Lisa Marie Presley became a grandma just before she died

Tuesday 24 January 2023

Family tributes were read at the public memorial for the late singer which took place on the front lawn of the family’s Graceland home and museum in Memphis. Lisa Marie Presley had recently become a grandmother before she passed away earlier this month, as revealed in an emotional tribute shared at her Graceland public memorial service on the January 22.

The singer-songwriter and only child of Elvis died on January 13, aged 54, hours after she had been rushed to hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest. News of her death was followed by a host of tributes from the likes of John Travolta, Tom Hanks, Pink, ex-husband Nicolas Cage, the estate of her former husband Michael Jackson, Elvis star Austin Butler and Axl Rose. Now, its been revealed that Presley had recently become a grandmother, as shared in a moving funeral speech read by daughter Riley Keough’s husband Ben Smith-Petersen.

The letter, written by Keough (shared via Rolling Stone) began: “A letter to my mama – thank you for being my mother in this life. I am eternally grateful to have spent 33 years with you. I’m certain I chose the best mother for me in this world and I knew that as far back as I remember you and I remember everything.”

“I remember you giving me baths as a baby and I remember you driving me in my car seat listening to Aretha Franklin. I remember the way you would cuddle me at night, and the way you smelled. I remember you taking me for ice cream after school in Florida. I remember you singing me and my brother lullabies at night. I remember how you would lay with us until we fell asleep.”

The letter continued that she remembers “how it felt to be loved by the most loving mother I’ve ever known”.

“I remember how safe it felt to be in your arms. I remember that feeling as a child and two weeks ago on your couch. Thank you for showing me that love is the most important things in this life.”

“I hope I can love my daughter the way you loved me,” the letter went on, revealing that she had privately welcomed her first child.

“The way you loved my brother and sisters, thank you for giving me heart, strength, empathy, and courage, my sense of humour, my manners, my temper, my tenacity. I’m a product of your heart. My brother is a product of your heart, my sisters are a product of your heart. We are you, you are us… I hope you finally know how loved you were here. Thank you for trying so hard for us. If I didn’t tell you every day, thank you.”

Yesterday’s memorial service took place on the front lawn of the Presley family’s Graceland home and museum in Memphis, Tennessee. Alanis Morissette, Billy Corgan and Axl Rose were among those to pay tribute during the late singer’s public memorial yesterday (January 22).

Priscilla Presley also read out a poem penned by Keough.

“I have no idea how to put my mother into words. Truth is there are too many. Lisa Marie Presley was an icon, a role model, a superhero to many people all over the world, my superhero. But mama was my icon, my role model.”

Priscilla then read the poem, titled ‘The Old Soul’, which touched on the death of Lisa Marie’s son Benjamin Keough, who died by suicide in July 2020, aged 27.

“She knew it was close to the end. Survivor’s guilt some would say, but a broken heart was the doing of her death. Now she is home where she always belonged,” Priscilla read. “But my heart is missing her love. She knew that I loved her, I fear I’ll never touch her, but the old soul is always with me.”

It was confirmed earlier this month that Lisa Marie will be buried at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee, near her late father and son.

Last week it was revealed that Lisa Marie Presley’s cause of death had been deferred, after a coroner requested further investigation.