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Lisa Marie Presley experienced living life with a pop music icon long before her marriage to Michael Jackson, which occurred in May 1994. The daughter of Elvis Presley grew up around the spotlight and saw the pitfalls that can come with fame firsthand. In 2010, Lisa Marie shared how similar Elvis and Jackson’s fates were. 

Michael Jackson during The 12th Annual MTV Video Music Awards at the Radio City Music Hall in New York, New York/Elvis Presley performing
(L-R): Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley|Kevin Mazur/WireImage, Bettmann/Getty Images

Lisa Marie Presley and Michael Jackson got married under Elvis Presley’s ex-wife, Priscilla Presley’s advisement

When Lisa Marie and Jackson reconnected in 1992, the “Lights Out” singer was married. Lisa Marie wed singer Danny Keough in 1988, and the couple had two children- Riley and Benjamin. Although she had a family, Lisa Marie fell for Jackson, and they decided they needed to be together. So, Lisa Marie divorced Keough in 1994. That May, Lisa Marie released a statement saying she married Jackson overseas. The specific location of their marriage was the Dominican Republic.

 Rock and roll singer Elvis Presley with his wife Priscilla Beaulieu Presley and their 4 day old daughter Lisa Marie Presley on February 5, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee.
Elvis Presley. Priscilla Presley, and Lisa Marie Presley|Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

According to The Guardian, Lisa Marie’s mother, Priscilla Presley, possessed strong feelings against Jackson’s marriage to her daughter. Elvis’s ex-wife told the publication that she didn’t know if the marriage was “authentic” at the time. Priscilla also thought Lisa Marie might have been searching for someone like her father when she married Jackson.

“Lisa knew I wasn’t happy about her marrying Michael Jackson,” Priscilla said in 2012. “We had issues over it because of my experience of marrying somebody with that same iconic status, and in a strange way, maybe history was repeating itself… And maybe she saw something of Elvis in Michael. As her mom, though, I was concerned as I could see, it could be a disaster. At that point, the right thing to do would have been to bite my tongue, but I didn’t bite my tongue.”

Ultimately, Priscilla was right about the marriage’s survival. In December 1995, Lisa Marie filed for divorce from Jackson, citing irreconcilable differences. However, she said in a statement that she and Jackson would “remain good friends,” per the Los Angeles Times.

Lisa Marie Presley once revealed that Michael Jackson thought he might die like Elvis Presley

Although her mother had her doubts, Lisa Marie formed a genuine connection with Jackson. In a 2010 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Lisa Marie spoke about Jackson and their love affair. Lisa Marie recalled them having fun moments together and staying up all night when the “Billie Jean” performer couldn’t sleep. 

This August 16, 1994 file photo shows US pop star Michael Jackson and his then wife Lisa-Marie Presley arriving at the airport in Budapest.
Lisa Marie Presley and Michael Jackson| -/AFP via Getty Images

“I loved taking care of him,” Lisa Marie told Winfrey. “It was one of the highest points in my life when things were going really well, and he and I were united. It was a very profound time of my life.”

During their marriage, Lisa Marie said the topic of Elvis frequently came up. She said living with Jackson made her realize how similar he was to her father. According to Lisa Marie, Jackson also noticed he and Elvis had parallelled lives and feared he would die like him. Elvis died of a heart attack in August 1977. 

“We were sitting by the fire [at Jackson’s Neverland ranch], and he was telling me that he was afraid he was going to end up like my father,” Lisa Marie said. “[Jackson] was always asking me about when he died, how it happened when it happened, and where. He said, ‘I feel like I’m going to end up the same way.'”

Michael Jackson died across the street from Elvis Presley’s house, according to Lisa Marie Presley

On June 25, 2009, Lisa Marie said the day she and Jackson were concerned about came true. News broke that Jackson died in his LA home. The autopsy report showed that the “Man in the Mirror” singer died of propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication. Jackson’s death ruled as a homicide in August 2009

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The Real Reason Lisa Marie Presley Divorced Michael Jackson

For Lisa Marie, Jackson’s death brought up memories of Elvis. When she saw the ambulance enter Jackson’s home on June 25, Lisa Marie told Winfrey that she found the footage painfully challenging to watch. She said Jackson died across the street from Elvis’s former home, where Lisa Marie often frequented. 

“It blows me away, to be honest with you,” Lisa Marie said of Elvis and Jackson’s similarities. 

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