The loss of a child can leave loved ones forever changed, and Priscilla Presley, the ex-wife of Elvis Presley, recently shared that she endured the same heartbreak after the passing of their only daughter, Lisa Marie.
Lisa Marie suffered a bowel obstruction in January 2023, which led to her demise.
According to Priscilla, the tragedy created a rift in her family, with her granddaughters becoming increasingly withdrawn.
Highlights
- Priscilla Presley claimed Lisa Marie’s demise created distance within the Presley family, sparking backlash online.
- Critics accused Priscilla of causing the family rift after challenging Lisa Marie Presley’s wish that the Presley estate go to her daughter, Riley.
- Priscilla received a one-time payout from her granddaughter to settle their legal dispute.
Netizens, however, rejected the claim and instead blamed Priscilla’s “greed” for the strained bonds.
Priscilla Presley drew backlash for attributing tensions within the Presley family to Lisa Marie’s passing
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“It kind of separated us in a way,” Priscilla Presley said about her daughter’s departure at a speaking event at the Westgate in Las Vegas on May 2.
“We would get together and have meals before,” the Love is Forever actress added.
Priscilla went on to reveal that her grandchildren, Lisa Marie’s 17-year-old twins Harper and Finley, whom she shared with musician Michael Lockwood, have now “got boyfriends” and do their own thing.
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Priscilla has another granddaughter, Riley, who is Lisa Marie’s daughter with musician Danny Keough.
Netizens took the opportunity to point out that she sued Riley over the Presley family’s Graceland estate, which Lisa left to her.
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“Her family is separated because she tried stealing money from her granddaughter,” one said, while another called Priscilla a “disgusting creature.”
“Priscilla is very evil,” a third said in agreement.
“She was a horrible mother,” opined a fourth, asking, “Why did you pull the plug on Lisa before her daughters got there to say goodbye?”
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Priscilla, in her 2025 memoir, Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis, claimed that she made the decision after doctors informed her that Lisa’s heart and brain had irregular activity as part of complications arising from her bowel obstruction.
Riley Keough paid Priscilla Presley a one-time sum to settle their legal dispute
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Priscilla Presley challenged the validity of Lisa’s will two weeks after her demise.
The court petition disputed a 2016 amendment to the will that ousted Priscilla as the estate trustee.
It instead mentioned Lisa’s two children, Riley and Benjamin Keough.
Benjamin Keough took his own life in 2020 at the age of 27.
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According to the legal documents viewed by the BBC, Priscilla argued that the amendment was never delivered to her during her daughter’s lifetime.
She also claimed the will misspelled her name and bore signatures that appeared “inconsistent” with Lisa's "usual and customary signature.”
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Priscilla and Riley Keough settled their dispute over Lisa Marie’s estate in May 2023.
They forged an agreement under which Keough became the sole trustee of her mother’s fortune, and Priscilla received a one-time $1 million payout from her granddaughter.
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Riley Keough issued a press statement following the resolution.
“Everyone was in a bit of a panic to understand how we move forward, and it just took a minute to understand the details of the situation because it’s complicated,” she said.
Priscilla, in her own statement, said Elvis “would be proud” of her and her granddaughter’s settlement.
“Lisa’s wishes are what are most important to all of us,” she additionally said.
Priscilla Presley’s son, Navarone, disagreed with his mother’s timeline of when their family began to drift apart
Priscilla shares 39-year-old Navarone with her ex-boyfriend, Marco Garibaldi.
He, who accompanied his mother to the Las Vegas event, claimed their family had felt “separated” ever since Benjamin passed.
“I think losing Ben was the first thing that separated us. When you would think that should be something that would bring everyone together, that somehow separated us further because everyone grieves in different ways,” Navarone said.
He continued, “Everybody puts the blame on somebody” for the misfortune.
Navarone went on to add that their family now felt “closer” as they let ill feelings toward each other go in the aftermath of Lisa Marie’s passing.
"This one will do anything for attention and money," a netizen said about Priscilla
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