Riley Keough shared a deeply personal moment in her newly released book, From Here to the Great Unknown, recounting how she broke the devastating news of her brother Benjamin’s suicide to their mother, Lisa Marie Presley. In a poignant reflection, Riley described her urgent efforts to reach her mother while she was asleep in a hotel room.
“I ran to her suite and started banging on the door,” Riley wrote. From that moment, she understood that every second spent with her mother after delivering the tragic news was a precious gift. The weight of the situation loomed large as she faced the harsh reality of her mother living without her brother.
Riley recalled a night filled with laughter and celebration at their mother’s home in Calabasas, California, while Lisa was temporarily staying in a hotel due to mold issues. As Benjamin attended to guests, he went upstairs around 3:30 a.m. to grab a beer, and it took almost an hour before anyone realized he was missing. That grim day unfolded when Riley received a fateful call around 5:30 a.m., making it painfully clear that something was terribly wrong.
Once she learned of her brother’s death, Riley hurried to her mother’s side, bracing for the heart-wrenching moment that followed. Upon seeing Benjamin’s lifeless body, Lisa reportedly said, “What did you do, Benjamin?” and remained in a state of shock for two weeks.
In an unsettling revelation, Riley disclosed that their mother kept Benjamin’s body at home for two months prior to his burial at Graceland, which required maintaining a frigid temperature of 55 degrees.
As the years passed in the wake of Benjamin’s death, Riley observed a noticeable decline in her mother’s health. “Despite her immense love and efforts to carry on, it was evident to all of us,” she wrote, expressing the heartbreaking reality that Lisa Marie was suffering from a profound loss, which ultimately contributed to her tragic decline.
In January 2023, Riley received the heartbreaking news from her father, Danny Keough, that Lisa Marie had gone into cardiac arrest. She quickly boarded a plane to be with her mother, only to learn shortly after her arrival that Lisa had passed away. Danny’s message was filled with sorrow, as he sought to prepare Riley for the news that she had lost her mother as well.
The dual tragedies marked a painful chapter for the family, as they collectively mourned both Benjamin and Lisa. Priscilla Presley later confirmed that her daughter had succumbed to cardiac arrest on January 12, 2023, just days before Riley had the chance to reconnect with her. Lisa Marie was interred beside her son at Graceland, continuing a family’s enduring legacy of loss and love.
