Lisa Marie Presley on Her Relationship With Her Father, Elvis: ‘He Was Bigger Than Life’
The late Lisa Marie Presley had a special bond with her father, Elvis Presley. She often spoke about him and the love they shared. She once described him as “bigger than life.”
Lisa Marie Presley’s death
Lisa Marie died on Jan 12 after going into cardiac arrest at home. She attended the Golden Globes just two days before her passing. Actor Austin Butler thanked Lisa Marie and Priscilla during his acceptance speech after he won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Elvis.
Lisa Marie’s mother, Priscilla, announced her daughter’s death in a statement, saying, “It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us” (via People). “She was the most passionate strong and loving woman I have ever known. We ask for privacy as we try to deal with this profound loss. Thank you for the love and prayers. At this time there will be no further comment.”
Lisa Marie said Elvis Presley was ‘bigger than life’
Lisa Marie said Elvis was genuine. She admired who he was not only as an entertainer but also a person. “He was so extraordinary a presence — not even as an entertainer, just as a person,” said during an interview with The New York Times. “Yes, he sang well, and, yes, the songs were great, but that was him coming through the music. He was bigger than life.”
During an interview with Larry King, Lisa Marie spoke about why people loved Elvis so much. She said her father was a star both on and off stage.
“Everything you saw, and people appreciated about him, he was that or more offstage, and there was nothing contrived or preconceived about anything he was about or did,” she said [on Larry King Live]. “And I think people feel that genuineness, and that doesn’t happen very often anymore.”
Lisa Marie Presley wrote about mourning the death of her son, Benjamin Keough
Lisa Marie’s son, Benjamin Keough, died by suicide in 2020 at the age of 27. She wrote an essay about mourning her son for National Grief Awareness Day last year.
“Death is part of life whether we like it or not — and so is grieving,” wrote Presley in her essay for People. “There is so much to learn and understand on the subject, but here’s what I know so far: One is that grief does not stop or go away in any sense, a year, or years after the loss. Grief is something you will have to carry with you for the rest of your life, in spite of what certain people or our culture wants us to believe. You do not ‘get over it,’ you do not ‘move on,’ period.”
Lisa Marie said she had a tendency to blame herself for what happened to her son. She encouraged others to seek support and connect with others who had experienced a similar loss.
“I already battle with and beat myself up tirelessly and chronically, blaming myself every single day and that’s hard enough to now live with, but others will judge and blame you too, even secretly or behind your back which is even more cruel and painful on top of everything else,” Lisa Marie wrote.
“This is where finding others who have experienced a similar loss can be the only way to go,” Lisa Marie adds. “Support groups that have your specific kind of loss in common. Nothing, absolutely nothing takes away the pain, but finding support can sometimes help you feel a little bit less alone.”
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