Lisa Marie, Elvis' Baby Girl
The funeral for Lisa Marie Presley took place on Sunday, January 22nd, 2023, at 9am, on the front lawn at Graceland where she had appeared the week before to honor her father's birthday.
There is not much one can say about Lisa Marie Presley and this is because her life can be summed up in only a few words: tragic. Born on February 1, 1968, the only child of Priscilla and Elvis Presley, Lisa Marie came into the world as a Princess, however, as she grew into the fairy tale existence that comes with being the daughter of a king, a man whom forever changed history, Lisa Marie began to feel the overwhelming nature of public and professional celebrity that can consume a person.
Lisa Marie's childhood years were marred by her parent's divorce and then having to live a life in two separate worlds; one with her mom, the other with her dad. The untimely death of her father when she was nine all but destroyed Lisa who was always daddy's girl. From there, she continued to endure suffering and misery when a boyfriend of her mother sexually abused the 11 year old girl.
Most of us can never imagine the pain and suffering a child must endure upon losing a beloved parent. Elvis' baby girl grew to womanhood in the shadow of her father, yet tried to escape the constant comparisons between father and daughter by branching out on her own as a rock singer whose songs were far removed from the Elvis stereotype. With a beautiful voice in her own right, Lisa Marie chose the rough path of the music industry, getting involved, also, in the drug culture, to the point of addiction, which quite often can accompany the strenuous and debilitating workload given to success.
Through four marriages, drug addictions, indebtedness, and inner misery, Lisa Marie found blessings in her children; four of them, three girls, and a boy whom she adored. Lisa Marie lived for her children: Riley, Benjamin, and twins Harper and Finley, striving to protect them from both a damaging society and the public scrutiny that would continually compare them to their grandfather. She managed well to keep her children out of the limelight for a time, protecting them with a fierceness that began to weigh on her immensely when compiled together with other difficulties mounting in her own turbulent life. Though she kept her children close and showered them with her love and might, she could not prevent her only son, Benjamin Storm Keough from taking his own life at age 27 due to his own struggles with depression. The loss of her only son pushed Lisa Marie over the edge. She completely lost her will, her spirit. Lisa Marie would never recover. Other than living for her three girls, her life became covered in a shell of despair. Her health, both mental and physical, was called into question as Benjamin's permanent absence haunted her for over two years.
Lisa Marie's troubles would never truly subside. Her remaining days were spent confined mainly to her home(s). There was a brief spark ignited within her when Baz Luhrmann's film bio, "Elvis," starring Austin Butler as Elvis came to production and then premiere. Lisa immersed herself in the aura of reliving her father's life through someone who gave dignity and talent to the role. Sadly, she would never see Luhrmann's latest film documentary of her father's concert footage.
Lisa Marie Presley grew up a Princess living in a grand castle, with the world at her fingertips. She had a father who doted on her, and a mother with whom she always had a difficult relationship, moreso after her father's untimely and sudden death. At just nine years old, Lisa Marie's fairy tale came crashing down around her. Her daddy, her protector, was gone, and she found herself thrust into different scenarios through the odd, and sometimes harmful, relationships brought on by her mother's respective companions. Lisa Marie had that familiar void that grips a soul having lost a parent, and could not easily adjust to the worldwind of changes. As she grew older, she rebelled. She joined her mother's church, Scientology, a cult rather then a religion, something that would have torn Elvis apart and broken his heart. She believed men had married her only because she was Elvis' daughter. Elvis had the exact insecurity wherein he became unsure if a woman loved him for himself, or because he was Elvis Presley. Like her father, Lisa Marie was insecure in her relationships, and, in some cases, had every right to be.
Lisa Marie left Scientology and returned to God. Her three girls kept her on the straight and narrow. Oh, how she tried. She remained somewhat distant from her mother, almost as if resenting Priscilla for, what some might say, a difficult upbringing, and the sense that her mother was envious of her. In the end, Lisa Marie was a just a little lamb who had lost her way, but who tried desperately to come back. We will continue to pray for Lisa Marie, that her soul will find peace and light. She deserves all of our love and prayers as does her beloved son, Benjamin, and our beloved Elvis. May God rest your soul, Lisa Marie, and grant you eternal peace.
