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Grieving Lisa Marie Presley kept her son’s body at home for two months after his death
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Grieving Lisa Marie Presley kept her son’s body at home for two months after his death

Lisa Marie Presley’s posthumous memoir apparently reveals the extent of her grief over the death of her son, Benjamin Keough.

The late singer, the only child of singer Elvis Presley and actor/singer Priscilla Presley, died in January last year at the age of 54.

Her daughter, actor and musician Riley Keough, completed the book – titled From here to the great unknown – in the months after her death.

In one chapter, Presley would reveal that she was so heartbroken over Benjamin’s death that she kept his body in her home for two months while she struggled to decide where to bury him.

Riley’s younger brother Benjamin was shared by Presley and her first husband, musician Danny Keough, before their 1994 divorce. In 2020, he took his own life at the age of 27.

Page six reports that she explained how she had to force herself to “fight” to stay alive for the sake of her surviving children, Riley, 35, and twin daughters Harper and Finley Lockwood, now 16.

Lisa Marie Presley with her son Benjamin

Lisa Marie Presley with her son Benjamin (Instagram @lisampresley)

“There is no law in the state of California that requires you to bury someone immediately,” Presley wrote, revealing that she kept her son in the bedroom of a casita — a small building separate from the main house.

“I found a very empathetic funeral home owner… She said, ‘We’ll bring Ben Ben to you.’”

Riley and her mother decided to honor Benjamin by getting tattoos to match his: he had his sister’s name engraved on his collarbone and his mother’s on his hand. They called a tattoo artist to look at Benjamin’s body so he could match the font and placement.

Riley reportedly writes in the memoir: “Lisa Marie Presley had just asked this poor man to look at her deceased son’s body, which happened to be right next to us in the casitas.

“I’ve had an extremely absurd life, but this moment is in the top five.”

Riley Keough (left) with her mother, Lisa Marie Presley, in 2017

Riley Keough (left) with her mother, Lisa Marie Presley, in 2017 (2017 Invision)

Shortly after they got their tattoos, Riley remembers everyone getting the feeling that Benjamin wanted to be buried.

“Even my mother said she felt him talking to her and said, ‘This is crazy, Mom, what are you doing? What the f***!” she wrote.

Benamin’s funeral took place in Malibu, with a ceremony led by Indian-American author Deepak Chopra. He was buried next to his grandfather in Graceland; Lisa Marie was also later buried next to him.

In an interview with People, Riley said her mother died of a “broken heart” after Benjamin’s death. She died of natural causes; a medical examiner determined that a small bowel obstruction caused her cardiac arrest.

“My mother did her best to find strength for me and my younger sisters after Ben died, but we knew how much pain she was in,” Riley said. “My mother died physically from her surgery, but we all knew she died of a broken heart.”

From here to the great unknown is out now.

If you are experiencing any of the issues discussed in this article, please contact the following organizations for assistance: mind.org.uk, nhs.uk/livewell/mentalhealth, mentalhealth.org.uk, samaritans.org.