The world may be slowly moving on from the sudden passing of Lisa Marie Presley, but her friends and family are understandably left with a gaping hole in their lives.
The only child of the legendary Elvis Presley died on Thursday, January 12 after being rushed to hospital in full cardiac arrest.
According to TMZ, Lisa Marie’s housekeeper found her unresponsive in the bathroom. Her ex-husband, Danny Keough, performed CPR until paramedics arrived.
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Her mother, Priscilla Presley, confirmed Lisa Marie’s passing in a statement:
“It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us. She was the most passionate, strong and loving woman I have ever known.”
Lisa Marie’s daughter, Riley Keough posted her own heartbreaking tribute to social media in the wake of her mother’s death – the photo in question shows Lisa and Riley together many years ago, accompanied by a simple heart emoji for a caption.
Naturally, one can only imagine the storm of emotions Riley is grappling with at the moment, and it might just be that her choice not to write words on her post reflects the fact that she’s simply not ready to talk about her mother’s untimely death yet.
Yet the 33-year-old posted to Instagram again earlier this week to share the last photo she ever took with her dear mother.
She wrote: “I feel blessed to have a photo of the last time I saw my beautiful mama. Grateful @georgieflores took this.”
Just one day prior to her death, Lisa Marie had attended the Golden Globes, where she watched as Austin Butler took home the Best Actor in a Drama Motion Picture award for his portrayal of Lisa Marie’s father in Elvis.
“I really didn’t know what to do with myself after I saw it,” she recalled of Baz Luhrmann’s biopic of her father’s life.
“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.”
At the weekend, Riley joined hundreds of Lisa Marie’s friends and loved ones for a memorial service at the iconic Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee. At the gathering, Riley’s husband, Ben Smith-Petersen, read a eulogy Riley had penned to her late mother.
“I’m going to read something Riley wrote,” Ben said before reading her prepared words, titled “A Letter to My Mama.”
“Thank you for being my mother in this life. I am eternally grateful to have spent 33 years with you. I am certain I chose the best mother for me in this world, and I knew that as far back as I can remember you,” Riley wrote. “I remember everything. I remember you giving me baths as a baby. I remember you driving me in my car seat, listening to Aretha Franklin. I remember the way you’d cuddle me when I’d come to your bed at night, and the way you smelled.
“I remember you taking me for ice cream after school in Florida. I remember you singing to me and my brother lullabies at night, and how you’d lay with us until we fell asleep.
“I remember how, every time you’d leave town, you’d bring me a new tea set from Cracker Barrel.
“I remember all the notes you’d leave in my lunchbox every day. I remember the feeling I’d get when I’d see you picking me up from school, and the way your hand felt on my forehead. I remember how it felt to be loved by the most loving mother I’ve ever known. I remember how safe it felt to be in your arms. I remember that feeling as a child and I remember it two weeks ago on your couch.
“Thank you for showing me that love is the only thing that matters in this life. I hope I can love my daughter the way you loved me, and the way you loved my brother and my sisters.
“Thank you for giving me strength, my heart, my empathy, my courage, my sense of humor, my manners, my temper, my wildness, my tenacity,” the piece continued.
“I am a product of your heart. My sisters are a product of your heart. My brother is a product of your heart. We are you, you are us, my eternal love. I hope you finally know how loved you were here. Thank you for trying so hard for us. If I didn’t tell you every day, thank you.”
Though Lisa Marie’s death is undeniably tragic, and prompted an outpouring of grief around the world, fans can perhaps take solace in the idea that she’s now been reunited with her beloved son Benjamin.
Benjamin, Elvis’ grandson, died by suicide at the young age of 27 in 2020, and his passing understandably changed Lisa Marie’s life.
As per reports in Page Six, Lisa Marie was laid to rest at the weekend at Graceland, beside her son. The pair are now said to be side by side in the Meditation Garden at Elvis’ iconic mansion.
Rest in peace, Lisa Marie Presley. We hope you’re at peace now.
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