Lisa Marie Presley was so devastated by the loss of her son, Benjamin Keough, that she kept his body in her home for two months after he passed away. She even invited a tattoo artist to see him so she could get matching tattoos.
This is just one of many surprising details in Lisa Marie’s new memoir, From Here to the Great Unknown, which was completed by her daughter, actress Riley Keough, after Lisa Marie passed away in January 2023.
Lisa Marie (left) next to her beloved son Ben, along with her third husband, Michael Lockwood, and a guest, at the London premiere of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” in November 2010.
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In her book, Lisa Marie shared that she had to fight to stay alive for her other children, Riley and her twin daughters Harper and Finley, who are now 16. She didn’t say goodbye to Benjamin right away because she was torn between burying him in Hawaii or at Graceland, the Memphis estate where Elvis, her father, is buried.
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Lisa Marie kept the room at 55 degrees to preserve Benjamin’s body and got so used to caring for him and having him there.
Riley and Lisa Marie decided to honor Benjamin by getting tattoos like his. Benjamin had his sister’s name on his collarbone and his mom’s name on his hand. Riley had her brother’s name tattooed on her collarbone, and a tattoo artist was called to Lisa Marie’s home to add Benjamin’s name to her hand. When the artist asked if they had photos of Benjamin’s tattoos to match the font and placement, Lisa Marie said, “No, but I can show you.”
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Riley writes: “Lisa Marie Presley had just asked this poor man to look at her dead son, who was right next to us in the guest house. I’ve had a very strange life, but this moment is one of the weirdest.”
Lisa Marie also knew it was strange. She said, “I think it would scare the heck out of anyone else to have their son there like that. But not me.”
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Soon after the tattoo day, Riley remembers that everyone felt like Benjamin wanted to be laid to rest.
Even Lisa Marie said she could feel him communicating with her, saying, “This is crazy, Mom, what are you doing? What the heck!”
The family held a funeral for Benjamin in Malibu, and New Age author Deepak Chopra led the ceremony. Riley said she had to keep her eyes closed the whole time because she was struggling to cope with everything.
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Benjamin was buried at Graceland, next to Elvis, and Lisa Marie would later be buried there too.
Riley writes a lot about her brother’s struggles with mental health and how he often went on drinking binges. She doesn’t believe he truly wanted to die.
After his death, she and her mom went through his phone, looking for answers.
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Riley writes, “We found a text he sent to my mom a couple of weeks before he died that said, ‘I think something’s wrong with me mentally. I think I have a mental health issue.’ It’s heartbreaking to me that he only realized he might need help just two weeks before he took his own life.”
Mom straps baby in carseat and tosses her out second-story window just seconds before taking her final breaths. Full story in the comments
Nothing really beats mother’s love, don’t you think so? When a woman gives birth, her whole life changes and all that matters is the well-being of her bundle of joy. There is literally nothing a mom wouldn’t do for her child, and this sad and heartwarming story is just another proof of that.
Shelby Ann Carter, a 21-year-old woman from Wyoming, Ill, gave birth to a beautiful baby girl in January 2017. She and her boyfriend couldn’t be happier with the new addition to their family. Things just felt perfect for these new parents.
But you know what they say. Things don’t always turn out the way we want and expect. Sadly, the life of this loving family turned upside down as a result of a devastating tragedy.
On January 30, the mom and her baby were staying at Shelby’s mother’s house where they lived when suddenly the place caught fire.
The flames were spreading so quickly that the whole house got filled with heavy smoke and there was no way out.
Firefighters came at the scene as quickly as they could and did all in their power to put the flames under control, but unfortunately, it was already way too late for Shelby to be saved. She died due to carbon monoxide poisoning.
In the midst of the panic, Shelby tried to save her baby girl and everyone was left stunned when they realized what this mother did before she lost her life.
Firefighters came at the scene as quickly as they could and did all in their power to put the flames under control, but unfortunately, it was already way too late for Shelby to be saved. She died due to carbon monoxide poisoning.
In the midst of the panic, Shelby tried to save her baby girl and everyone was left stunned when they realized what this mother did before she lost her life.
Once she realized it was impossible for them to get out of the house, Shelby put the baby into the carseat, made sure she was secured with the belts, and then dropped her from the second-floor window. This woman didn’t care for her own life as long as her daughter would survive. This is sort of sacrifice only a mother can make.
The moment the firefighters spotted the little soul, they rushed her to the hospital, praying she didn’t suffer any serious injuries from the fall. Luckily, baby Keana was completely unscathed thanks to her mommy’s love and quick-thinking.
“It’s just incredible that she was able to pull her thoughts together to save her baby… I’d say it’s nothing short of a miracle the way it ended up”, Chief of the Wyoming-Speer Fire Protection District Ed Foglesonger told The Washington Post.
The loss of the young mother was a real tragedy that left the residents of Wyoming grieving. A baby was left without her mommy, and a family was broken forever.
Members of the community gathered to express their condolences and were willing to help Shelby’s family rebuild their house. After the word about the tragic and heartbreaking event spread, kind-hearted people helped raise almost $40,000 in just a few weeks.
We are deeply sorry for the loss and we feel sad Keana will never get the chance to meet her heroic mother who saved her life.
Once she realized it was impossible for them to get out of the house, Shelby put the baby into the carseat, made sure she was secured with the belts, and then dropped her from the second-floor window. This woman didn’t care for her own life as long as her daughter would survive. This is sort of sacrifice only a mother can make.
The moment the firefighters spotted the little soul, they rushed her to the hospital, praying she didn’t suffer any serious injuries from the fall. Luckily, baby Keana was completely unscathed thanks to her mommy’s love and quick-thinking.
“It’s just incredible that she was able to pull her thoughts together to save her baby… I’d say it’s nothing short of a miracle the way it ended up”, Chief of the Wyoming-Speer Fire Protection District Ed Foglesonger told The Washington Post.
The loss of the young mother was a real tragedy that left the residents of Wyoming grieving. A baby was left without her mommy, and a family was broken forever.
Members of the community gathered to express their condolences and were willing to help Shelby’s family rebuild their house. After the word about the tragic and heartbreaking event spread, kind-hearted people helped raise almost $40,000 in just a few weeks.
We are deeply sorry for the loss and we feel sad Keana will never get the chance to meet her heroic mother who saved her life.
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