Lisa Marie Presley’s Memories of Elvis Presley’s Death and Her Challenging Life

A new book by Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of Elvis Presley, titled "From Here to Unknown Greatness" has been published, reflecting on her tumultuous life. This book, completed with the help of her daughter, Riley Keough, includes bittersweet memories from her childhood to adulthood. Lisa Marie was in the process of writing this book before her sudden death in January 2023 at the age of 54, and she had invited her daughter to assist in writing her memoirs. After her death, Riley completed the writing by listening to hours of recorded memories, and Random House recently published it. In this book, Lisa Marie reveals for the first time the day her father died in August 1977. At the time, she was only 9 years old and describes how she woke up and sensed that something was wrong, ultimately finding her father's body on the bathroom floor. She stated that after the crowd left Graceland, she would go to her father's body, hold his hand, and talk to him. Riley Keough mentioned in an interview with BBC World Service that this incident had a lasting impact on her mother, who could never fully overcome this loss. She also spoke of her childhood anger towards her famous grandfather, as she associated his songs with her mother's pain. The book also addresses other tragedies in Lisa Marie's life, including the death of her son, Benjamin Keough, who committed suicide in 2020. This loss was so profound that his body was kept at the family home for two months. Riley stated that this helped her mother cope with her grief. The complex relationship Lisa Marie had with Michael Jackson is another section of the book. For the first time, details of her emotional relationship with Michael Jackson and their marriage in 1994 are revealed. This relationship was fraught with tension and challenges, ultimately ending due to differences and drug-related issues. "From Here to Unknown Greatness" offers an honest portrayal of Lisa Marie Presley’s life; a woman who struggled to find her identity in the shadow of her father's fame and her personal tragedies. In the conclusion of her interview with BBC World Service, Riley hopes that people will get to know her mother better by reading this book and understand the journey she went through. Lisa Marie was also an American singer and songwriter, having released three albums, with her first album achieving gold status from the Recording Industry Association of America. She also released non-album singles, including duets with her father using songs that had been released before his death. Lisa had several unsuccessful marriages; to musician Danny Keough, singer Michael Jackson, actor Nicolas Cage, and music producer Michael Lockwood. Lisa Marie Presley suffered a cardiac arrest at her home in California on January 12, 2023, and died that same day at the age of 54. According to the autopsy report, the cause of her death was determined to be damage from "small bowel obstruction," apparently a complication from weight loss surgery she had previously undergone.