamed source told The Sun:
"It is shocking news, but it also isn't a huge surprise as he had been struggling."
In an interview with People, Benjamin's longtime friend
Brandon Howard stated that the 27-year-old had been having difficulties with his mental
health for some time. He added that being a Presley didn't help. As Howard explained,
"It's a tough thing when you have a lot of pressure with your family and
living up to a name and an image. It's a lot of pressure."
In a 2013 interview on "The Talk," Lisa Marie said she wanted to avoid pushing him too hard.
"He loves music, but I really kind of don't want to — that's a lot to put on him,
you know? So I'm trying to, like, let him do his thing."
In 2009, the Daily Mail reported that Benjamin had signed a $5 million record
deal with Universal to make five albums. None of that music was ever released.
In May 2022, Lisa Marie wrote on Instagram that she wished her son
was alive to see the Baz Luhrmann directed biopic "Elvis." She added,
"I am and will forever be mourning the loss of my son. Navigating through this hideous grief that
absolutely destroyed and shattered my heart and my soul into almost nothing has swallowed me whole."
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please dial or text 988 to speak with
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can also seek help by visiting 988lifeline.org.