by Sebastian Arritola
A surprise to be sure - but a heartbreaking one indeed - Lisa Marie Presley,
daughter of the legendary Elvis Presley passed on Jan. 12, 2023 due to cardiac
arrest. Though not quite as poignant as her father during his career decades ago, her father's influence followed her throughout her life. Early on, her name alone
warranted collaborations with artists such as Micheal Jackson in singing “You Are Not Alone,” as well as multiple marriages, including one with actor Nicholas Cage, and even
Jackson himself.
In spite of donning the Presley name, Lisa was keen on distinguishing herself within the
industry. Her introduction was well underway with “To Whom It May Concern,” the initial
album that launched her career into action. Once more, she topped the charts in August of 2007, when she unveiled “In The Ghetto” to the masses—a sort of reimagining of her
father’s song, if you will, in which she sang alongside him. Not only did it achieve the top
spot on iTunes, but it too received its spot on the Billboards’ Singles catalog.
Unfortunately, she faced her share of turmoil as well. On July 12, 2020, her eldest son, Benjamin Keough, took his own life at 27 years old. Furthermore, a majority of her marriages ended in blatant divorce, such was the case with Nicholas Cage and Danny
Keough, with whom she bore her two children. Her daughter was fortunate enough to
upload her most recent photograph, which could be viewed on her social media page.
She was last seen at the Golden Globes on Austin Butler’s behalf, an actor who recently
portrayed her father in “Elvis,” one of 2022’s most esteemed films. Her burial occurred in
Memphis, Tennessee, at Graceland’s Meditation Garden, right beside her own son and
father. Her life was both an exemplification of Elvis’ legacy and her own musical prowess.
In her own words: “You are always learning; there’s a lot of gray; don’t take things for granted.”