Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of late “King of Rock and Roll” Elvis Presley and actress Priscilla Presley, has died at the age of 54. Hours prior to the announcement of Lisa Marie’s passing on Thursday, her mother confirmed in a statement that she had been rushed to the hospital. A cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
“It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us,” Priscilla Presley said in a statement Thursday evening. “She was the most passionate, strong and loving woman I have ever known.”
Elvis died at age 42 in August 1977, when Lisa Marie was just nine years old. “It’s been all my life,” she told The Associated Press in 2012 of her father’s influence on her own life. “It’s not something that I now listen to and it’s different. Although I might listen closer. I remain consistent on the fact that I’ve always been an admirer. He’s always influenced me.”
She became the sole heir of the Elvis Presley Trust after her father died. Along with Elvis Presley Enterprises, the trust managed Graceland, the Memphis mansion and multi-purpose studio/performance space and other assets until she sold her majority interest in 2005.
The daughter of Elvis Presley forged a music career of her own, releasing three albums between 2003 and 2012. She also released various non-album singles including duets with her father using tracks he had released before he died.
Lisa Marie Presley & Elvis Presley – “I Love You Because”
Lisa Marie Presley had been in the public eye of late as Baz Luhrmann‘s 2022 Elvis biopic continues to make the rounds on the awards circuit. Days before her death, Lisa Marie had attended the Golden Globes with her mother, where actor Austin Butler took home the award for Actor in a Drama Motion Picture for his portrayal of the late “King of Rock and Roll.”
Lisa Marie Presley eventually became involved in numerous humanitarian causes, from anti-poverty programs administered through the Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation to relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina. She would eventually receive formal citations from New Orleans and Memphis, Tennessee for her work.
Presley was married four times, including to Michael Jackson (1994–1996) and Nicolas Cage (2002–2004), and had four children. Her son Benjamin Keough died by suicide in 2020, and she spoke publicly on various occasions about dealing with the grief of his loss.
Below, watch a Nightline segment memorializing Lisa Marie Presley. Rest in peace, Lisa.
Lisa Marie Presley Dead At 54 – Nightline