‘LISA MARIE IS COMPLETELY HEARTBROKEN'
The Presley curse continues as Elvis’ grandson tragically takes his own life
At 52, Lisa Marie Presley has seen more pain and suffering than many could bear. And with the shocking death by suicide of her son Benjamin Keough last weekend, there are grave fears she is on the verge of a breakdown.
After police announced 27-year-old Ben’s passing at his home
in Calabasas, Los Angeles, in the early hours of July 12, fears immediately began for his grieving mum, who described him as “the love of her life”.
CLOSE RELATIONSHIP
Ben, who dabbled in a music career and was believed to have recently left rehab for drug and alcohol issues, lived a reclusive life in his $2.2 million mansion. He was the spitting image of his world-famous grandfather Elvis – who also died at the age of 42 in 1977, when his only child Lisa Marie was just nine.
“Lisa clung to Ben like a life raft, it was almost childlike,” says a source. “She was never able to properly process her dad’s death, and when Ben grew up to look just like him, she felt like she was given a second chance to have Elvis around. It was a strange dynamic to the outside world, but it worked for them.”
It’s believed Ben’s longtime girlfriend Diana Pinto witnessed his death, with neighbours saying they heard her scream, “Don’t do it”, before repeating to police that she “couldn’t believe he would do that” and ranting “his family will blame me”.
Lisa Marie – who shares Ben and his 31-year-old sister, Magic Mike star Riley Keough, with her ex-husband, musician Danny Keough – later released a statement saying she is “completely heartbroken, devastated, inconsolable... she adored that boy”.
Ben’s uncle and Lisa Marie’s half-brother Navarone Garibaldi added, “We are all shocked and heartbroken to have lost such a caring, compassionate soul.”
And according to our insiders, Lisa Marie’s statement doesn’t even begin to cover her traumatic grief.
“Lisa is on the brink of full collapse. It’s very sad and also, given her drug and booze addictions, very scary,” says a source. “Everyone around her is worried sick and trying to keep her under 24-hour watch and care. But her family – including her mum [Priscilla Presley] – are just as upset, so they’re not much help.”
TROUBLED LIFE
Ben’s death is the cruellest blow to t Lisa Marie since the loss of her h dad, but her life in between has h hardly been easy.
She is embroiled in a legal battle b with a former business manager over Elvis’ missing millions – she claims he squandered it, he says she spent it – and is said to be on the verge of bankruptcy. She is still fighting a bitter court battle with her ex-husband Michael Lockwood for custody of their 11-year-old twin girls Harper and Finley.
She also falls in and out of favour with her mum Priscilla, 74, on a regular basis.
“Lisa is troubled and always has been. She is hugely reliant on painkillers to literally numb her broken heart over the loss of her dad. She has complained in the past that she’s cursed, though I can’t imagine how she feels now,” says a source.
“Lisa is very close with her daughter Riley, so here’s hoping she’s strong enough to help her mum pull through, even though she too is coping with the loss of her brother.”
‘Lisa is inconsolable... She’s on the brink of full collapse’