Priscilla Presley is tearfully recalling the last days of her daughter Lisa Marie’s life.
Presley had already lost her grandson in 2020 and her mother in 2021 when Lisa Marie, her only child with the late Elvis Presley, unexpectedly died earlier this year at the age of 54. Priscilla spoke about her death in a recent “TalkTV” interview with Piers Morgan.
“She didn’t look well that night and I was concerned,” Priscilla said, as reported by the New York Post on Wednesday.
“She asked Jerry Schilling, one of my best friends, if he could hold her,” the former actor continued. “Her heels were high, but she had worn them before, and I thought, ‘Is she OK?’ She didn’t really look that OK — she looked very frail.”
That night, Priscilla and Lisa Marie attended the 2023 Golden Globes in support of Baz Luhrmann’s “Elvis.” The director, his acclaimed biopic and lead actor Austin Butler were all nominated at this year’s ceremony, with Butler winning for best lead actor in a drama motion picture.
Priscilla told Morgan the evening began swimmingly.
“We watched the show,” she said, “and we had a few laughs, and we were all excited about Austin Butler and Baz, and the movie went so well, we were proud of them, then we started to go, and she said, ‘Mom, do you want to go to Chateau Marmont and have a drink?’”
Priscilla said they arrived at the iconic hotel and both tripped on a staircase, making them laugh. When Lisa Marie said her “stomach really hurts,” the pair decided to call their respective cars — before unwittingly sharing a final goodbye.
“I hugged her, and she went her way, and I went mine,” Priscilla told Morgan, “and that hug was the last hug I gave her.”
Lisa Marie’s ex-husband Danny Keough, with whom she shared daughter Riley Keough and son Benjamin Keough, called Priscilla two days later. Lisa Marie was hospitalized after a cardiac arrest, which an autopsy later concluded was caused by a bowel obstruction.
Jordan Strauss/Invision/Associated Press
“It was unbearable,” Priscilla told Morgan. “I lost my mother. I lost my grandson, and I lost my daughter. It’s still shocking that we don’t have her.”
Benjamin died by suicide at 27 in Calabasas, California. Priscilla told Morgan that Lisa Marie was suicidal before she died, as “losing Ben was the hardest thing for her.”
“He took his own life, and he was the love of her life, that child, she adored him,” Priscilla said. “She would do anything for him, anything. We were in Memphis, sitting up in the suite, and she said, ‘Mom, I don’t know if I want to be here.’”
The Presley-Keough family later fought over the will of Lisa Marie, who removed Priscilla as manager of the estate in 2016 and replaced her with Ben and Riley. The latter settled with Priscilla in June for $1 million and made her a “special advisor” of Graceland.
“I love her,” Priscilla told Morgan. “We have always gotten along. It was a little bit of trying to figure out the will … but Riley and I have always been close. I think Riley will be great, she has asked me a few things about what to do. I want to help her with Graceland.”
Priscilla continued: “She has a great head on her shoulders. I trust her.”
If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for mental health support. Additionally, you can find local mental health and crisis resources at dontcallthepolice.com. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention.