The only son of the “King of Rock and Roll,” Lisa Marie Presley lived a life of musical royalty.
As sole heir to the prestigious Presley name Elvis Presley Graceland Estate, The Rocks musical The eldest princess was born with both fame and wealth.
Presley who died on Thursday at the age of 54 After suffering a cardiac arrest at his Calabasas home, californiaWill find her own fame and start her music career which will earn her two US Top 10 albums.
But her life would be filled with tragedy, including the death of her legendary musician father when she was nine and the loss of her son.
She will also have four high-profile separations, including from the singer Michael Jackson, and her fateful 107-day marriage to actor Nicholas Cage.
tragedy of nine
Born in Memphis in 1968, Tennessee At the tail end of “Elvis Mania,” the news of Lisa Marie’s birth was celebrated like a traditional royal.
Elvis Presley with his wife Priscilla and daughter Lisa Marie in 1968
But her home life would soon be shattered by infidelity.
Priscilla’s affair with her karate teacher was the final straw in the couple’s already turbulent marriage after both parties claimed the affair.
The pair eventually split later that year, in 1972.
Lisa Marie, then four years old, spent her childhood between her mother’s home in California and her father’s Graceland estate in Memphis.
Her mother later developed a relationship with actor Michael Edwards, whom Lisa Marie accused in a 2003 interview of “coming into my room while drunk and being inappropriate” as a teenager.
Tragedy struck again when Lisa Marie was only 9 years old and her father died of a heart attack at the age of 42.
During her school days, she began experimenting with drugs, leading her mother to send her to a series of private schools and, at one point, a boarding school.
Lisa Marie Presley poses for her first photo taken safely in her mother Priscilla’s lap, next to her smiling father, on February 5, 1968 Elvis Presley
Referring to her school years in a 2003 interview with the Los Angeles Times, she said: “[I]was a lonely person, a sad and strange kid.
“For a while I had a real self-destructive mode.
“I never really fit into school. I didn’t really have any direction.”
Failed first marriage, ill-fated second to Michael Jackson
After dropping out her senior year, Lisa Marie was sent to the Scientology Center of Fame for drug rehab, where she met her first husband, musician Danny Keogh.
The two married in 1988 and have two children. Riley, now an actress and model, and Benjamin.
Lisa Marie Presley and Danny Keogh
In 1994, just three weeks after Lisa Marie and Keough finalized their divorce, Lisa Marie married singer Michael Jackson after a phone proposal from him.
The pair soon traveled to the Dominican Republic, where Lisa Marie filed for a quick divorce from Keough, and then married Jackson privately.
She later announced the wedding publicly, saying: “My married name is Mrs. Lisa Marie Presley-Jackson. I married Michael Jackson in a private ceremony outside of the United States a few weeks ago.”
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But their marriage has been shaken by new allegations of child abuse by Jackson.
The singer reportedly became dependent on Lisa Marie for emotional support while she became concerned about his use of sedatives.
Lisa Marie later said in an interview with Rolling Stone that she had hoped to “save” the troubled singer.
Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley
The marriage was plagued by theories that the two had a sexual relationship, leading Lisa Marie to appear in a teaser video for his 1995 hit “You Are Not Alone”.
But a year later, in 1996, the two divorced.
107 Days of Marriage to Nicolas Cage
The couple spent the next four years trying to reconcile. However, in 2000, Lisa Marie entered into a new relationship with singer John Ozarka.
But she dramatically broke the engagement after meeting actor Nicolas Cage at a party.
The two married in August 2002. But just 107 days later, their marriage ended in divorce.
Nicolas Cage and Lisa Marie Presley
Speaking to Larry King about the marriage in 2003, she said: “It seemed attractive, like I could be an equal. Similar circumstances, similar background.
“So we got in touch and we had a good connection.
“It’s one of those things where you marry someone who wants to…stable [my life] Or, you know, it’ll highlight everything that happened before something went wrong.
“So it’s kind of the latter, and that’s it.”
fierce divorce battle
Four years later, Lisa Marie married again, this time to guitarist and music producer Michael Lockwood, with her ex-husband Keough serving as best man at the couple’s nuptials.
The couple had twins, Finley and Harper, in 2008.
Lisa Marie Presley and Michael Lockwood
But their 10-year marriage ended in an acrimonious divorce in 2016, during which Lockwood sought to claim some of Lisa Marie’s estate despite a prenuptial agreement.
After a bitter battle, Lisa Marie’s estate was protected and they finalized their divorce in 2021.
follow in father’s footsteps
However, Lisa Marie also had happier times.
She followed in her father’s footsteps in music, starting in 2003 with her debut album: To Whom It May Concern.
It reached the top 10 on the US Billboard Albums Chart along with its 2005 follow-up, Now What.
Lisa Marie Presley Performs on Storm and Grace Tour
Fans waited seven years for her third album, Storm And Grace, which received critical acclaim.
The album’s title is believed to have been inspired in part by her son Benjamin, whose middle name is Storm.
In 2018, Presley recorded a new record, Where No One Stands Alone, released to celebrate her father’s love of gospel music, featuring 14 original performances recorded by him.
The title track is a reworked duet, with Lisa Marie singing alongside her father.
her son’s death
However, her life continued to be plagued by tragic twists and turns.
Lisa Marie described the news of Jackson’s death in 2009 at the age of 50 as “shocking”.
In 2020, her son Benjamin took his own life at the age of 27.
Lisa Marie Presley (C) with her children Riley and Benjamin Keough (R)
Last year, she wrote an article for People magazine about his passing.
“I’ve been dealing with death, grief and loss since I was nine years old,” she said.
“I’ve had more than anyone else in my life, and somehow I’ve gotten to this point.”
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