Riley Keough, the daughter of the late Lisa Marie Presley, has claimed that her mother actually “died of a broken heart” following the suicide of her son Benjamin in 2020.
In a rare interview, Keough said: “My mom tried her best to find strength for me and my younger sisters after Ben died, but we knew how much pain she was in.”
Presley, the only child of Elvis Presley, died in January 2023 at the age of 54.
While the official cause of death was determined to be a small bowel obstruction, Keough believes her mother’s grief played a significant role.
Keough elaborated on her mother’s struggle, stating: “My mom physically died from the after-effects of her surgery, but we all knew she died of a broken heart.”
Presley had been vocal about her grief, writing in a 2022 essay for People that she’d never “move on” from Benjamin’s death.
Keough revealed that writing about her brother’s death and her mother’s subsequent “descent into addiction” was “incredibly difficult” while putting together the final pieces of Presley’s posthumous memoir.
Despite the tragedy, Keough emphasised that her mother’s story isn’t “only about grief”.
Presley’s posthumous memoir, From Here to the Great Unknown, is set to be released on October 8 and the book is co-authored with Riley Keough.
From Here to the Great Unknown promises to offer an intimate look into Presley’s life and struggles.
In the memoir, Presley shares how she and Keough found healing through helping others.
Presley recounts: “One kid wrote to Riley and said, ‘I didn’t kill myself last night because of what you said it would do to my family and those that are left behind. So thank you.’ That helped me. That brought me up.”
Keough will discuss the book in an upcoming Oprah Winfrey special, airing on CBS and Paramount+ on the release date.
Keough played a crucial role in completing her mother’s memoir, listening to taped recordings Lisa Marie had made before her death.
The actress, who recently starred in Amazon Prime Video’s hit series Daisy Jones and The Six, hopes the book will resonate with readers on a deeply human level.
“I hope that in an extraordinary circumstance, people relate to a very human experience of love, heartbreak, loss, addiction and family,” Keough told People.
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She added: “[My mom] wanted to write a book in the hopes that someone could read her story and relate to her, to know that they’re not alone in the world.
“Her hope with this book was just human connection. So that’s mine.”
