Lisa Marie Presley’s Posthumous Memoir Is Due Out This October

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Latest News: Lisa Marie Presley’s Posthumous Memoir Will Release October 15

Before she died one year ago, Lisa Marie Presley was working on her memoir. Now, with the help of her daughter Riley Keough, the completed book is scheduled to land on shelves October 15, 2024. “I’m so excited to share my mom now, at her most vulnerable and most honest,” Keough, 34, said in a January 11 statement from publisher Random House.

The still-untitled book is expected to cover Lisa Marie’s relationship with her parents, Elvis and Priscilla Presley, who divorced when she was 5 years old; her childhood in the public spotlight; her marriages to pop star Michael Jackson and actor Nicolas Cage, among other romantic relationships; and her experiences of motherhood. Lisa Marie had four children, of which Keough is her oldest. Her only son, Benjamin Keough, died by suicide in July 2020, and Presley previously wrote about the devastating loss.

Presley had approached Riley about collaborating on the memoir before her sudden death, caused by a bowel obstruction, at age 54. According to Random House, the book is mostly in Presley’s words “with Riley filling in the blanks from her own memory and those closest to her mother.” Keough will also narrate the memoir’s audio version that will include experts from tapes Presley recorded.

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Who Was Lisa Marie Presley?

Singer Lisa Marie Presley was the only daughter of Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley. Her life was marked by tragedy from an early age. Just 9 years old when her father died, Lisa Marie dropped out of high school and began abusing illegal drugs. Later, Presley turned to music for solace and released three albums, starting with To Whom It May Concern in 2003. She was married four times, including brief marriages with Michael Jackson and Nicolas Cage, and had four children, including actor Riley Keough. Presley died in January 2023 from a bowel obstruction at age 54.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Lisa Marie Presley
BORN: February 1, 1968
DIED: January 12, 2023
BIRTHPLACE: Memphis, Tennessee
SPOUSES: Danny Keough (1988-1994), Michael Jackson (1994-1996), Nicolas Cage (2002-2004), and Michael Lockwood (2006-2021)
CHILDREN: Benjamin, Riley Keough, Harper, and Finley
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Aquarius

Early Life

Born on February 1, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Elvis and Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie Presley grew up living in her father’s Graceland estate until the age of 4, when her parents separated. After, Presley moved with her mother to Los Angeles. Even though her parents were separated, she continued to see both, splitting time between Los Angeles and Memphis.

When she was 9, Presley’s father died of an apparent heart failure associated with prescription drug abuse. She became the sole heir to his estate but wouldn’t officially inherit it until she was in her 20s.

As a junior in high school, Presley dropped out of school and began abusing illegal drugs. At 17, Presley was sent to Scientology’s Celebrity Center rehab facility.

Husbands

Presley was married four times in her life. Her husbands included Danny Keough, Michael Jackson, Nicolas Cage, and Michael Lockwood.

While in rehab, Presley met rock ’n’ roll musician Danny Keough. Presley and Keough married on October 3, 1988. The couple had two children, Danielle Riley and Benjamin, but Presley and Keough divorced in 1994 after six years of marriage.

Only 20 days after her divorce from Keough was finalized, Presley married Michael Jackson, who reportedly proposed over the phone after only four months of dating. Their relationship was short-lived, however, and Presley filed for divorce from Jackson in January 1996.

In 2000, she met Nicolas Cage while engaged to musician John Oszajca. She soon broke off the engagement to Oszajca to date Cage. The couple married shortly after in Hawaii on August 10, 2002, but divorced only 108 days later.

On January 22, 2006, Presley married for the fourth time, this time to Michael Lockwood, a guitarist, producer, and director. The couple welcomed twins, Harper and Finley, in October 2008. Although her longest marriage, Presley ultimately filed for divorce in 2016. It was finalized in 2021 after a lengthy custody battle.

Children

Presley had four children: Danielle Riley and Benjamin with husband Danny Keough, and twins Harper and Finley with husband Michael Lockwood.

Danielle Riley Keough, better known by her stage name Riley Keough, was born in May 1989. A former model, Riley has transitioned into a successful acting career. She has appeared in movies and TV series, including Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), Logan Lucky (2017), The Girlfriend Experience, and 2023’s Daisy Jones & The Six.

Presley’s second child, Benjamin Keough, was born in October 1992. Like his parents, Benjamin pursued a music career but never released an album. In July 2020, 27-year-old Benjamin died by suicide. “My and my three daughters’ lives as we knew it were completely detonated and destroyed by his death,” Presley wrote in an essay about grief in August 2022.

