Riley Keough Tells Oprah About Lisa Marie Presley’s Tough Final Years — and the Lengths Her Mother Went to in Processing Grief: ‘I Can See How This Sounds Insane’

As a close acquaintance who has had the privilege of knowing the Presley family for years, I find the story of Riley Keough and her mother, Lisa Marie, deeply moving and poignant. The extent to which Lisa Marie’s grief overtook her after the loss of Ben is heart-wrenching, and it speaks volumes about their bond as a family.

Riley Keough recently spoke with Oprah Winfrey at Graceland, the family estate, for a one-hour CBS special focused on her new book “From Here to the Great Unknown.” The book was completed by Keough following her mother, Lisa Marie Presley, who began sharing memories for a memoir before her passing in 2022. During this event and the release of the book, several heartfelt disclosures emerged, including the depth of Lisa Marie Presley’s grief during her final two years, despite having apparently conquered a drug addiction. However, her health continued to decline.

One of the stories generating significant interest from the book, as explored further in “An Oprah Special: The Presleys — Elvis, Lisa Marie and Riley,” revolves around Lisa Marie Presley’s profound unwillingness to let go of her beloved son Ben, who tragically took his own life in 2020.

According to the special report, Lisa Marie held Ben’s remains for two months following his demise, torn between burying him at Graceland or Hawaii, yet finding solace in keeping his spirit close by, allowing her more time to cope with her loss within the familiar surroundings of their home, even after death.

Keough expressed, “On the surface, this might appear utterly ridiculous and preposterous to some, but let me clarify – my mother was simply being true to herself… I’m not suggesting she was eccentric or unbalanced. Her response to death was different from what we typically see in Western societies.” She went on to explain that her mother’s process of accepting loss was more akin to the way it’s handled in non-Western cultures, although she acknowledged that it might have seemed peculiar when viewed through an outsider’s perspective… especially when there were visitors at home.

Two months ago, everyone in the house was going through the grieving process as per Keough’s statement to Winfrey, who enquired about the circumstances. Keough explained, ‘She (Liz) had some unconventional ideas, but it seemed like her intention was to bury him (Elvis) at Graceland alongside his father. We weren’t planning to visit for around three weeks… Liz understood that the woman would keep my brother at the funeral home, and she didn’t like the idea of him being so far away, not knowing what was happening. I believe she wanted control over the situation due to our family dynamics, and also because she was a mother… Essentially, she found a sympathetic funeral home owner who was also a mother, and said something like, ‘If you can do these things, you can keep him (Elvis) in a room. Just make sure someone takes care of the body.’ (In the book, Keough further explains that the room temperature needed to be kept at 55 degrees.)

Oprah encouraged Keough to retell the unusual incident where they invited a tattoo artist to permanently inscribe their hands with matching tattoos similar to Ben’s. Lisa Marie insisted on the perfect placement and said, “Do you have any photos?”, to which she replied, “No, but I can show you.” This led him to the room where her body was located. Oprah stayed quiet as it was her mother making the decisions, but she admitted it was quite an unusual moment. “He was very normal about the whole thing,” Oprah said, adding, “I wonder what that tattoo artist told his family when he got home that night?” Keough joked, “I’m sure he’ll write a book about it someday.

Even as they both momentarily smiled at the peculiar tale, the heart-wrenching topic of Lisa Marie’s intense sorrow was handled with profound seriousness. Snippets from her last months were played, during which she expressed not wanting to carry on living, quite literally, following Ben’s demise. Riley shares that she had a close bond with her mother, but she notes that the connection her brother shared with Lisa Marie mirrored the legendary one between Elvis Presley and his mother, Gladys, suggesting a deep, almost mythical level of affection.

The recently published book discloses that Lisa Marie’s struggle with serious drug issues did not occur until she gave birth to twins at the age of 40, which then led to a devastating opiate addiction following a C-section. Keough mentioned that her mother had undergone rehab over a decade later and expressed pride in Lisa Marie for avoiding major relapses after Ben’s death. However, in her final year, the mix of persistent grief and neglecting her physical health presented a concerning scenario, leaving her daughter fearful that Lisa Marie might not live much longer.

There was at least some light in Lisa Marie’s last months as she sought a reason to forge on. “I think that her idea of her way forward was going to be through like grief work and helping other parents through grief. She would have these meetings at her house where she would put little snacks out for these families and have our grief counselor come and run these sort of grief circles. And she wanted to do a podcast. I think that it had to be about my brother if she was going to sort of find a new path for herself.”

The special also contained some lighter moments. For instance, Winfrey joyfully declared “Here we are!” as the team reached Graceland. Additionally, she reminisced about how they had affectionately referred to each other as “cousins” after a visit in 2006, when Oprah revealed that Presley was her maternal grandmother’s family name.

Keough displayed items such as her mother’s key to one of the golf carts she used to drive carelessly throughout Graceland during her teenage years, along with the contents of the black case that Elvis Presley frequently carried with him from location to location.

Oprah inquired about Keough’s most cherished recollection of her mom, and she revealed that Lisa Marie yearned to safeguard and nurture her granddaughter, Tupelo, since Riley became a mother two years back.

She was an exceptional mother, and she had a special knack for caring for babies. Her ability to connect with infants was remarkable. If I can manage to make (Tupelo) feel cherished, in the same way my mom made us feel loved – it was a boundless affection – then I think that would be wonderful,” Keough expressed. “Even during her hardships, battling drugs… we had our disagreements, as she sometimes acted in ways I didn’t support. There were difficult encounters, as one might expect with someone struggling with substance abuse. Yet, the love remained constant.

Winfrey said, “I’m sure she’ll be pleased to know we’re together. If she could hear us now, she’d be saying, ‘Thank you, dear.’

2024-10-09 05:17

Riley Keough Tells Oprah About Lisa Marie Presley’s Tough Final Years — and the Lengths Her Mother Went to in Processing Grief: ‘I Can See How This Sounds Insane’

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