After the tragic suicide of Benjamin Keough, Lisa Marie Presley faced immense difficulty in coping with the loss of her son in 2020. During a CBS special titled “The Presleys — Elvis, Lisa Marie and Riley,” her granddaughter Riley Keough shared insights into their family’s struggles and memories, revealing that her mother often expressed despair, saying, “I’m going to die of a broken heart.”
The special featured Riley discussing her involvement in her mother’s posthumous memoir, From Here to the Great Unknown, and reminiscing about their time together at Graceland in Memphis. Following Benjamin’s death, Riley noted her mother’s deep sorrow and lingering feelings of despair.
Oprah Winfrey spoke about an earlier conversation with Lisa Marie, who confided her uncertainty about moving forward after her son’s passing. Riley expressed gratitude for the time they shared, feeling as though they were living on borrowed time.
Riley read from the memoir, where Lisa Marie reflected on Benjamin’s resemblance to his grandfather, emphasizing their close bond and the generational struggles faced by their family. She lamented the tragic cycle of grief, acknowledging the pain that family members endured through the years.
Riley also detailed the heart-wrenching decision her mother made to keep Benjamin’s body on dry ice at their Los Angeles home for two months prior to burial. She explained that Lisa Marie wanted to have control over the situation, desiring to keep him close. Sitting by his side provided her some comfort during her overwhelming grief.
In a poignant moment, Lisa Marie expressed her desire to get matching tattoos with her son in his memory. Riley recounted how a tattoo artist was invited to ensure the correct placement on her mother’s hand, mirroring Benjamin’s tattoo. Despite the surreal nature of the situation, Riley recognized her mother’s need for expressing her grief in her own way.
Lisa Marie Presley passed away on January 12, 2023, from cardiac arrest and was laid to rest at Graceland beside her son. Months before her death, she candidly wrote in an essay for People about the enduring nature of grief, emphasizing that it is something one carries for a lifetime, regardless of societal expectations.