Lisa Marie Presley reportedly kept the body of her deceased son at home for two months while grappling with the profound grief following his unexpected death. This unsettling detail was disclosed in her posthumous memoir, “From Here to the Great Unknown,” which was completed by her daughter, actress Riley Keough, after Presley’s passing in January of the previous year.
Lisa Marie, who was 54 and the only child of legendary musician Elvis Presley, faced the tragic loss of her son, Benjamin Keough, who died by suicide at the age of 27 in 2020. Riley Keough shared that their decision to have Benjamin at home instead of in a morgue was made after they were informed they could manage the body themselves.
“My mom had my brother in the house with us instead of keeping him at the morgue,” Riley explained. “She felt it was crucial to have time to say goodbye to him, similar to how she experienced her father’s death. I would spend time with him in there.”
In the memoir, Presley highlighted that California law does not require immediate burial or disposal of a body, allowing her to keep Benjamin at home for an extended period. She described her home arrangement, saying, “My house has a separate casitas bedroom, and I kept Ben Ben in there for two months.”
The room maintained a temperature of 55 degrees to care for Benjamin’s body, with Presley recounting her comfort in connecting with him during that time.
Additionally, both Lisa Marie and Riley got matching tattoos that were inspired by Benjamin. This occurred with the help of a tattoo artist who visited their home, where the situation was notably surreal.
Riley noted that this tattoo session signified a shift, leading to a collective understanding that Benjamin’s body should be moved to a final resting place. “Soon after that, we all kind of got this vibe from my brother that he didn’t want his body in this house anymore,” she wrote, sensing that he might have found the circumstances strange or unsettling.
Ultimately, both Benjamin Keough and Lisa Marie Presley are laid to rest at Graceland.