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Latest News: Lisa Marie Presley’s Posthumous Memoir Released
Lisa Marie Presley’s posthumous memoir, From Here to the Great Unknown, has officially hit the shelves. The memoir, a project Lisa Marie had been developing prior to her sudden passing over a year ago, was completed by her daughter, Riley Keough. In a statement announcing the project in January, Keough expressed her excitement: “I’m so excited to share my mom now, at her most vulnerable and most honest.”
Excerpts shared with People magazine reveal that the book candidly explores Presley’s battles with substance abuse, her experiences as a mother, and her cherished memories of her father, Elvis Presley. In one poignant reflection, Lisa Marie wrote, “I was always worried about my dad dying. Sometimes I’d see him and he was out of it. Sometimes I would find him passed out. I wrote a poem with the line, ‘I hope my daddy doesn’t die.’”
The memoir delves into her childhood spent in the public eye, her marriages to pop star Michael Jackson and actor Nicolas Cage, and her complex relationships with her parents, Elvis and Priscilla Presley. Lisa Marie had originally approached Keough about collaborating on the memoir before her untimely death at the age of 54 due to a bowel obstruction.
According to publisher Random House, the memoir largely comprises Lisa Marie’s own words, with Riley filling in details from her memories and those of close family members. Keough also narrated the audio version of the memoir, which features clips from tapes recorded by Lisa Marie herself.
Who Was Lisa Marie Presley?
Singer Lisa Marie Presley was the only daughter of the legendary Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley. Her life, marked by both profound loss and personal challenges, began with tragedy at an early age. She was just nine years old when her father passed away, an event that profoundly affected her trajectory. Following his death, Presley faced a tumultuous adolescence, dropping out of high school and struggling with substance abuse. However, she eventually found solace in music, releasing three albums, beginning with To Whom It May Concern in 2003. Throughout her life, she navigated several high-profile marriages, including brief unions with Michael Jackson and Nicolas Cage, and was the mother of four children, including actress Riley Keough. Tragically, Presley passed away in January 2023 at the age of 54 due to complications from a bowel obstruction.
Early Life
Lisa Marie Presley was born on February 1, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Elvis and Priscilla Presley. She spent her early childhood at her father’s Graceland estate until the age of four, when her parents separated. Following the separation, she relocated to Los Angeles with her mother but continued to split her time between Los Angeles and Memphis, maintaining relationships with both parents. The untimely death of her father from heart failure, exacerbated by prescription drug abuse, left an indelible mark on her life. As the sole heir to Elvis’s estate, she would not officially inherit it until she reached her twenties.
During her junior year of high school, Presley made the difficult decision to drop out and subsequently began abusing illegal drugs. At 17, she sought help and was admitted to Scientology’s Celebrity Center rehab facility.
Marriages
Throughout her life, Lisa Marie Presley was married four times. Her husbands included Danny Keough, Michael Jackson, Nicolas Cage, and Michael Lockwood.
While in rehab, she met rock musician Danny Keough, and the couple married on October 3, 1988. They welcomed two children, Danielle Riley and Benjamin, but after six years of marriage, Presley and Keough divorced in 1994.
Shortly after her divorce from Keough, Presley entered into a highly publicized marriage with Michael Jackson, whom she wed only 20 days after finalizing her previous divorce. Their relationship, however, was short-lived, and Presley filed for divorce in January 1996.
In 2000, while engaged to musician John Oszajca, Presley met Nicolas Cage. She ended her engagement to Oszajca to pursue a relationship with Cage, and they married in Hawaii on August 10, 2002. Their marriage lasted only 108 days.
Presley’s fourth marriage was to Michael Lockwood, a guitarist, producer, and director, on January 22, 2006. The couple welcomed twins, Harper and Finley, in October 2008. Despite being her longest marriage, Presley filed for divorce in 2016, which was finalized in 2021 after a protracted custody battle.
Children
Lisa Marie Presley was the mother of four children: Danielle Riley and Benjamin Keough, whom she had with her first husband, Danny Keough, and twins Harper and Finley Lockwood, born during her marriage to Michael Lockwood.
Danielle Riley Keough, known professionally as Riley Keough, was born in May 1989. A former model, Riley has successfully transitioned into an acting career, with notable appearances in films and television series such as Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), Logan Lucky (2017), The Girlfriend Experience, and the 2023 series Daisy Jones & The Six. Presley’s second child, Benjamin Keough, was born in October 1992. Like his parents, Benjamin pursued a career in music but did not release an album during his lifetime. Tragically, he passed away by suicide in July 2020 at the age of 27. In an essay on grief published in August 2022, Presley reflected on the profound impact of his death, stating, “My and my three daughters’ lives as we knew it were completely detonated and destroyed by his death.”
