In her memoir From Here to Great Unknown, Lisa Marie Presley opens up about her tumultuous life, including her high-profile marriage to Michael Jackson, her struggles with addiction, and the devastating loss of her son, Benjamin Keough. The memoir was completed posthumously by her daughter, actress Riley Keough, after Lisa Marie’s sudden death in January 2023.
Growing Up as Elvis Presley’s Daughter
Lisa Marie reflects on her unique childhood as the only daughter of the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” After Elvis Presley’s death in 1977, Lisa Marie inherited a life of luxury and privilege. However, being Elvis’s daughter came with immense pressure, and Lisa Marie often felt like she lived in his shadow. Despite this, she cherished her father deeply, writing that she always felt closer to him than her mother, Priscilla Presley.
Her relationship with Priscilla was complicated. Lisa Marie confesses in her memoir that she often felt unloved by her mother. She recalls Priscilla telling her that she once considered falling off a horse to provoke a miscarriage while pregnant with Lisa Marie. After Elvis and Priscilla divorced, Lisa Marie was sent to live with her mother in Los Angeles, a move she resented because she felt happiest at Graceland.
Lisa Marie also shockingly revealed that she was sexually abused by one of Priscilla’s boyfriends, Michael Edwards, during her childhood. She detailed how he would enter her room at night and behave inappropriately, an experience that left her traumatized. When Lisa Marie finally confided in her mother, Priscilla seemed to downplay the abuse, leaving her daughter feeling even more abandoned.
Love, Marriage, and Michael Jackson
Lisa Marie’s marriage to Michael Jackson in 1994 remains one of the most talked-about chapters of her life. Their relationship began when she was still married to her first husband, Danny Keough. After her divorce from Danny, Michael Jackson pursued Lisa Marie, proposing to her and expressing his desire to have children together. In her memoir, Lisa Marie recalls being charmed by Michael and truly believing in their love.
However, their relationship quickly became strained. Lisa Marie writes about Jackson’s claim that he was a virgin when they first got together, and his past romantic relationships with Tatum O’Neal and Brooke Shields, which he said had never become physical. Over time, Jackson’s erratic behavior and drug use strained their marriage. The final straw came when Lisa Marie visited him in the hospital and discovered he had his own personal anesthesiologist. Disturbed by his deepening addiction, Lisa Marie filed for divorce in 1996.
Even after their separation, Lisa Marie remained in Jackson’s life for years, continuing to visit him at his ranch. However, after he remarried and their relationship grew more toxic, Lisa Marie finally distanced herself.
The Loss of Benjamin and Her Own Struggles with Addiction
One of the most heartbreaking sections of Lisa Marie’s memoir focuses on the loss of her son Benjamin Keough, who died by suicide in July 2020 at the age of 27. Lisa Marie describes Benjamin as being eerily similar to Elvis, both in appearance and demeanor, which was both comforting and haunting to her. The bond between mother and son was incredibly close, and his death shattered her.
In the months following Benjamin’s death, Lisa Marie kept his body at home, preserved in a coffin with dry ice. She admitted that it might seem strange to others, but it gave her solace to delay his burial. Eventually, Benjamin was laid to rest at Graceland alongside his grandfather, Elvis.
Lisa Marie was no stranger to battles with her own demons. She revealed that her addiction to opioids began after the birth of her twins in 2008. What started as pain management spiraled into a full-blown addiction. At her worst, Lisa Marie confessed to taking 80 painkillers a day, along with cocaine. Despite several attempts at rehab, she struggled to recover, especially during a contentious divorce from her fourth husband, Michael Lockwood, in 2016. Riley took on the role of monitoring her mother, even moving in with her to help care for her younger sisters during this dark period.
However, after Benjamin’s death, Riley was proud of her mother for not relapsing, calling it a remarkable act of strength amidst such profound grief.
Complicated Family Ties and Legal Battles
Lisa Marie’s relationship with her mother Priscilla became more strained after her death due to a legal dispute over her estate. Following Lisa Marie’s passing, Priscilla questioned the authenticity of a 2016 amendment to Lisa Marie’s trust, which removed Priscilla as a co-trustee and handed control of the estate to Riley and her brother Benjamin.
Riley, who now owns Graceland, resolved the legal battle with her grandmother, and they have remained publicly cordial since. Despite their difficult past, Lisa Marie’s memoir shows that there was an effort on her part to forgive her mother and mend their relationship, especially after they both became mothers themselves.
Remembering Lisa Marie Presley
Lisa Marie Presley’s memoir is a raw and emotional account of a life marked by incredible highs and devastating lows. From growing up as Elvis’s daughter, to her short-lived but intense marriage to Michael Jackson, to the unimaginable grief of losing a child, her story is one of resilience in the face of unimaginable pain.
Riley Keough’s completion of her mother’s memoir serves as a tribute not only to Lisa Marie’s struggles but also to her strength. Despite her tragic death at the age of 54, Lisa Marie’s legacy lives on through her children, her music, and her unforgettable connection to rock ‘n’ roll royalty.
