The Heart-Wrenching Death Of Lisa Marie Presley
The entertainment world was saddened to hear that singer-songwriter, actress, and poet Lisa Marie Presley died on January 12, 2023. Presley, daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, was 54 years old at the time of her death (via TMZ).
As reported earlier today by TMZ, Presley was rushed to the hospital on January 12, 2023, after paramedics reported to her home, located in Calabasas, Calif., where CPR was performed by her ex-husband after a housekeeper found her unresponsive. TMZ noted that paramedics were able to regain Presley's pulse before she was transported to the hospital. Later reports noted that she was on life support and in a comatose state (via TMZ). Family sources confirmed in the evening of the 12th that she had died.
"It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us," her mother, Priscilla, confirmed to People. "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."
The Princess of Rock and Roll
Lisa Marie Presley was born to the King of Rock & Roll, Elvis Presley, and his then-wife, Priscilla, on February 1, 1968, in Memphis, Tenn. (per Biography). According to Smooth Radio, her birth came only nine months after Elvis and Priscilla married. Priscilla recalled Lisa Marie's birth in an article published by the Orlando Sentinel (via People) saying, "Elvis came into the room and kissed me, thrilled that we had a perfectly normal, healthy baby. He was already in love with her."
While on the exterior, Presley's childhood seemed a charmed life as the only child of Elvis Presley, there was turbulence in the Presleys' Graceland home. In 1972, Elvis and Priscilla ended their marriage, and Presley went to live with her mother. Biography explains that Presley spent the next five years splitting her time with both of her parents until her father's death on August 16, 1977. Elvis was only 42 years old when he died. After Presley's paternal grandparents died in 1979 and 1980, she inherited Graceland and became Elvis' only heir (per Smooth Radio).
Not-so-charmed life
Presley had several challenges and relationships throughout her life. Presley dropped out of high school in her junior year (per Biography). On October 3, 1988, she married Danny Keough, a musician she met while at a Scientology rehabilitation facility. They had two children, Danielle Riley and Benjamin. The couple divorced in 1994.
According to Smooth Radio, Presley next married the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, in 1994. The highly-publicized marriage was forged from a life-long friendship in which Jackson sought Presley's emotional support. She once said (via Smooth Radio), "I wanted to save him. I felt that I could do it." The couple divorced in 1996.
In 2002, she married actor and Elvis super fan, Nicolas Cage. In an interview with Barbara Walters (via InStyle), Cage described the pair's meeting: "We got to talking, we got to know each other, and she's hilarious and she's a real firecracker and she tells it like it is." The union only lasted for four months. Presley went on to marry guitarist Michael Lockwood in 2006 and the couple welcomed twins Harper and Finley in 2008. According to Us Weekly, Presley and Lockwood ended their relationship in 2011, but their divorce wouldn't be finalized until 2016. In August 2016, Presley sought treatment for prescription drug use (per Us Weekly).
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Forging her own identity
Aside from her highly-publicized personal life, Lisa Marie Presley struggled to forge her own public identity. While she appeared in various forms of media, including one of Michael Jackson's music videos (per IMDb), Presley did not dabble too much in film like her mother, Priscilla, had.
However, music seemed to be in her DNA. With a sound that the Los Angeles Times described as hard-edged pop with a touch of rockabilly, Presley released her debut album, "To Whom it May Concern," in 2003. Presley told the Los Angeles Times, "I wanted people to know who I am based on my music, not on what they read in the tabloids." A second album, "Now What," was released in 2005. Presley's third album, "Storm & Grace," was described by Rolling Stone as, " ... the album she was born to make."
On June 12, 2020, Presley's only son, Benjamin Keough, died by suicide at only 27 years old. On what would have been Benjamin's 28th birthday, Presley took to Instagram (via USA Today) to describe what she was going through: "The depth of the pain is suffocating and bottomless ... I will never be the same."
According to the Daily Mail, in 2022, Presley joined her mother, and daughters Riley, Harper, and Finley, to place their hands in cement at the storied TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Calif. The event was held in conjunction with the release of Baz Luhrman's biopic of Elvis Presley.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255).