Lisa Marie Presley's son and Elvis Presley's grandson, Benjamin Keough, died in 2020. He was 27. Photo / Lisa Marie Presley Instagram
Lisa Marie Presley is said to have suffered from a “broken soul” over the suspected suicide of her son Benjamin Keough.
The mum-of-four, 54, who died on Thursday following two heart attacks, reportedly never recovered from her son’s passing aged 27 in 2020.
An insider told the Daily Mirror: “No one quite grasped just how Ben’s death truly affected Lisa.
”When she looked at her son, she saw her father in so many ways. She never recovered. It broke her soul, and it broke her heart.”
The publication added Presley lived her life in the “unrelenting grip” of grief after the loss of Keough, who she had with former husband and musician Danny Keough.
Their son became a singer too but battled with depression and alcohol and drug issues. After his shock death in 2020, he was buried beside his grandfather Elvis at the singer’s Graceland estate.
The actress’ two final social media posts addressed her battle with grief and the reality that “death is a part of life”.
She shared an article from People magazine for National Grief Awareness Day in the US, titled “Lisa Marie Presley Says She Was ‘Destroyed’ By Son Benjamin’s Death But Keeps ‘Going for My Girls’.”
She captioned the post: “Hi. In honour of it being National Grief Awareness Day, I wrote an essay about Grief which was posted today on @people.
”I thought I’d post it here in the hopes that anyone who needs to hear all of this it helps in some way.
“This is not a comfortable subject for anyone, and it is most unpopular to talk about.
”But if we’re going to make any progress on the subject, grief has to get talked about.
”Death is part of life whether we like it or not – and so is grieving. Grief does not stop or go away in any sense, a year, or years after the loss.
”Grief is something you will have to carry with you for the rest of your life, in spite of what certain people or our culture wants us to believe.
”You do not ‘get over it,’ you do not ‘move on,’ period.”
The daughter of Elvis also admitted she would “beat” herself up “tirelessly” over her child’s death but she called on people to turn to others for support and comfort in the wake of such tragedies.
She added: “I already battle with and beat myself up tirelessly and chronically, blaming myself every single day.”
Where to get help:
If it is an emergency and you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
For counselling and support
Lifeline: Call 0800 543 354 or text 4357 (HELP)
Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO)
Need to talk? Call or text 1737
Depression helpline: Call 0800 111 757 or text 4202
For children and young people
Youthline: Call 0800 376 633 or text 234
What’s Up: Call 0800 942 8787 (11am to 11pm) or webchat (11am to 10.30pm)
For help with specific issues
Alcohol and Drug Helpline: Call 0800 787 797
Anxiety Helpline: Call 0800 269 4389 (0800 ANXIETY)
OutLine: Call 0800 688 5463 (0800 OUTLINE) (6pm-9pm)
Safe to talk (sexual harm): Call 0800 044 334 or text 4334
All services are free and available 24/7 unless otherwise specified.
For more information and support, talk to your local doctor, hauora, community mental health team, or counselling service. The Mental Health Foundation has more helplines and service contacts on its website.
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