Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley, has passed away against the backdrop of her daughter’s success — Riley Keough
23 september 2025 в 00:13
Lisa Marie Presley, the only daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, passed away on January 12, 2023 at the age of 54 after a heart attack. Her death occurred just days after she appeared on the red carpet at the 80th annual Golden Globe Awards ceremony, where she praised Austin Butler for his outstanding portrayal of her father in the film «Elvis».
While she will always be remembered as the daughter of the King of Rock 'n' Roll, Lisa Marie was also a devoted mother. She welcomed four children into her life: daughters Riley Keough and the late Benjamin Keough from her first husband, Danny Keough, and twins Harper and Finley Lockwood from her fourth husband, Michael Lockwood.
In July 2020, Lisa’s only son, Benjamin, tragically died by suicide at the age of 27, a loss she described as «devastating». Following her own death in 2023, her daughters became the heirs of Graceland, Elvis’s iconic estate in Memphis. At Lisa’s public memorial service, it was also revealed that Riley quietly welcomed her first child with her husband Ben Smith-Petersen, making Lisa Marie a grandmother shortly before her passing.
Read on to learn more about Lisa Marie Presley’s children.
Riley Keough, born on May 29, 1989, is Lisa Marie’s first child with Danny. She grew up in the spotlight but has built an impressive career in modeling and acting. Riley made her runway debut in 2004 for Dolce & Gabbana and began her acting career in 2010 with the film «The Runaways», starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning. She gained recognition for roles in films such as «Mad Max: Fury Road» (2015), «American Honey» (2016), and «Logan Lucky» (2017), as well as appearing in an episode of the series «Riverdale» in 2018.
In 2022, Riley expanded her career behind the camera, making her directorial debut with the film «War Pony» at the Cannes Film Festival, where the film received the Camera d’Or prize. «I'm very overwhelmed. I haven’t quite processed it all yet», - Riley told PEOPLE at the time.
Riley has often spoken about growing up between two very different worlds with her parents. «I grew up very privileged with my mom. But my dad didn’t live like that», - she said in an interview with The Guardian in 2017, recalling the time spent in trailers and mobile homes with her father. She said the contrast gave her balance: «My memories of growing up with him were so vivid, eccentric, and fun».
Back in 2007, Riley and her mother appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and explained that Riley was encouraged to explore her own preferences and dislikes to be an independent person outside of the famous family. «I didn’t want her to feel in the shadow, where she would feel competition and threat», - said Lisa Marie. «I wanted [my children] to be able to do what they wanted».
After the tragic death of her brother Benjamin in 2020, Riley underwent training as a death doula, stating in a 2021 Instagram post that she wants to help others prepare for and cope with loss. «I believe it is so important to be educated in conscious dying and death, as we educate ourselves in birth and conscious birthing», - she wrote. «We prepare so thoroughly for entry and not for exit. So I am so grateful for this community and the opportunity to contribute».
In her personal life, Riley married Australian stuntman Ben Smith-Petersen in 2015. «My husband is such a good man», - Riley wrote in an essay for Vogue Australia in 2022. «He is calm, faithful, strong, and sensitive. He is my best friend». Together, they quietly welcomed their first child, a daughter, in 2022, a fact revealed during Lisa Marie’s memorial service when Ben read a tribute to Riley, including a touching note to her late mother. «I hope I can love my daughter as you loved me, as you loved my brother and my sisters»
While she will always be remembered as the daughter of the King of Rock 'n' Roll, Lisa Marie was also a devoted mother. She welcomed four children into her life: daughters Riley Keough and the late Benjamin Keough from her first husband, Danny Keough, and twins Harper and Finley Lockwood from her fourth husband, Michael Lockwood.
In July 2020, Lisa’s only son, Benjamin, tragically died by suicide at the age of 27, a loss she described as «devastating». Following her own death in 2023, her daughters became the heirs of Graceland, Elvis’s iconic estate in Memphis. At Lisa’s public memorial service, it was also revealed that Riley quietly welcomed her first child with her husband Ben Smith-Petersen, making Lisa Marie a grandmother shortly before her passing.
Read on to learn more about Lisa Marie Presley’s children.
Riley Keough, born on May 29, 1989, is Lisa Marie’s first child with Danny. She grew up in the spotlight but has built an impressive career in modeling and acting. Riley made her runway debut in 2004 for Dolce & Gabbana and began her acting career in 2010 with the film «The Runaways», starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning. She gained recognition for roles in films such as «Mad Max: Fury Road» (2015), «American Honey» (2016), and «Logan Lucky» (2017), as well as appearing in an episode of the series «Riverdale» in 2018.
In 2022, Riley expanded her career behind the camera, making her directorial debut with the film «War Pony» at the Cannes Film Festival, where the film received the Camera d’Or prize. «I'm very overwhelmed. I haven’t quite processed it all yet», - Riley told PEOPLE at the time.
Riley has often spoken about growing up between two very different worlds with her parents. «I grew up very privileged with my mom. But my dad didn’t live like that», - she said in an interview with The Guardian in 2017, recalling the time spent in trailers and mobile homes with her father. She said the contrast gave her balance: «My memories of growing up with him were so vivid, eccentric, and fun».
Back in 2007, Riley and her mother appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and explained that Riley was encouraged to explore her own preferences and dislikes to be an independent person outside of the famous family. «I didn’t want her to feel in the shadow, where she would feel competition and threat», - said Lisa Marie. «I wanted [my children] to be able to do what they wanted».
After the tragic death of her brother Benjamin in 2020, Riley underwent training as a death doula, stating in a 2021 Instagram post that she wants to help others prepare for and cope with loss. «I believe it is so important to be educated in conscious dying and death, as we educate ourselves in birth and conscious birthing», - she wrote. «We prepare so thoroughly for entry and not for exit. So I am so grateful for this community and the opportunity to contribute».
In her personal life, Riley married Australian stuntman Ben Smith-Petersen in 2015. «My husband is such a good man», - Riley wrote in an essay for Vogue Australia in 2022. «He is calm, faithful, strong, and sensitive. He is my best friend». Together, they quietly welcomed their first child, a daughter, in 2022, a fact revealed during Lisa Marie’s memorial service when Ben read a tribute to Riley, including a touching note to her late mother. «I hope I can love my daughter as you loved me, as you loved my brother and my sisters»
© Artemenko Olga
