Lisa Marie Presley's posthumous memoir has shed light on certain aspects of her life, including why she kept her deceased son at her home for two months.
Lisa Marie tragically passed away at the age of 54 on January 12, 2023, just two days after attending the Golden Globe Awards.
Lisa Marie’s sudden death shocked the entertainment industry and her fans around the world.
At the time, she had been making high-profile appearances, including her attendance at the Golden Globes, where the biopic Elvis received several nominations.
Lisa Marie’s cause of death was attributed to a condition known as sequelae of small bowel obstruction.
This condition occurs when a blockage in the small intestine leads to serious complications, often requiring urgent medical intervention.
Her memoir was published posthumously today (October 8) and it sheds light on areas of her life that were kept secret.
In the memoir, titled From Here to the Great Unknown, Lisa Marie revealed the grief she endured after the tragic death of her son, Benjamin Keough, cited by PEOPLE.
Benjamin died by suicide at the age of 27 in 2020.
The memoir, completed by Lisa Marie’s daughter, actress Riley Keough, after her mother’s death, contains several startling revelations about the time following Benjamin’s passing.
Lisa Marie admitted that the overwhelming grief left her struggling to stay alive for her other children — Riley, now 35, and twin daughters Harper and Finley Lockwood, now 16.
Lisa Marie explained that she couldn't bring herself to say goodbye to Benjamin right away, torn between burying him in Hawaii or at Graceland, the iconic Memphis estate where her father, Elvis Presley, is buried.
“My house has a separate casitas bedroom and I kept Ben Ben in there for two months. There is no law in the state of California that you have to bury someone immediately,” Presley wrote. “I found a very empathetic funeral home owner… She said, ‘We’ll bring Ben Ben to you.’”
Presley revealed that the room was kept at a temperature of 55 degrees to preserve Benjamin’s body, and she became accustomed to his presence.
“I got so used to him, caring for him and keeping him there,” she wrote.
The memoir also details how Presley and her daughter Riley chose to honor Benjamin by getting matching tattoos.
Benjamin had previously inked Riley’s name on his collarbone and Lisa Marie’s name on his hand.
Riley followed suit, tattooing her brother’s name on her collarbone, and Lisa Marie added his name to her hand.
When the tattoo artist asked for photos of Benjamin’s tattoos to ensure accuracy, Lisa Marie stunned him by suggesting they look at Benjamin’s body, which was still in the home.
“Lisa Marie Presley had just asked this poor man to look at the body of her dead son, which happened to be right next to us in the casitas,” Riley wrote. “I’ve had an extremely absurd life, but this moment is in the top five.”
Even Lisa Marie acknowledged how unusual the situation was.
“I think it would scare the living f***ing piss out of anybody else to have their son there like that. But not me,” she wrote in the memoir.
Shortly after the tattoo experience, Riley recalls sensing that it was time to let Benjamin go.
“Even my mom said that she could feel him talking to her, saying ‘This is insane, Mom, what are you doing? What the f***!’”
The family held a funeral for Benjamin in Malibu, with New Age author Deepak Chopra leading the ceremony.
Riley admitted to struggling through the service, keeping her eyes closed the entire time as she was “struggling to stay alive.”
Ultimately, Benjamin was buried at Graceland alongside his grandfather, Elvis Presley. Lisa Marie, who passed away in 2023, was later buried beside them.
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or visit 988lifeline.org.
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