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Lisa Marie Presley’s Tragic Passing
Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of rock ‘n’ roll legend Elvis Presley, died of a bowel obstruction, the Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office has said. The obstruction was a result of adhesions caused by weight-loss surgery she underwent several years ago. Presley, also a singer and songwriter, died after being rushed to a California hospital on January 12, 2023. She was 54.
Her last public appearance was two days before her death, at the Golden Globes. At the time of Presley’s death, local officials said first responders had been dispatched to her home in Calabasas, where they found her in cardiac arrest.
Her mother, Priscilla Presley, confirmed the devastating news 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. She was the most passionate strong and loving woman I have ever known. We ask for privacy as we try to deal with this profound loss. Thank you for the love and prayers.”
Elvis Presley’s Death: The Details Behind King of Rock & Roll’s Passing
Lisa Marie Presley’s death came more than four decades after her father’s death in 1977 at age 42. Elvis Presley died of a heart attack on August 16, 1977. The “preliminary autopsy findings” indicated that the cause of death was “cardiac arrhythmia,” according to Dr. Jerry Francisco, the Shelby County coroner, who conducted a two-hour examination of the body.
Initially, the coroner was unable to uncover the cause of the arrhythmia, prompting speculation that the singer might have died as a result of a drug overdose based on published reports that 10 prescription drugs were found in his body. However, the New York Times confirmed in October that drugs were ruled out as a cause of Elvis’ passing — “although prescription drugs were found in his body at the time of his death,” noted the outlet — with a statement issued by Dr. Francisco.
“The cause of death has been ascribed to hypertensive heart disease, with coronary artery heart disease as a contributing factor,” read the report. Dr. George Nichopoulos, Elvis’ friend and physician, said that he didn’t think the singer had a drug problem, despite having “abused drugs accidentally.”
Lisa Marie Presley’s Legacy and Legal Battle
Born in 1968, Lisa Marie Presley followed in her father’s footsteps as a musician and released three albums over the course of her career. She was also well-known for four high-profile marriages, to Danny Keough, pop star Michael Jackson, actor Nicolas Cage and musician Michael Lockwood.
She was a mother to four children: Riley Keough and Benjamin Keough from her first marriage, and twins Harper Vivienne Ann and Finley Aaron Love from her fourth marriage. Her son Benjamin killed himself in 2020 at age 27.
Upon her father’s death, she became the joint heir to his estate alongside her grandfather Vernon Presley and great-grandmother Minnie Mae Hood Presley. When they died in 1979 and 1980, respectively, Presley became the sole heir, and also inherited her dad’s Graceland residence.
After her death, her mother Priscilla filed a legal challenge to the will’s validity, arguing that she was unaware of a 2016 amendment that had ousted her as a trustee overseeing Lisa Marie’s estate. Instead, the amendment named Benjamin Keough and Riley Keough as co-trustees. Both were the children of Lisa Marie’s first-husband Danny Keough. The legal dispute was settled in May. The details were never made public.
Lisa Marie Presley was ultimately buried next to her son Benjamin Keough at Graceland Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee. She will be remembered as a talented artist and a devoted mother who faced many challenges in her life.
