Lisa Marie’s Life Was Even More Tragic Than Her Father’s

The world was shocked to hear that Lisa Marie Presley died just days after attending the Golden Globes with her went one of the last living connections to Elvis, but it turns out there was a heartbreaking detail to her last day. She was mostly known as the only child of Elvis Presley, but this wasn’t always a good thing for Lisa Marie. Her life went through many tumultuous twists and turns just like the king of rock and roll, but it was her shocking and tragic end that ultimately mirrored her father’s story the most. Most people don’t know how it feels to grow up with immense wealth; even fewer can say that their father was a rock star. Lisa Marie could say both: her parents were Elvis and Priscilla Presley. Even today, her father still holds the record for the bestselling solo artist of all time. The rock star gave his daughter extraordinary gifts as she was growing up, including fur coats, jewelry, and even a time when her dad flew her from their home in Memphis, Tennessee, to Utah just so she could experience snowfall for the first time. Lisa Marie was spoiled, and her mother was worried it would have a negative effect on her. From the outside, everything may have appeared fine in the Presley household, but that was far from the truth. Her parents had been drifting apart and they separated in 1972, divorcing later that year. Lisa Marie was only 4 years old at the time.

Five years after that, she would experience an even greater heartbreak. On August 16th, 1977, Lisa Marie experienced the ultimate tragedy when her father died suddenly and unexpectedly. It was on the front page of newspapers throughout the world. The loss of her father when she was just 9 years old forever marked Lisa Marie Presley’s life, but there’s something that many people don’t know about her role in that tragic day. Little Lisa Marie witnessed the exact moment of his passing. The king of rock and roll had left everything to his only child. Too young to manage the estate, her grandfather took over the responsibility, and she was set to fully inherit her father’s fortune as well as Graceland, his 14-acre estate in Memphis, when she reached the age of 25. While most children were spending their time in school, Lisa Marie quickly fell into a darker world. The young heiress drowned her sorrows away in illicit substances, and this spiraled out of control and into an addiction. At the age of 17, she went to rehab, but there was a sinister side to her time in recovery. She attended the infamous Scientology celebrity center. In rehab, Lisa Marie found an unexpected surprise: she met someone who would have a large impact on her life. Danny Keough shared at least one trait in common with her father; he was a passionate musician. He may not have been nearly as famous as the late rock star, but that didn’t matter to her. The pair were infatuated with each other, and just two years later in 1988, the pair decided to take a huge leap. In a relatively private gathering, they married at the church of Scientology in West Hollywood. Only nine people attended, including Lisa Marie’s mother. Just one year after their marriage, Lisa Marie gave birth to a daughter named Riley, and in 1992, welcomed a son named Ben. It turns out that too great a difference between status is a good enough reason for a divorce, and after six years of marriage, the couple decided to go their separate ways.

After the turmoil of a failed marriage, some people might want to settle down for a bit, but not Lisa Marie. Even before she and Danny began divorce proceedings, the young heiress was getting acquainted with someone else, someone closer to her level of stardom: Michael Jackson, aka the King of Pop. Only 20 days after Lisa Marie divorced Danny, she shocked the world by marrying Michael. The celebration that ensued completely eclipsed her former marriage. They were both young, famous, and extremely wealthy, but unfortunately, that wasn’t a recipe for a happy marriage. Getting married after dating for a few months is a little impulsive, and it’s no surprise that Lisa Marie quickly regretted her decision. But few know just how bad it really was for her; in fact, she referred to it as probably the biggest mistake of her life. Lisa Marie and Michael always seemed to disagree. She apparently wanted another child but worried about having one with such a high-profile superstar, reasoning that if they had a child, she’d lose the custody battle if they ever divorced. A strange dynamic also played out between the couple. Lisa Marie clearly had a lot of empathy, maybe a little too much, and she loved taking care of others, especially her husband. So when Jackson started experiencing some legal issues, she aggressively stood by his side. More than that, she said she wanted to save him.

Even though she’d been young, watching the consequences of fame on her father clearly left a mark, and despite her devotion, this relationship was on borrowed time. The couple clearly loved each other, but there was something dark about their fascination. Lisa Marie’s husband obsessed over her in a strange way, and some speculated that Michael wasn’t interested in the young heiress for her own sake; rather, he loved the idea of her, specifically that she was the daughter of Elvis Presley, as if she was just a living piece of memorabilia. Although the marriage came to an end after two years, their relationship had a surprising development. Even though they separated, they kept in contact. Lisa Marie often talked to Jackson on the phone and even sometimes traveled to stay with him. It’s almost as if the breakup benefited their relationship. These sorts of amicable partings would characterize Lisa Marie’s romantic life, however, she wasn’t only interested in pursuing lovers. Many musicians charge into music at a very young age, but not so for Lisa Marie. At the age of 35, she recorded her first album, To Whom It May Concern. Critically, the album was a success, and she received praise for her writing and singing. If anything had been apparent throughout her life so far, it’s that Lisa Marie was attracted to young musicians. She met John Oca, a musician from Hawaii, and it wasn’t long before the two were engaged.

