Singer Lisa Marie Presley, Sole Child of Elvis, Dead at 54 Following Cardiac Arrest
01:58 GMT 13.01.2023 (Updated: 02:24 GMT 13.01.2023)
© AP Photo / Invision/Chris Pizzello
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The singer-songwriter's death came just two days after she appeared at the Golden Globes alongside her mother, Priscilla. The 2023 installment of the award ceremony included nominations - and awards - for the Baz Luhrmann-directed film "Elvis."
Lisa Marie Presley has died at the age of 54 after suffering a cardiac arrest on the morning of January 12. She had been placed in an induced coma following the incident.
The death was confirmed by Lisa Marie's mother, Priscilla, in a statement to the People weekly magazine.
"It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us," the announcement reads. "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," her mother added in the remarks.
Earlier reports indicated that her housekeeper found her unresponsive in her bedroom at her Calabasas home in California, as her ex-husband Danny Keough, whom she lives with, was arriving home after taking her kids to school.
Keough administered CPR on his ex-wife until the paramedics arrived. Sources close to Presley say she was complaining of intense stomach pains earlier that morning, which increased in intensity. Sources underscored to TMZ that this was not a suicide attempt.
The incident occurred just two days after Presley attended the 2023 Golden Globes with her mother Priscilla Presley and actor Austin Butler, who played her father in the Baz Luhrmann film “Elvis.”
Lisa Marie was born in 1968 to parents Elvis and Priscilla Presley. She was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and grew up there until her parents divorced. The soon-to-be American singer-songwriter would later move with her mother to Los Angeles, California, and travel back to Elvis’ Graceland estate in Memphis. She was the only child of the famous couple.
Lisa Marie Presley poses for her first picture, safe in the lap of her mother, Priscilla, on February 5, 1968, while proud father, Elvis Presley, beams his approval
© AP Photo / PERRY AYCOCK
Lisa Marie followed in her father’s footsteps and pursued a music career. In 2003, she released her first album titled “To Whom It May Concern,” which reached number five on the Billboard 200 albums chart. She then released her second album in 2005 titled “Now What,” which reached number nine on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
While her first two albums followed a popstar sound, her third album “Storm & Grace,” which was released in 2012, channeled a more “rootsy and organic” sound than her previous work, according to the artist.
The King’s daughter would later go on to oversee The Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation (EPCF), which was created in 1984 in memory of the music legend. The organization also led to the creation of the Elvis Presley Endowed Scholarship Fund at the College of Communication & Fine Arts at the University of Memphis.
Harper Presley Lockwood, from left, Lisa Marie Presley, Priscilla Presley, Riley Keough and Finley Presley Lockwood pose after placing their hands in cement at a ceremony in their honor on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles.
© AP Photo / Invision/Jordan Strauss
Lisa Marie was only nine years old when her father died. At 25, she inherited the Graceland estate as stipulated under Elvis’ will. However, unable to manage the massive estate, she ultimately agreed to sell 85% of it in 2004 in order to resolve its debt, which had amounted to $25 million. In 2018, it was reported she was still in a debt of about $16.7 million. A business manager had reportedly mishandled her finances, allowing her to have unpaid income taxes, a defaulted mortgage, and massive credit bills.
The Memphis-born musician also had a string of difficult relationships. She married musician Danny Keough in 1988 with whom she had two children - her daughter actor and model Riley Keough and Benjamin Keough, who killed himself in Calabasas, California, at the age of 27 in 2020.
Just 20 days after her divorce from Keough in 1994, Lisa Marie married decorated singer Michael Jackson, with the pair eventually filing for divorce two years later. In 2000, she was engaged to musician John Oszajca, who she broke up with after meeting actor Nicolas Cage at a party. Lisa Marie and Cage were married for only four months until he filed for divorce in 2002.
Priscilla Presley, her daughter, Lisa Marie, and Lisa Marie's children, Riley Keough, 21, and Benjamin Keough, 18
© AP Photo / Mark Humphrey
In a 2003 interview with Star Tribune she described her relationship with Keough, who was living on her property at the time, as “unconditional” as the two kept a close relationship even after they divorced.
In 2006, she married guitarist and music producer Michael Lockwood, going on to give birth to twin girls Harper Vivienne Ann Lockwood and Finley Aaron Love Lockwood. After 10 years of marriage, Lisa Marie filed for divorce from Lockwood in 2016. Their divorce was finalized in 2021. At the time, the Tennessean accused Lockwood of possessing child pornography on his computer after he requested child support.
Presley is survived by her three daughters, her mother, and the fathers of her children.
