Lisa Marie Presley death: Only child of Elvis Presley dead aged 54
Lisa Marie Presley has died aged 54 after being admitted to hospital on Thursday (12 January), her mother Priscilla Presley said in a statement.
“It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us,” the statement reads. “She was the most passionate, strong and loving woman I have ever known.”
Presley was the only daughter of Elvis Presley.
The news of the singer’s death comes just hours after her mother announced that she’d been “rushed to hospital”.
Craig Little, a spokesperson for Los Angeles County Fire Department, told Associated Press that paramedics were dispatched to a Calabasas home at 10:37am following a report of a woman in full cardiac arrest.
TMZ reported that they performed CPR on Presley before taking her to hospital for further treatment.
Just two days ago, Presley and Priscilla were in attendance at the 80th Golden Globes in support of Austin Butler, who won Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama for his portrayal of the King of Rock in Baz Luhrmann’s biopic Elvis.
Presley previously said in a tweet that she thought the film was “absolutely exquisite” and that “Austin Butler channelled and embodied my father’s heart & soul beautifully”.
During his acceptance speech, Butler said: “Lisa Marie, Priscilla, I love you forever.”
Presley was born in Memphis, Tennesse on 1 February 1968 to Elvis and Priscilla. She, too, became a musician, releasing three albums: To Whom It May Concern (2003), Now What (2005) and Storm & Grace (2012).
Aged 25, Presley inherited her father’s $100m (￡82m) estate. However, in 2018, she sued her former manager for selling 85% of her share in the estate in 2005.
Presley has previously been public with her health struggles, including her road to sobriety following her addiction to opioids.
“You may read this and wonder how, after losing people close to me, I also fell prey to opioids,” Presley wrote in a foreword for Harry Nelson’s 2019 book The United States of Opioids.
“I was recovering after the [2008] birth of my daughters, Vivienne and Finley, when a doctor prescribed me opioids for pain. It only took a short-term prescription of opioids in the hospital for me to feel the need to keep taking them.”
She was married four times – to musician Danny Keough, singer Michael Jackson, actor Nicolas Cage and music producer Michael Lockwood.
She shared two children with Keough, son Benjamin Keough and 33-year-old daughter Riley Keough. She also shared 14-year-old twins Finley and Harper with Lockwood.
In 2020, 27-year-old Benjamin died by suicide. She opened up about feeling “destroyed” by his death in an essay for People.
“I already battle with and beat myself up tirelessly and chronically, blaming myself every single day and that’s hard enough to now live with, but others will judge and blame you too, even secretly or behind your back which is even more cruel and painful on top of everything else,” she wrote.
“This is where finding others who have experienced a similar loss can be the only way to go. Support groups that have your specific kind of loss in common. I go to them, and I hold them for other bereaved parents at my home.”
Tributes have already begun pouring in for Presley.
Celebrities including Pink, John Travolta, and Diane Warren all paid tribute to the US singer-songwriter, describing her as “one of a kind” and “smart as a whip, sensitive, (and) talented”.
In an Instagram post on behalf of her and husband Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson recalled spending time with Presley and her family during the film's promotional tour last year.
“Our hearts are broken with the sudden and shocking passing of Lisa Marie Presley tonight,” she wrote in the lengthy post.
“Tom and I had spent some time with the family during the Elvis movie promotional tour. Lisa Marie was so honest and direct, vulnerable, in a state of anticipation about the movie.
“She spoke so eloquently about her father, what the movie meant to her, that it was a celebration of her dad. She had her gorgeous daughters Finley and Harper with her who made us all laugh.”
Wilson said Presley had been “gracious” enough to show her round Graceland - the mansion where her father lived in Memphis, Tennessee.
“Our hearts and our prayers go out to Riley, Harper, Finley , Danny and Priscilla,” she said.
“A mother should never have to lose a child. Lisa Marie lost her precious son Benjamin, Priscilla loses her only daughter. It's too much. Sending love to the family, prayers for peace and strength. Love, Rita and Tom.”
Travolta said his “heart goes out” to Presley's family following the news, writing: “Lisa ba
Actor Leah Remini tweeted: “I’m heartbroken over the passing of Lisa Marie Presley. Lisa did not have an easy life, as some might think.
“May she be at peace, resting with her son and father now. Her mom Priscilla and her three daughters, Riley, Finley, and Harper, are in my prayers.”
Fellow actor Octavia Spencer added: “So sad that we’ve lost another bright star in Lisa Marie Presley. My condolences to her loved ones and multitude of fans.”