Harper and Finley Lockwood, Presley’s fraternal twins, were born in October 2008. During the custody battle between Presley and Michael Lockwood, the twins were placed in protective custody under the care of their grandmother, Priscilla Presley.
Music Career
While nurturing her family, Presley also pursued a career in music. In 1992, she recorded her first demo but chose to decline the record contract that followed. Presley released her debut album, To Whom It May Concern, on April 8, 2003. The album debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified gold by June 2003. Her second album, Now What, was released on April 5, 2005, debuting at No. 9 on the Billboard 200 and achieving gold certification in November 2005.
In 2007, Presley recorded the single “In the Ghetto” as a posthumous duet with her father. The accompanying music video reached No. 1 on iTunes and No. 16 on the Billboard singles chart, with all proceeds directed to a Scientology charity. Her third album, Storm and Grace, was released in 2012.
Beyond her musical endeavors, Presley served as a co-trustee of the Elvis Presley Estate alongside her mother, Priscilla, and the National Bank of Commerce. She remained connected to Scientology through various institutions, including the Apple School and the Celebrity Center rehabilitation facility.
Drug and Alcohol Abuse
Presley faced challenges with sobriety throughout her life. During her divorce proceedings with Lockwood in 2017, she admitted in a deposition to abusing opioids, cocaine, painkillers, and alcohol, having attended rehabilitation multiple times. In a foreword for the 2019 book The United States of Opioids: A Prescription for Liberating a Nation in Pain, Presley disclosed that she became addicted to opioids following a prescription from her doctor after the birth of her daughters, Harper and Finley. She expressed gratitude for her survival and credited her four children for motivating her to maintain sobriety.
Though she kept her struggles largely private, Lockwood voiced concerns during their divorce that she might relapse in the wake of Benjamin’s death in 2020.
Lisa Marie Presley Net Worth
At the time of her death, Presley’s net worth was estimated to be negative $10 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Following the death of her father, Elvis Presley, she became the sole heir to his estate, officially inheriting it on her 25th birthday. However, in December 2004, she agreed to sell 85 percent of Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc. to businessman Robert F.X. Sillerman for approximately $100 million. The deal reportedly provided her with $53 million in cash and absolved her of $25 million in debts owed by the estate.
Despite this significant financial windfall, her net worth declined over the years. During a court hearing in 2018 related to her divorce from Lockwood, Presley claimed she was over $16 million in debt, encompassing income taxes, credit card bills, and a defaulted mortgage.
Final Days and Death
Presley’s final notable public appearance occurred at the Golden Globe Awards on January 10, 2023, where she attended to support actor Austin Butler, who portrayed her father in the biopic Elvis. Observers noted her difficulties walking down steps and speaking during an interview, raising concerns about her health.
Tragically, only two days later, on January 12, 2023, Presley passed away at the age of 54 in California. Initial reports indicated that she suffered cardiac arrest, with an autopsy later revealing that a small bowel obstruction, caused by scar tissue from previous bariatric surgery, led to her cardiac arrest.
She was laid to rest at Graceland, where her memorial service was held on January 22, 2023. More than 1,000 attendees gathered on the front lawn to honor her memory, with performances by Barry Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins, Alanis Morissette, and Axl Rose during the service.
Estate Dispute Overview
Following the passing of Lisa Marie Presley in January 2023, a significant legal dispute emerged involving her mother, Priscilla Presley. Priscilla filed a challenge in the Los Angeles Superior Court, questioning the validity of her daughter’s will. This legal action temporarily strained relationships within the Presley family.
At the center of the dispute was a 2016 amendment to Lisa Marie’s will, which appointed her children, Riley and Benjamin Keough, as co-trustees of the Promenade Trust, replacing Priscilla and her former business partner, Barry Siegel. Priscilla contested this amendment on several grounds, claiming that it lacked proper witnessing and notarization, featured a signature from Lisa Marie that was inconsistent with her typical signature, and asserted that she had not received the requisite notice regarding the amendment.
The Promenade Trust managed significant assets, including the Graceland property and a 15 percent ownership stake in Elvis Presley Enterprises. According to reports from The Los Angeles Times, Lisa Marie’s estate comprised the Graceland mansion, various costumes, cars, awards, and other memorabilia previously owned by her father, Elvis Presley.
In May 2023, it was reported that Priscilla and Riley Keough had come to a settlement regarding the estate dispute. A judge approved the settlement in early August, with financial details finalized in October. As a result of this agreement, Riley Keough was designated as the sole trustee of the Promenade Trust. Priscilla Presley was appointed as a “special advisor” to the trust, receiving an annual compensation of $100,000. Additionally, she was granted a payout of $1 million and secured a burial plot at Graceland.