Drugs, divorce, and a devastating criminal
trial — here's everything we know about Lisa Marie Presley's links to Scientology.
Many celebrities are affiliated with the Church of Scientology,
the controversial religion founded by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard in 1954. Some of
them were born into the religion, while others joined later in life. Lisa Marie
Presley, the daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, was once part of the religion too.
Lisa Marie was born in 1968, almost a year after her parents married. Priscilla joined
the Church of Scientology just after Elvis' death in 1977, and she raised her only daughter in the
religion as well. Lisa Marie dabbled in drugs in her youth, and when she became too much to
handle for her mother, she was brought to the Scientology center. Lisa Marie became active
in the church, and on the website What is Scientology, she is quoted as saying:
"Were it not for Scientology, I would either be completely insane or dead by now."
"They put me back together. Humpty Dumpty falls off the wall, and there they are, with the glue."
The singer was part of the church for a few decades but, in 2014,
it was reported that she was no longer practicing. She reportedly said at the time:
"I was slowly starting to self-destruct. They were taking my soul, my money, my everything."
Unlike other ex-Scientology members, Lisa Marie didn't reveal much about her time in the church,
but there have been some reports that offered a glimpse of her connection to the religion.
Lisa Marie Presley married musician Michael Lockwood in 2006, and, two years later,
they had twin daughters. The couple filed for divorce in 2016 after a decade together,
followed by a long custody battle over their twin girls. The Blast acquired court documents
related to the case in which Lockwood claimed that Presley manipulated their daughters into
speaking about him in a bad light. He also alleged that Presley falsely accused him of sexually
abusing the twins. Lockwood placed the blame on Scientology for Presley's alleged behavior.
In the court documents, Lockwood said that Presley used a Scientology tactic called "fair gaming,"
which is a way for members to target enemies of the church by harassing them or putting a blemish
on their reputation. The Church itself claims that the fair game policy was ended in 1968,
as it was frequently misinterpreted by apostate Scientologists and other critics.
Lockwood said that Presley used the fair game tactic in order to get full custody of their
kids. In 2020, Lockwood expressed his concern that Presley could relapse and turn to alcohol
and drugs after her son from a previous marriage, Benjamin Keough, died by suicide. Lockwood and
Presley's divorce was officially finalized in 2021, nearly four years after their separation.
That's not the end of the story, though. In 2022, That '70s Show star and Scientologist
Danny Masterson went on trial for three counts of rape against three
women who were also Scientologists when the incidents took place. During the trial,
it came to light that the Church of Scientology had asked Lisa Marie Presley to convince one of
the victims not to report the incident to the authorities. Presley was once friends
with one of Masterson's accusers, who said that she was raped in 2002 and 2003.
According to Presley's own statement, she was contacted by the church in 2003 and asked to
help appease her friend and persuade her not to tell authorities about Masterson. Apparently,
the church wanted to deal with the incident on its own without anyone else getting involved.
Presley reportedly did what was asked of her. It was also revealed that Presley sent
a message to her friend in 2014 wherein she apologized for attempting to stop her from
seeking justice and for not being a better friend. Masterson's defense team stated that
Presley's statement was not relevant to the case, and in the end, the prosecution
decided not to call Presley to the stand. In her interview with the district attorney,
Presley said that she couldn't exactly remember whether the church explicitly asked her to "smooth
things over" with her friend. Masterson's case ended in a mistrial in December 2022.
Unfortunately, Lisa Marie Presley passed away on January 12th,
2023 due to a cardiac arrest. She died just days after attending the Golden Globe awards,
where her father's biopic was nominated for three awards.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault,
help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network
website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).