S Poddar
Real tragedy befell Lisa Marie Presley: her son, Benjamin, at the age of 27, died by suicide in August 2020. For two months after his death, she kept the body in her home; this speaks to the depth of her anguish. “He always said he wanted to be cremated,” read the statement. According to a new biography partially co-written by her daughter, actress Riley Keough: “The poignant detail reveals this.”.
In the book that was published on October 8, 2024, Lisa Marie comments on the overwhelming depression she experienced following Benjamin’s death. She said that although most people might find it hard to believe, she kept her son’s corpse in a separate casita bedroom. “There is no law in the state of California that you have to bury someone immediately,” she wrote, recalling how a compassionate funeral home director helped facilitate this difficult choice by saying, “We’ll bring Ben Ben to you.”.
To preserve Benjamin’s body at that time, Lisa maintained the room at 55 degrees. In her memoir, she recalls how she gradually adjusted to caring for him in that room, turning it into a sort of sanctuary for her grief until it was time to lay him to rest. Finally, Lisa Marie would be buried next to her son at Graceland, a place steeped in family heritage and memories.
Lisa Marie Smith has been candid enough to share and bring out the stark reality facing such a harsh reality due to Benjamin’s death. It wasn’t just his physical absence that haunted her, though; it also included the emotional toll that forced her to keep going, for the sake of her remaining children, twins Harper and Finley Lockwood, now 16. She described struggling to say goodbye to Benjamin, knowing there was unbearable pressure to be there for her daughters. “I had to fight in my mind to live for the sake of my other children after Benjamin’s death,” she says, recounting the depth of her emotional burden.
She was unflinching about the not altogether ordinary decision to keep her son at home when saying, “I think it would scare the living f**ing p* out of anybody else to have their son there like that. But not me.” One might say that raw honesty is a refrain in the memoir as she battles with the surreal aspects of her reality.
Among the other agonizing decisions Lisa had to make was where to put Benjamin to rest. She had come to a quandary whether Benjamin should be rested in Hawaii or at the property that is very close to her heart, Graceland. Riley Keough, who collaborated very closely with her mother on the memoir, hoped that Lisa Marie be presented as a complex person rather than just a headline. “I want not just to pay tribute to my mother but to tell a human story of what I believe is an extraordinary circumstance,” she said. Riley knew the value of what her mother left behind, recognized these recordings as a treasured moment in a life where memories are otherwise forgotten.
Both Riley and Lisa paid tribute to Benjamin in a very personal tribute: by getting matching tattoos. Since he had their names tattooed on his body, they embraced the same designs, which prove they are inseparable. During one session when one of them was receiving tattoos, another memorable moment was when Riley narrated how her mother asked the tattoo artist to draw inspiration from Benjamin’s body while she was sitting in profound sorrow. I’ve had an utterly ridiculous life, but this moment is in the running of top five, she wrote, juxtaposing the weird and painful intermixing of life and death.
Eventually, it was time to lay Benjamin to rest. His funeral rites were given in Malabi, while his burial was conducted at Graceland. Lisa Marie would join her son later; she is presently buried in the same grave that houses their son, a painful yet comforting gesture.
Lisa Marie died at the age of 54 due to complications from a small-bowel obstruction caused by bariatric surgery. Before she died, she had requested Riley to help her in finishing the memoir, which tells a lot about the close relationship the couple shared and the legacy of love and resilience that Lisa wanted to extend.
The memoir reflects all aspects of her life, from the deep love she has carried in her heart for her father, Elvis Presley, to her other crises during the post-death torture period, romantic relationships, and joys and sorrows accompanying motherhood. She also touches on the birth of her granddaughter, Tupelo, thereby establishing that life has its cycles, just like families.
Riley wants to share the story of her mother through extending the pages of the memoir. She’s going on book tour to various cities, including New York, Memphis, and Los Angeles, to celebrate Lisa Marie’s memory and to connect with fans who have followed her mother’s journey in the process.
Pan MacMillan published this memoir, entitled FROM HERE TO THE GREAT UNKNOWN, as a tribute to Lisa Marie’s life; rather, it is a kaleidoscope that unlocks the complexities of love and loss and the longevity of family ties. It presents a tremendous narration in moving towards grief in celebrating the lives with the people closest to the heart.
