Priscilla Presley opens up about Lisa Marie Presley's death in emotional interview
Priscilla Presley is opening up about her late daughter Lisa Marie Presley, her marriage to Elvis Presley and more.
The "Naked Gun" actress, 78, spoke about how she is coping in the wake of her daughter's death in a new interview with Piers Morgan on his TalkTV show, "Piers Morgan Uncensored."
During the interview, which she took part in while promoting, "Priscilla," the Sofia Coppola-directed biopic about her life, she described the loss of her only daughter as "unbearable."
"It's like a large part of your life is taken away," she said.
Lisa Marie Presley died Jan. 13 at the age of 54, just two and a half years after the death of her own son Benjamin Keough in 2020, and a year and a half after her grandmother Anna Lillian Iversen's death in 2021.
"I lost my daughter"
Lisa Marie Presley was Priscilla and Elvis Presley's only child. Her death came three days after she attended the 80th Golden Globes ceremony in Beverly Hills, California, with her mother, where they celebrated actor Austin Butler, who had won the award for best actor in a motion picture (drama) for his portrayal of Elvis Presley in the Baz Luhrmann-directed biopic "Elvis."
"She didn't look well that night, and I was concerned," Priscilla Presley recalled. "She asked Jerry Schilling, one of my best friends, if he could hold her. Her heels were high, and she's worn them before, and I thought, 'Is she OK?' She didn't really look that OK, she looked very frail."
"So, I let that go," she continued. "Then we watched the show, 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?' I said sure. I had gotten in my own car, and she had her own car since she lived in Calabasas."
Priscilla Presley said things took a turn when Lisa Marie Presley told her she wasn't feeling well.
"We both had our high heels on and both of us tripped on the staircase, and we started laughing and giggling. We went ... and sat down, and she said, 'Mom, I have to go, my stomach really hurts.' I go, 'of course, are you OK?' She goes, 'Yes, yes, I just really have to go.' And I go, 'OK, we will get the cars now.' Then I hugged her, and she went her way, and I went mine -- and that hug was the last hug I gave her. And it's still shocking that we don't have her."
"It was unbearable. I lost my mother, I lost my grandson, and [then] I lost my daughter," she added.
Priscilla Presley also said Lisa Marie Presley was still grieving the loss of her son at the time of her death. Benjamin Keough died by suicide in July 2020 at age 27.
"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 Presley said. "She would do anything for him, anything. And we were in Memphis, sitting up in the suite, and she said, 'Mom, I don't know if I want to be here,' and I go, 'What are you talking about?' 'You know, my Ben,' and she would go on about Ben and how she is still grieving, and this was a couple of months before [she died]."
"[It] was almost like she wanted to go earlier, but the twins were still young -- or too young, let's put it that way," she added, referring to Lisa Marie Presley's twin daughters Harper and Finley Lockwood, 15.
Settlement over Lisa Marie Presley's trust
Following Lisa Marie Presley's death, questions arose over who would get control of Elvis Presley's estate, which Lisa Marie Presley inherited in 1993 on her 25th birthday.
Lisa Marie Presley was the sole heir of the Elvis Presley Trust, along with Elvis Presley Enterprises -- which managed Graceland and other assets -- until she sold a major interest in the company in 2005, according to the Graceland website.
Earlier this week, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge approved a settlement agreement between Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie Presley's eldest daughter Riley Keough, and Lisa Marie Presley's ex-husband Michael Lockwood, serving as Guardian ad Litem for their twins Finley and Harper, over Lisa Marie Presley's trust.
The agreement sees Riley Keough named sole trustee over her late mother's trust and Priscilla Presley receiving a $1 million payment for resigning as co-trustee. Riley Keough will also pay her grandmother's legal fees related to the matter, listed at $300,000.
In addition to Riley Keough being named the sole trustee over Lisa Marie Presley's trust, Priscilla Presley will be paid $100,000 per year in a "special advisor" role for the trust. This agreement is guaranteed for 10 years or until Priscilla Presley's death, whichever is sooner, and regardless if Riley Keough terminates the role.
The agreement also sees Riley Keough becoming the owner of Graceland.
"I want to help her with Graceland"
As they move forward, Priscilla Presley said she wants to help Riley Keough with Graceland.
"I love her. We've always gotten along," Priscilla Presley said about her granddaughter. "Riley and I have always been close."
"I think Riley will be great," she added about Keough's role as the sole trustee over Lisa Marie Presley's trust. "She's asked me a few things about what to do. I want to help her with Graceland. I told her anything she needs to know about Graceland, about Elvis more so."
"I want her to know a lot about Elvis and I'll probably, you know, help her in that way," she said.
