Lisa Marie Presley took an unconventional path to get over the death of her late son Benjamin, sharing details about it in her posthumous memoir. The crooner and daughter of music legend Elvis Presley passed away in January 2023, leaving behind her unfinished memoir, From Here to the Great Unknown. Her daughter, Riley made the bold move to complete the book and release it posthumously, making commentaries reflecting the late icon’s opinions. Among the most controversial revelations yet is Lisa Marie’s decision to keep her son’s body at home months after his death from suicide at 27.
In her memoir, Lisa Marie Presley revealed that following the death of her son, Benjamin in 2020, she, with the help of an “empathetic funeral home” had her son’s body preserved in one of the bedrooms in her estate for 2 months. The singer spent this period caring for her deceased son, spending time with and talking to him. She explained how the funeral home owner consented to keep her son’s body in their home’s casitas room after she revealed how having her dad in the house following his death helped her overcome her grief.
The funeral home carefully set up the room with dry ice, maintaining it a 55 degrees at all times to preserve Benjamin’s body. Of her experience living with her dead son for two months, Lisa Marie wrote,
“I got so used to him, caring for him and keeping him there. I think it would scare the living f—ing piss out of anybody else to have their son there like that. But not me.”
Aside from keeping Benjamin preserved in their home, Riley Keough admitted that she and her mom Lisa Marie Presley decided to acquire tattoos of his name. Elvis Presley’s granddaughter revealed they took a tattoo artist to his body to ensure the ink style replicated how he tattooed theirs on his body. Admittedly, they held on to Benjamin’s body until they began perceiving eerie signals indicating his disapproval. She explained,
“We all kind of got this vibe from my brother that he didn’t want his body in this house anymore. ‘Guys’ he seemed to be saying, ‘this is getting weird.’ Even my mom said that she could feel him talking to her saying, ‘This is insane, Mom, what are you doing? What the f—!”
Lisa Marie Presley’s Daughter Reveals Her Mom’s Curt Reaction to Critics
This revelation has expectedly spooked a lot of people, sending the media into a frenzy since the memoir’s release this week. Many deem the late crooner’s approach to grief as very “disturbing,” while other netizens weighing in on the revelation noted that such practices were common in some cultures. Riley Keough, Lisa Marie Presley’s daughter shared her take on her mom’s controversial decision in the memoir, and the true reason behind it.
According to her, underlying uncertainties about whether to bury him in Graceland or in Hawaii, as well as the “COVID” situation, made things linger longer than expected. Given the family’s high-profile status, Lisa deemed it necessary to opt for a resting place where no one could mess with his remains. Riley believes that her mom wouldn’t have cared what people thought of the unconventional arrangement. She told People,
“If my mom were here, she’d be like, ‘Yeah, whatever. I don’t care. If people think that’s crazy, they can go f— themselves.”
The family eventually resolved to bury Benjamin in Graceland, Memphis, next to his infamous grandfather Elvis Presley. Lisa Marie, who never truly recovered from the shock of losing her beloved son sadly passed away three years later, at the age of 54.
