Lisa Marie Presley, the only daughter of Elvis Presley and the singer-songwriter who kept her father’s legacy alive, died Thursday, after being hospitalized for a medical emergency, at the age of 54.
Her mother, Priscilla, confirmed her death in a Los Angeles hospital, a few hours after she was taken to the hospital after suffering a seizure at her home.
“It is with a heavy heart that I must share the heartbreaking news that my beautiful daughter, Lisa Marie, has left us,” Priscilla Presley said in a statement. “She was the most passionate, strong and loving woman I have ever known.”
Presley shared her father’s soulful charisma — downcast eyes, bold smile, low, soulful voice — and pursued him professionally, releasing her own rock albums in the 2000s and appearing on stage with Pat Benatar and Richard Hawley among others. others.
She even formed direct musical connections with her father, incorporating her voice on Elvis recordings such as “In the Ghetto” and “Don’t Cry Daddy”, a sad song that reminded him of the early death of his mother (Lisa Marie’s grandmother), Gladys Presley.
“It’s been my whole life,” she told the Associated Press in 2012, speaking of her father’s influence. “It’s not something I’m listening to now and it’s different. Even though I might listen closely. I’m still steadfast in the fact that I’ve always been a fan. It’s always affected me.”
And with the release of Baz Luhrmann’s major musical “Elvis” last year, Lisa Marie and Priscilla Presley have been attending red carpets and award shows along with the stars from the movie.
She was at the Golden Globes, Tuesday, to celebrate Austin Butler’s award for her role as her father. A few days earlier, she had been in Memphis at Graceland—the mansion where Elvis lived and died—on January 8th to celebrate the anniversary of her father’s birth.
Presley lived with her mother, an actress known for the films “Dallas” and “Naked Gun”, in California after her parents separated in 1973.
She recollected her father’s first memories of visits to Graceland and riding golf carts through the neighborhood.
She subsequently often made headlines. News of her struggles with drugs and some public marriages. Among her four husbands were Michael Jackson and Nicolas Cage.
Jackson and Presley married in the Dominican Republic in 1994, but the marriage ended two years later and was defined by several embarrassing public appearances, including an unexpected kiss from Jackson during the MTV Video Music Awards and a joint interview with Diane Sawyer when She defended her husband against allegations that he sexually abused a minor.
Her other celebrity marriage was even shorter: Nicolas Cage filed for divorce after four months of marriage in 2002.