Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of Elvis Presley, has died at the age of 54.
“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 to The Associated Press. “She was the most passionate, strong and loving woman I ever met.”
A statement sent to USA TODAY on behalf of Priscilla and the Presley family expressed shock at “the tragic death of their beloved Lisa Marie.” They are so grateful for everyone’s support, love and prayers and ask for privacy during this difficult time.
Presley began the week in a celebratory mood, first celebrating his father’s 88th birthday with fans at Elvis’ Memphis home, Graceland, and later breaking down with his mother after receiving a Golden Globe Award for his portrayal of Austin Butler. Got Globe Award. The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll in Baz Luhrmann’s biopic “Elvis.”
before: Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis, hospitalized after apparent cardiac arrest
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But on Thursday, he apparently suffered cardiac arrest at his home in Calabasas, north of Los Angeles, and was taken to a local hospital, according to TMZ, the first to report the news. she died hours later.
Although Presley was famous from the time she was born and was a singer in her own right, releasing three albums, she really entered pop culture with her surprise marriage to pop superstar Michael Jackson and, later, to Elvis aficionado and actor Nicolas Cage. Jumped into the vortex. ,
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Both of those marriages were short-lived, although more lasting unions produced four children, including their son, Benjamin Keough, who died by suicide in 2020 and was laid to rest at Graceland.
Mostly, Presley, with his hooded eyes and smoldering face that was clearly reminiscent of Elvis, became known largely as the keeper of his legacy and heir to his wealth.
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Lisa Marie Presley recently celebrated Elvis’ 88th birthday with fans at Graceland
Four days before his death, Presley was at Graceland to help fans celebrate what would have been his father’s 88th birthday.
“It’s been a while. I’ve missed you,” she told the crowd on Sunday. “I keep saying you’re the only person who can get me out of my house. I’m not kidding.”
Two nights earlier, Butler thanked him from the Golden Globes stage for his dedication to honoring his father.
“Thank you for opening your heart, your memories, your home to me,” he told Presley in his acceptance speech. “Lisa Marie, Priscilla, I love you forever.”
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Lisa Marie Presley grew up in the shadow of her father’s fame – his name gracing his jet – until her parents’ divorce in 1973. A remarkable singing voice to match.
Despite being the only child of a global icon, Presley at times wondered what all the fuss was about.
“I thought it was an amusing notion, but I didn’t really see how other people would find it interesting,” she told USA Today in 2012, speaking at a new Graceland exhibit called “Elvis… Through His Daughter’s Eyes”. discussing.
Among the more poignant personal effects were a blue record player in his first 45s, his footprints stamped on hospital birth records, and a re-creation of Presley’s nursery. “It’s all so personal and subjective,” she said. “But it turned out well.”
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Her shocking marriage to Michael Jackson
She made pop culture waves in 1994 when she divorced musician Danny Keough, the father of her children Riley and Benjamin, and married Jackson. Less than two years later, they divorced, although Presley remained a staunch defender during the years of child abuse allegations against the star.
She married Cage in 2002, but it only lasted a few months before they split. In 2006, she married guitarist Michael Lockwood; They divorced in 2021 and have twin daughters, Finlay and Harper, 11.
If Presley found solace amid the storm of being Elvis’ only child, it was overseas in Kent, a rustic English suburb southeast of London that had claimed much of her time and heart nearly a decade earlier. .
Speaking to USA Today in 2012 before the release of her album “Storm and Grace”, Presley said she was looking forward to returning to her non-celebrity life in England.
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“I just love it there,” she said. “I garden, go for long walks, cook. I have great neighbors – we often meet at the local pub. Not that we can be there with them. It’s a lot of fun though.” This is where you see everyone from the village.”
In the same interview, Presley spoke of being robbed emotionally and financially by his closest confidants.
“I was slowly starting to self-destruct, and I didn’t know where that was coming from,” Presley told USA Today, and suggested that the damage was both personal and professional. “I got bad advice. I was isolated with no grip on reality. They were taking my soul, my money, my everything.”
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Presley’s demons also included a drug addiction. In 2019, she detailed her dependence on opioids in the preface to the book “The United States of Opioids: A Prescription for Liberating a Nation in Pain”.
Noting that she felt “grateful to be alive”, Presley said that the painkillers she was prescribed after the birth of her twins eventually led to a full-blown addiction.
“It’s been a rough road to overcome this dependency and put my life back together,” he wrote. “Even in recent years, I have seen so many people I loved struggle with addiction and die tragically from this epidemic. It is time for us to feel ashamed about addiction. It’s time to say good-bye. We have to stop blaming ourselves and the people around us.” … That starts with sharing our stories.”
Lisa Marie Presley will be buried at Graceland:He will be laid to rest next to Elvis, son Benjamin
Presley will be forced to deal with pain of a different kind in 2020, when his 27-year-old son dies by suicide. In honor of National Grief Awareness Day, Presley wrote an essay for People about his family’s pain since his son’s death.
“My life and my three daughters’ lives as we knew them were completely exploded and destroyed by his death. We live in this. Lonely. day,” she wrote. “Grief is something you have to deal with in your own life.” We have to carry it with us for the rest of our lives, despite what some people or our culture would like us to believe. You don’t get over it, you don’t ‘move on’ period.
In the end, Presley may have found the peace she’s sought her entire life if only she’d been able to spend more time in the place she truly calls home.
“I love Graceland,” she told USA Today in 2012. “My heart will always be there.”
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