Elvis to Lisa Marie Presley: The Family’s Heartbreaking Tragedies

Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley, died in January at the age of 54. Her sudden passing sent shockwaves as family, friends and fans came to terms with another heartbreaking turn for a Presley family.

As new details surrounding her untimely death come to light, memories of the legendary family's past tragedies are resurfaced.

Jesse Presley

Elvis was born in the shadow of death. On January 8, 1935, his mother Gladys suffered complications in labor, leading to the stillbirth of Elvis's identical twin Jesse Garon Presley.

Gladys Presley

Gladys developed hepatitis and died of a heart attack in August of 1958 at the age of 46. She and Elvis' father Vernon had just finished a trip to visit Elvis, who had been drafted into the U.S. Army. Gladys, along with her sons, husband and granddaughter Lisa Marie, is buried at Graceland, Elvis's legendary estate. 

Elvis Presley

The king of rock n' roll died at the age of 42 after going into cardiac arrest at his Graceland estate on Aug. 16, 1977. His death came nearly three years after his divorce from Priscilla and nine years after the birth of Lisa Marie. Toxicity testing found 14 drugs in Elvis' system. Lisa Marie recalled seeing her father's body on the bathroom floor. "I just had a feeling," she told Rolling Stone in 2003. "He wasn't doing well. All I know is I had it, and it happened. I was obsessed with death at a very early age."

Benjamin Keough

Lisa Marie’s only son Benjamin Keough took his own life in July of 2020 at the age of 27. It was later revealed that Keough had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was buried at Graceland, alongside Elvis, his great-grandparents Gladys and Vernon and great-great-grandmother Minnie Mae Presley.

Lisa Marie Presley

On January 12, 2023, Elvis's daughter Lisa Marie died at the age of 54. She was taken to the hospital citing severe abdominal pain, which was revealed to be the result of a bowel obstruction. Lisa Marie went into cardiac arrest and died that afternoon. She was buried at Graceland, next to her son.