Remembering Lisa Marie Presley: 'I would never take back any part of who I am or where I came from' - CNN

CNN  — 

As the lone girl of the precocious Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley, vocalist Lisa Marie Presley spent her beingness successful the spotlight from the start. 

And the nationalist involvement successful her beingness — from her marriages to her backstage tragedies — ne'er waned until, overmuch similar her father, she was taken excessively soon. 

Lisa Marie Presley died Thursday after suffering an evident cardiac arrest. She was 54.

“Priscilla Presley and the Presley household are shocked and devastated by the tragic decease of their beloved Lisa Marie,” said a connection from the household provided to CNN. “They are profoundly grateful for the support, emotion and prayers of everyone, and inquire for privateness during this precise hard time.”

Days earlier her hospitalization, Lisa Marie and Priscilla Presley attended the Golden Globe Awards successful enactment of the Baz Luhrmann movie “Elvis,” starring histrion Austin Butler, who picked up an grant for his portrayal of the King.

Lisa Marie Presley's beingness successful pictures

Born astatine the tallness of Elvis’s fame successful 1968, Lisa Marie Presley was seen arsenic the princess to the antheral celebrated arsenic “the King of stone ‘n’ roll.”

Elvis and Priscilla Presley separated successful 1972 erstwhile their girl was 4 years old, and she was lone 9 erstwhile her begetter died successful 1977. He was 42.

Soon, she began acting retired and experimenting with drugs, resulting successful her parent sending her to a bid of backstage schools, including a boarding schoolhouse successful Ojai. Lisa Marie Presley noted to the Los Angeles Times successful 2003 that arsenic a child, she “was benignant of a loner, a melancholy and unusual child.”

“I had a existent self-destructive mode for a while,” she told the publication. “I ne'er truly acceptable into school. I didn’t truly person immoderate direction.”

She was besides the eventual sole heir to Elvis’s estate, arsenic good arsenic his sprawling Memphis, Tennessee mansion Graceland. Her father’s mighty and ever-looming bequest didn’t, however, steer her distant from her tendency to prosecute a vocation successful euphony successful her ain right.

Lisa Marie Presley launched her vocation successful 2003 with a debut workplace album, “To Whom It May Concern,” which reached No. 5 connected the Billboard 200 albums illustration and was certified golden that summer. She wrote astir each the lyrics connected the medium and co-wrote each melody.

At the time, Lisa Marie Presley told Larry King that she had to “park” feelings of unit and examination to her legendary vocalist dad.

“If I had been reasoning astir that, worrying astir that, which I benignant of had for a agelong clip I would person ne'er done what was benignant of innately successful my heart, successful my soul,” she said. “So I had to halt being disquieted astir that, it was excessively intimidating otherwise.”

Also astir the aforesaid time, Lisa Marie Presley reflected connected whether her celebrated sanction was a hindrance oregon a help, telling Playboy that she didn’t “ask tabloids to pursuit maine astir each week.”

But, she added, she “would ne'er instrumentality backmost immoderate portion of who I americium oregon wherever I came from.”

“I would ne'er privation to beryllium portion of thing else,” she said. “I’m honored and arrogant of my household and my dad.”

That archetypal grounds was followed by 2 further albums, 2005’s “Now What” and “Storm & Grace” successful 2012.

Parallel to her philharmonic pursuits, Lisa Marie Presley was joined 4 times, including to euphony superstar Michael Jackson and histrion Nicolas Cage.

She wed instrumentalist Danny Keough successful 1988, with whom she had a daughter, Riley Keough, and lad Benjamin Storm Keough.

The brace divorced successful May 1994, and astir 3 weeks later, Lisa Marie Presley joined Jackson successful a ceremonial that made headlines worldwide.

She noted of Jackson successful a 2003 interrogation with ABC News and Diane Sawyer: “When helium wants to fastener into you, erstwhile helium wants to intrigue you oregon seizure you, oregon you know, immoderate helium wants to bash with you, helium tin bash it.” She added that she “fell into this whole, ‘You poor, sweet, misunderstood man, I’m going to prevention you.’ … I fell successful emotion with him.”

Their matrimony ended successful January 1996.

Two years later, she wed Cage aft gathering him astatine a party, but lone stayed joined to him for 3 months, from August to November of 2002. The divorcement was finalized successful 2004.

Her 4th matrimony came successful 2006, to her guitarist, euphony shaper and manager Michael Lockwood. The brace welcomed twins Finley Aaron Love Lockwood and Harper Vivienne Ann Lockwood successful 2007. They divorced successful 2016.

In 2020, Lisa Marie Presley’s lad Benjamin Keough died by termination astatine the property of 27. Last July, she marked the 2nd day of Keough’s decease on Instagram, sharing a photograph of their matching ft tattoos.

Last September, she wrote an essay for National Grief Awareness Day, successful which she opened up astir the nonaccomplishment of her son.

“My and my 3 daughters’ lives arsenic we knew it were wholly detonated and destroyed by his death. We unrecorded successful this every. Single. Day,” she wrote. “Grief is thing you volition person to transportation with you for the remainder of your life, successful spite of what definite radical oregon our civilization wants america to believe. You bash not ‘get implicit it,’ you bash not ‘move on,’ period.”

Presley besides said successful the effort that she recovered comfortableness successful the institution of radical who person faced akin tragedy, adding that her daughters assistance support her grounded.

“I support going for my girls,” she wrote. “I support going due to the fact that my lad made it precise wide successful his last moments that taking attraction of his small sisters and looking retired for them were connected the forefront of his concerns and his mind. He perfectly adored them and they him.”

Tributes to Lisa Marie Presley poured successful arsenic quality of her passing spread.

“This is devastating news. Lisa had the top laughter of anyone I ever met. She lit up each room, and I americium heartbroken,” Cage said successful a connection provided by his manager Mike Nilon. “I find immoderate solace believing she is reunited with her lad Benjamin.”

Actor John Travolta wrote that he’d miss his person “but I cognize I’ll spot you again.”

“My emotion and bosom goes retired to Riley, Priscilla, Harper and Finley,” helium wrote connected Instagram.

Actress Leah Remini said she was “heartbroken implicit the passing of Lisa Marie Presley,” adding “Lisa did not person an casual life, arsenic immoderate mightiness think.”

“May she beryllium astatine peace, resting with her lad and begetter now,” she wrote connected Twitter.

“Lisa Marie’s last resting spot volition beryllium astatine Graceland, adjacent to her beloved lad Ben,” a household typical said successful a connection to CNN connected Friday.