October 9, 2024: Lisa Marie Presley, the only daughter of Elvis Presley, was profoundly devastated by the loss of her only son, Benjamin Keough, who tragically passed away in 2020 at the age of 27. In her newly released memoir From Here to the Great Unknown, finished posthumously by her daughter, Riley Keough, Presley shares the depth of her mourning, revealing that she kept Benjamin’s body at home after his death rather than at a morgue.
Riley writes that her mother made the unconventional choice to keep Benjamin, whom she affectionately called “Ben Ben,” in their home for some time. “They told us if we could tend to the body, we could have him at home,” Riley recalls. “It was important for my mom to have ample time to say goodbye to him, just as she had done with her father. I would go and sit with him.”
Lisa Marie, who was only nine when her father, Elvis, passed away in 1977, shared that she had a similar experience with her father’s body after he died at 42. In the memoir, she reflects on how having her loved ones close in those final moments brought her a sense of peace. She describes the room where Benjamin’s body was kept—a separate casita bedroom in their California home, where the temperature had to be maintained at 55 degrees to preserve the body.
“There is no law in California that requires immediate burial,” Presley explains. She also found support in an empathetic funeral home owner who encouraged her to spend more time with Benjamin before letting him go. Lisa Marie said she felt “fortunate” to have the extra time with him, allowing her to slowly come to terms with saying goodbye.
Both Benjamin and Lisa Marie Presley are now buried at Graceland, alongside her legendary father, Elvis Presley.
