Elvis Presley’s Granddaughter Keeps His Legacy Alive: Daughter’s Name Tied to King’s Childhood Roots
Elvis Presley‘s eldest grandchild, Daisy Jones and The Six star Riley Keough, may have never met her famous grandfather. However, she found a way to keep Elvis’ legacy alive by giving her first daughter a name tied to his childhood roots. What unique name will forever link Elvis’s great-granddaughter to her famous family?
For Riley Keough, Elvis Presley’s legacy lives on
Actor Riley Keough kept her private life as such throughout her ascent into Hollywood stardom. The Daisy Jones and The Six star rarely discussed her marriage to Ben Smith-Peterson or even her famous family.
However, in January 2023, that all changed upon her mother, Lisa Marie Presley’s death. Elvis Presley’s only daughter was pronounced dead on Jan. 12, 2023, at West Hills Hospital after a cardiac episode at her home near Calabasas, CA.
During Lisa Marie’s memorial service held at Graceland, Smith-Peterson read a letter his wife wrote to Lisa Marie. It was then the world learned that the couple were parents to a daughter.
However, Keough didn’t publicly speak of her daughter until an interview with Vanity Fair, where she shared her unique name with ties to the Presley family’s roots. The couple’s daughter was named Tupelo, a homage to her famous grandfather’s birthplace.
“This is Tupelo,” said the new mom before sharing her daughter’s full name. The baby’s moniker is Tupelo Storm Smith-Peterson, a nod to Elvis and her late brother Benjamin, whose middle name is Storm.
Why did Riley Keough name her daughter after Elvis Presley’s birthplace?
Riley Keough said that when picking out a name for her first child, she chose a unique yet impactful name that honored her family heritage. Therefore, instead of choosing a typical moniker for her daughter, Keough celebrated the place where her family legacy began.
“It’s funny because we picked her name before the Elvis movie,” Keough told Vanity Fair. “I was like, ‘This is great because it’s not a well-known word or name in relation to my family — it’s not like Memphis or something.'”
However, she found that shortly after the Austin Butler-led film was released, there was much more attention focused on everything Elvis, including his family history. “When the Elvis movie came out, it was like, Tupelo this and Tupelo that. I was like, ‘Oh, no!” Keough exclaimed.
Elvis Presley died on Aug. 16, 1977, in his private suite of rooms at Graceland. He was 42 years old.
Riley Keough welcomed her and Ben Smith-Peterson’s daughter via surrogate
For Riley Keough, surrogacy allowed her to ensure her daughter’s arrival would be safe for her and her baby. While the actor and producer can carry children, she used a surrogate after suffering from health issues for many years.
“I can carry children. But it felt like the best choice for what I had going on physically with the autoimmune stuff,” Keough, who has Lyme disease, tells the publication. Tupelo was born in August 2022.
“I think it’s a very cool, selfless, and incredible act that these women do to help other people,” Keough stated. “This is the thing in my life so far I have really wanted to, quote-unquote, get right. I don’t think you can ever be a perfect parent, but I would like to be the best mom for her that I can be. That’s very important to me.”
Per Keough, Tupelo looks like someone “shrunk” her husband, Ben Smith-Peterson, who she married in 2015. She often shares photos of her husband on her official Instagram page but has not yet posted any photos of their daughter.
It is unclear if Riley Keough will partake in the annual Elvis Week festivities at Graceland to mark the 46th passing of the King of Rock and Roll. The celebration runs from Aug. 9 through the 17th at Elvis Presley’s Tennessee home.
