Riley Keough Marks One Year Since She Last Saw Her Late Brother Benjamin: 'I Wish I'd Hugged You'
Riley Keough is keeping her late brother Benjamin's memory alive, one year after his death.
The Golden Globe nominee, 32, shared a throwback photo of herself and Benjamin Keough on Monday to her Instagram Story, marking a year since the last time she saw her little brother, who died by suicide in July 2020. He was 27.
"A year ago this morning was the last time I got to see you," Riley wrote with the photo. "I didn't hug you properly because I thought you had COVID. I wish I'd hugged you properly. I miss you every day."
She recently opened up to InStyle about grieving Benjamin's death as she approaches one year since their family's tragic loss. "I'm really consciously trying to be present, and not use anything as any kind of escape, and be cognizant of when I'm doing that," Riley said.
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"I'm just generally trying to be grateful for everything at the moment, trying to operate in love, and keep my heart open, and give and receive love," she continued. "And not in a woo-woo way, because I definitely have hard days, and all kinds of pain and suffering and all that.
Riley Keough/instagram
"But I think when you realize that's part of it, and your expectation isn't to just be feeling joy, that's been a real shift for me in finding those moments and things to smile about," the actress added.
Riley previously revealed that she completed a death doula training course, which helped her process some of her grief. "We are taught that it's a morbid subject to talk about. Or we're so afraid of it that we're unable to talk about it... then of course it happens to us, and we are very ill prepared," she wrote.
"I think it's so important to be educated on conscious dying and death the way we educate ourselves on birth and conscious birthing," Riley noted. "We prepare ourselves so rigorously for the entrance and have no preparation for our exit. So I'm so grateful for this community and to be able to contribute what I can."
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The Zola actress has paid tribute to her brother several times over the past year, including getting a tattoo in his honor. "Mornings are the hardest. I forget you're gone. I can't cry because of the fear that I will never stop. A pain that's new to me," she wrote in a tribute shortly after Benjamin's death.
"You. There are no words for you. Angel is the closest I could think of. Pure light. Baby brother. Best friend. Wild man. Intellectual. Witness to my life. Twin soul. Protector," Riley continued. "Too sensitive for this harsh world. I hope you give me strength to endure the giant hole you've left in my heart.
Lisa Marie Presley/Instagram Lisa Marie Presley and her children
"I hope you give me the strength to eat. I hope you're cradled in love. I hope you feel my love. I hope you feel god. You are god. I can't believe you've left me. Not you sweet Ben Ben. Anyone but you. I guess this is true heartbreak. I hope we meet again," she shared.
Benjamin Keough, grandson of Elvis Presley, died by suicide July 12, 2020 in Calabasas, California. He's survived by Riley, twin sisters Finley and Harper, both 12, as well as mother Lisa Marie Presley, 53, and father Danny Keough, 56.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
