Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, died at the age of 54 after being hospitalized on Thursday, January 12.
“It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us,” Priscilla Presley said in a statement that evening. “She was the most passionate, strong and loving woman I have ever known.”
Lisa Marie was a singer, songwriter, mother and daughter. Born on February 1, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, she spent most of her childhood bouncing between her L.A. home and the family’s Graceland estate.
Her parents split when she was just 4 years old. Nearly 5 years later, she lost her father.
Soon after, Lisa Marie became the joint heir to the Graceland estate, with her grandparents and great-grandparents. At 25 years old, she became the sole heir to the estate and $100 million.
Lisa Marie took after her rock n’ roll legend father, and released a video titled “Don’t Cry Daddy,” a posthumous duet, with him in 1997. It was played at a tribute concert that honored the 20th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s death. The video included Elvis’ original vocals, alongside Lisa Marie’s vocals and instrumentation.
Her musical journey didn’t end there.
Over the course of her career, she released 3 studio albums: To Whom It May Concern (2003), Now What (2005) and Storm & Grace (2012). She also released a number of singles, including a few duets she recorded with her father before he died.
Lisa Marie’s recording career came to a close in 2018, when she was featured on a track titled “Where No One Stands Alone,” which was a collection of Elvis’ gospel songs. It became a moving father-daughter duet.
In addition to being a singer, she was also a humanitarian.
When Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and left most of the city and outskirts in ruins, Lisa Marie partnered with Oprah Winfrey’s Angel Network and lent a helping hand. From Memphis, Tennessee, she worked with FedEx, Kroger and Target to deliver food and essentials to those in need.
“I’m here,” she said when asked why she helped in 2005. “I definitely need to do something, and it just so happens this is where I’m from. I’m going to do everything I can. People need help—this is a huge catastrophe and everyone needs to stand up.”
Because of her grand efforts, she was awarded and honored by the governor of Tennessee, Bill Haslam, in 2011. She was also issued a Certificate of Proclamation by the mayor of New Orleans, Mitchell J. Landrieu, which recognized her devotion and selflessness in helping those affected by Katrina.
“Lisa Marie Presley is a humanitarian and philanthropist who continues to focus her efforts on the hometown she knows and loves, Memphis. Through her efforts and time she has improved homelessness, literacy, and raised funds for local charities and organizations. She raises awareness for Memphis and continues to set an example of what one person can do when they put their mind to it,” read the proclamation.
Lisa Marie was married 4 times. She first married Danny Keough from 1988-1994. Together, they had two children: Benjamin Keough, who died by suicide in 2020 at 27 years of age, and Riley Keough, 33, an acclaimed actress in films such as Logan Lucky (2017), Paterno (2018) and Under the Silver Lake (2019), and whom many consider the spitting image of her mother.
After their divorce, The King of Rock ‘n Roll’s daughter married The King of Pop
Michael Jackson. Lisa Marie first met Michael Jackson in 1975, at just 7 years old. She was a huge fan. They began a friendship in 1992 and married 2 years later. One year into their friendship, Jackson was accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy. Nearly two years later, the couple divorced due to “irreconcilable differences.”
Her third marriage was to actor Nicolas Cage in 2002. They were married for 2 months, however the divorce didn’t finalize until 2 years later.
Lisa Marie’s fourth and final marriage was to American guitarist and producer Michael Lockwood. They married in 2006 and together had twins Finley Aaron Love Lockwood and Harper Vivienne Ann Lockwood, both now 14 years old. After over a decade of marriage, Lisa Marie filed for divorce in June 2016. Nearly 2 months later, she checked into rehab for substance abuse issues. After a bitter custody battle, Lisa Marie was granted 60% custody over the twins, while Lockwood had the remaining 40%.
Lisa Marie’s last public appearance was at the 80th Golden Globe Awards. She attended with her mother, Priscilla, and mingled with the cast of Elvis. She celebrated arm in arm with Austin Butler, who won the Best Actor Golden Globe Award for playing her father in the 2022 film.
“I really didn’t know what to do with myself after I saw it,” she told ET of the movie. “I had to take, like, five days to process it because it was so incredible and so spot on and just so authentic that, yeah, I can’t even describe what it meant.”
Los Angeles paramedics were dispatched to Lisa Marie’s home Thursday morning, after a call about a woman in cardiac arrest, according to Craig Little, a spokesperson for the county’s fire department.
Paramedics and medical staff were “determined [Lisa Marie] had signs of life” before taking her to the hospital. But she died just a few hours later.
Lisa Marie’s children Riley, Harper and Finley will inherit the vast Graceland estate and multiple millions.
A public memorial service will be held on the front lawn of Graceland at 9 a.m. on Sunday, January 22. Lisa Marie Presley will be buried in Graceland next to her father Elvis and her late son Benjamin.
“You are always learning; there is a lot of grey; don’t take things for granted.” – Lisa Marie Presley