Fraternal twins Harper and Finley Lockwood were born in October 2008. During Presley’s custody battle with Michael Lockwood, Harper, and Finley were placed in protective custody with grandmother Priscilla Presley.

Music Career

While she was building her family, Presley was also forming a music career. In 1992, she recorded her first demo. She rejected the record contract she was offered afterward, however.

Presley released her first album, To Whom It May Concern, on April 8, 2003. The album debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified gold in June 2003. Now What, Presley’s second album, was released on April 5, 2005, and debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard 200. The album was certified gold in November 2005.

In 2007, Presley recorded the single “In the Ghetto” as a posthumous duet with her father. The video released for the song reached No. 1 on iTunes and No. 16 on the Billboard singles chart, with all proceeds going to a Scientology charity. Her third album, Storm and Grace, was released in 2012.

In addition to her music career, Presley served as a co-trustee of the Elvis Presley Estate along with her mother, Priscilla, and the National Bank of Commerce. She remained connected to Scientology through her mother, the Apple School, and the Celebrity Center rehab facility.

Drug and Alcohol Abuse

Presley struggled with sobriety at different points in her life. During her divorce proceedings with Lockwood in 2017, Presley admitted in a deposition she abused opioids, cocaine, painkillers, and alcohol and attended rehab several times.

In a foreword for the 2019 book The United States of Opioids: A Prescription for Liberating a Nation in Pain, Presley revealed she became addicted to opioids after her doctor prescribed them following the birth of her daughters Harper and Finley. She said she was “grateful to be alive today” and credited her four children for motivating her to stay sober.

Although Presley kept her battle relatively private, Lockwood expressed concerns amid their divorce that she might relapse following her son Benjamin’s death in 2020.

Lisa Marie Presley Net Worth

Shockingly, Presley’s net worth was estimated to be negative-$10 million at the time of her death, according to Celebrity Net Worth.

Upon Elvis’ death, she became the sole heir to his estate and officially inherited it on her 25^th birthday. However, in December 2004, she agreed to sell off 85 percent of Elvis Presley Enterprises Inc. to businessman Robert F.X. Sillerman, the founder of SFX Entertainment, for around $100 million. She reportedly received $53 million in cash in the agreement and was absolved of $25 million in debts owed by the estate.

Eventually, her net worth plummeted. During a 2018 hearing in court amid her divorce with Lockwood, Presley claimed she was more than $16 million in debt—including income taxes, credit card bills, and a defaulted mortgage.

Final Days and Death

Presley’s last notable public appearance was at the 2023 Golden Globe Awards on January 10, 2023, to support actor Austin Butler, who played her father in the biopic Elvis. She appeared to have trouble walking down steps and speaking during an interview with Extra reporter Billy Bush, prompting concerns about her health.

Only two days later, Presley died on January 12, 2023, at age 54 in California. Early reports shared that she suffered cardiac arrest. An autopsy report later cited a small bowel obstruction caused her cardiac arrest. The obstruction was the result of scar tissue that developed after Presley’s bariatric surgery years prior.

She is buried at Graceland, where her memorial service was also held on January 22, 2023. More than 1,000 people gathered on the front lawn to mourn her, with The Smashing Pumpkins lead singer Barry Corgan, Alanis Morissette, and Axl Rose all performing during the service.

Estate Dispute

Shortly after Lisa Marie’s death in January 2023, her mother, Priscilla, submitted a filing to Los Angeles Superior Court challenging the validity of her daughter’s will—sparking a temporary rift among the Presley family.

A 2016 amendment to the will replaced Priscilla and her former business partner, Barry Siegel, as co-trustees of the Promenade Trust with Lisa Marie’s children Riley and Benjamin Keough. Priscilla claimed the amendment wasn’t properly witnessed or notarized, featured an atypical signature by Lisa Marie, and argued she didn’t receive the required notice of the change.

The trust included control of the Graceland property and a 15-percent stake in Elvis Presley Enterprises. According to The Los Angeles Times, Lisa Marie owned the Graceland mansion, costumes, cars, awards, and other possessions once belonging to her father, Elvis.

In May 2023, reports emerged that Priscilla and Riley Keough had reached a settlement agreement in the dispute. A judge approved the settlement in early August and finalized financial details that October. Ultimately, Keough was named Promenade’s sole trustee, as Presley became a “special advisor” to the trust for $100,000 annually. She also received a $1 million payout and will have a burial plot at Graceland.

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