Then it all went up in flames. They went to a party in LA hosted by The Ramones, and it was there that Lisa Marie met Nicolas Cage. The two reportedly got along very well, so well in fact that Lisa Marie canceled her 16-month-long engagement shortly after. It’s no surprise that Lisa Marie started dating the Hollywood star, and soon after breaking off her engagement with John, she and Cage attended a Tom Jones concert together, publicly showing off their romance. Their relationship accelerated at a quick pace, maybe too quick. In 2002, the daughter of Elvis and the Hollywood star tied the knot. Lisa Marie, it seems, wouldn’t let two divorces stop her from finding true love. It’s possible she truly invested herself into this marriage, but there was something strange about Nicolas Cage. He had an obsession that must have been distasteful to Lisa Marie, to say the least. The Academy Award-winning star may not have loved Lisa Marie for herself; he was known for his famous Elvis impressions, especially in his acting. With such a reverent attitude, maybe Lisa Marie began feeling more than a little creeped out. The couple were also known for their explosive fights. One time when they were on a cruise, they got into an argument, and in a fit of anger, Cage took Lisa Marie’s $65,000 diamond ring and hurled it into the ocean. That’s certainly one way to end a marriage. Nicolas, however, regretted his temperamental behavior shortly after the ordeal. He tried to retrieve the lost ring, hiring a group of scuba divers to search for it. After a few months, the couple realized they’d made a big mistake. They had only married in August 2002 and had filed for divorce by November. Lisa Marie spent a few years as a single woman, but the loneliness wore on her. In 2006, she struck up a romance with Michael Lockwood, who was her producer, director, and guitarist. In other words, it was the height of convenience, as they probably already spent most of their time with each other.

She had already married three times, but was willing to risk it all again for love. In 2006, she married Michael Lockwood. They must have wanted to get away from Los Angeles, since they surprisingly held the ceremony in Japan, marrying in a traditional Japanese ceremony in Kyoto. What’s even more surprising is who attended the wedding: aside from Lisa Marie’s son and mother, an unlikely guest attended the wedding. Danny Keough, Lisa Marie’s first ex-husband, appeared as the best man. In 2008, Lisa Marie gave birth again, this time to twins. She was now a mother to three girls and one boy. Through two marriages, the couple lived happily ever after, at least for a while. A peaceful decade elapsed in their marriage, and it seemed like their relationship would be the one to last through the ages. One day, however, Lisa Marie stumbled upon something on her husband’s computer that she would never forget. Even though the marriage between Lisa Marie and Michael was mostly serene, she found something utterly horrifying when scrolling through his computer: tons of illegal images and videos of children. Not only did she file for divorce, but she also requested protective custody of her children. In 2018, new rumors began to swirl that she was dating Johnny Depp. In the past, the two had both been embroiled in tiresome legal battles between their former spouses. It’s possible that shared grief brought them together and allowed them to sympathize with one another. Unfortunately, their relationship was short-lived, and the pair separated in 2019. After four divorces, her marriage to Michael Lockwood would remain her longest. Nonetheless, a tragedy far bigger than a marital one awaited her. In 2020, Lisa Marie received news that her son Ben had taken his own life. He was her only son, and the grief left her inconsolable. It even caused her to do something she never thought she would: struggling to bear the pain alone, she moved back in with Danny Keough, her first husband, so that they could grieve together. Lisa Marie had lost her son, but that wasn’t all she lost. By 2015, the president’s estate was falling apart. Astonished at how far her assets had fallen, she fired Barry Siegel, who managed her finances at the time. She claimed that he wasted over $100 million and never informed her as to the state of her fortune.

The only child of Elvis embroiled herself again in another unending legal dispute. Around this time, she discovered that she was not only broke, but also in debt, $16 million in debt. The inheritance of the king of rock and roll had all but vanished. After having been rich her entire life, she would now have to live austerely, very unfortunate for the girl who once had a private jet named after her. Despite having lost most of her inheritance, Lisa Marie managed a decent income from Graceland. The nearly 14-acre mansion attracts over half a million visitors every year, rivaling any other attraction in the United States. Just before her death, the only child of Elvis had been using her father’s legacy to her advantage, perhaps in hopes of restoring her crumbling finances. In the new year, it seemed like everything was looking up for Lisa Marie Presley. She was heavily involved in the production of Baz Luhrmann’s biopic Elvis and even attended the 2023 Golden Globe ceremony in support of the cast. But just days later, the Presley curse hit again. On January 12th, Lisa Marie suffered cardiac arrest at her home in California. She died at the age of 54. But there’s one more heartbreaking detail about that day: Lisa Marie’s mother, Priscilla Presley, was the one who had to make the announcement to the world. If you enjoyed this video, please give it a like and subscribe for more videos.