Lisa Marie Presley honoured by daughters and mother at Graceland funeral
The eldest daughter of the late music icon penned an emotional tribute to her mother for her star-studded memorial on Sunday.
Lisa Marie Presley’s eldest daughter, Riley Keough, paid tribute to her late mother at a public service held at Graceland on Sunday.
The Daisy Jones & The Six star, who was slated to speak at the memorial, tapped her husband, Ben Smith-Petersen, to read a heartwarming letter on her behalf.
“Thank you for being my mother in this life,” her message began, per Page Six. “I’m eternally grateful.”
In the letter, Keough, 33, said she recalled “everything” about her late mother, while revealing she and her husband have recently welcomed a secret daughter.
“Thank you for showing me love is the only thing that matters in this life. I hope I can love my daughter the way you loved me, the way you loved my brother and my sisters,” the letter from Keough to her late mother read in part.
“I remember you giving me baths as a baby, driving me in my car seat listening to Aretha Franklin … taking me for ice cream after school in Florida,” she wrote.
“I remember you singing to me and my brother lullabies at night, and how you’d lay with us until we fell asleep,” she continued, referencing her late brother, Benjamin Keough.
“I remember how it felt be loved by the most loving mother I’ve ever known. How safe it felt to be in your arms: I remember that feeling as a child and I remember it two weeks ago on your couch.”
Lisa Marie – the only child of the late Elvis Presley and his wife, Priscilla Presley – died on January 12 after suffering cardiac arrest. She was 54.
Priscilla also took the stage at the service to read a poem written by one of her granddaughters, which was titled, The Old Soul.
“I’m going to read something my granddaughter wrote. I have no idea how to put my mother into words. Truth is there are too many,” she began.
“She was an icon, a role model, a superhero to many people all over the world,” her message continued, noting Lisa Marie “always knew she wouldn’t be here too long.”
The poem went on to talk about Benjamin, who died by suicide at age 27 in July 2020.
“Could this be the angel who takes me home? She knew it was close to the end, survivors guilt some would say. But a broken heart was the doing of her death.”
Keough first addressed her mum’s passing in an Instagram post last week.
She shared a throwback snap of herself as a youngster holding flowers while looking up at her mom. She captioned the post simply with a red heart emoji.
Her grandmother, Priscilla, 77, spoke out earlier in the week to confirm Lisa Marie’s passing.
“It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter, Lisa Marie, has left us,” the late Elvis Presley’s wife said in a statement.
“She was the most passionate, strong and loving woman I have ever known.”
Keough had a strong bond with her mother, with whom she frequently posed for photos with.
In a February 2021 birthday tribute, Lisa Marie wrote, “Like everyday [sic], I couldn’t have made it through without these three by my side,” referencing Keough and her twin daughters, Finley and Harper, 14.
Lisa Marie shared both Riley and Benjamin with her first husband, Danny Keough.
She had been candid about the grief she suffered after Benjamin died by suicide.
The rock ‘n roll heiress “beat [herself] up tirelessly and chronically, blaming [herself] every single day” for her son’s tragic death, she wrote in an August 2022 essay.
The singer was also married to Michael Jackson from 1994 to 1996, Nicolas Cage from 2002 to 2004, and Michael Lockwood, from 2006 to 2021.
She co-parented her twins, Finley and Harper, with her fourth husband, Michael Lockwood, following a bitter custody battle.
The late singer’s star-studded public memorial service included an address from Sarah Ferguson, and performances by Alanis Morissette, Axl Rose and Billy Corgan, according to Page Six.
This article originally appeared on the New York Post and has been reproduced here with permission
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