Credit: @rileykeough
Being raised in the spotlight is rarely easy. Many believe being raised in a famous family is a fun and exciting thing, and it may be for some. It may be fun in many situations, to be honest. However, having the constant pressure of the world watch your every move, everything you do and say being dissected by every living human, and always being in the spotlight can take a toll. For Priscilla Presley’s grandchildren, being the grandchildren of the late, great Elvis Presley is often a burden. Being compared to the great legend himself is not always easy, and constantly being in the public eye can be difficult. Priscilla Presley’s grandchildren handle their secondhand fame in their own ways, but it is the shocking death of her grandson that has her still in mourning.
The Shocking Death of Benjamin Keough
He’s the son of Lisa Marie Presley and the brother of Riley Keough, an actress. He was 27 when he chose to take his own life, and the world was shocked. The young grandson of Priscilla and Elvis Presley seemed to have it all going for him. He closely resembled his late grandfather in terms of his appearance. He was working on creating a career for himself in the music industry – his grandfather’s talent was something he inherited. But, it seems that things in his life were not as happy as they seemed.
From the outside looking in, Benjamin Keough seemed to have it all going for him. Young, handsome, talented, and the famous grandson of the world’s most famous musician; what was not to love about him? But, inside, things were not so good for the young star. He was suffering, and that kind of suffering is so hard to see. It’s easy to disguise. It’s easy to look good from the outside when you’re smiling and happy, but the inside is a different story. He struggled with depression, and he struggled with the way his mind wasn’t focusing on the good in his life. It’s a battle, and it is one that he did not win in the end. He chose to take his own life in July 2020, and he left behind a family devastated and heartbroken.
Credit: @lisampresley
Priscilla Presley’s Grandchild’s Depression
According to friends of the late young star, Keough suffered tremendously from depression. He felt a lot of pressure, and being the grandson of a famous musician was not the easy thing that many might think. It left him feeling a lot of things, but very few of those things were good.
“Sometimes he struggled with depression, which is a serious thing, and everything happening right now and everybody being locked in the house,” said a friend of the young star who was asked about the lockdown, the pandemic, and the way things were being treated in California at the time of his friend’s death. “It’s a tough thing when you have a lot of pressure with your family and living up to a name and an image. It’s a lot of pressure. It’s almost like you’re pressured into having to be a musician, having to be an actor,” his friend said of Keough’s relationship with Presley and the way the world looked at him. Imagine being a young man who wanted to be a musician but being constantly compared to a grandfather you never met because he died when your mom was a baby. Priscilla Presley’s grandchildren certainly do have a lot to live up to, and it is through no choice of their own.
Credit: @lisampresley
The Constant Comparisons
Growing up, Keough was constantly compared to his grandfather. Imagine seeing an image of yourself online with all the comments about looking just like Elvis. Or the people comparing your music to his. It’s a lot for a young man to live in a shadow of a man he has never met. Living in the shadow of memory and a legacy cannot be an easy place to be, but this young man was there. His mental health could not take the constant comparisons and the pressure, and he felt he had no way out. He left behind a devastated family. His mother blames herself, and she’s not been able to move past that. His sisters, his grandmother, and everyone who loved him will forever feel a hole in their hearts from his absence, and it’s all because he didn’t feel he had another option. Depression is a serious thing, and it’s one that everyone should pay more attention to. It is a matter of life and death, and our hearts ache for this family and all families who lose a loved one to this horrible disease.