Lisa Marie Presley seemed to possess an intuitive feeling about her father, Elvis Presley’s, last moments.
The world was taken aback by the unexpected passing of the King of Rock and Roll in August 1977 at his Graceland estate when he was just 42. Lisa Marie, who was merely 9 at the time, sensed that her father might not be around much longer.
In an exclusive interview with Oprah Winfrey, her daughter, actress Riley Keough, 35, disclosed the surprising fact that Lisa Marie “had some kind of a sense” regarding Elvis’ impending death when she bade him goodnight for the last time.
During the discussion at Elvis’ Graceland mansion for the special, “An Oprah Special: The Presleys — Elvis, Lisa Marie and Riley,” Winfrey, 70, sat with Elvis’ granddaughter to delve into her life, the renowned family history, and Lisa Marie’s upcoming memoir “From Here to the Great Unknown” she helped compile post Lisa Marie’s untimely death on January 12, 2023, utilizing the audio tapes her mother left behind.
“On the morning of Elvis’ death, your mother awoke with a conscious feeling that something wasn’t right. Can you tell us about that? She was merely 9, and many of us can recall our own experiences at that age,” Oprah began.
“Indeed. I think it is the initial time she really dives deep into the details of his passing in the book,” Keough answered.
“She said goodnight to him, and somehow, she had a feeling — I think she sensed many times that he wasn’t doing well.”
“She would tell me about instances when she stumbled upon him in the bathroom, appearing out of sorts or gripping the railing just to stand,” Keough recounted in a teaser shared on Instagram.
Keough also revealed a poignant letter penned by a young Lisa Marie.
“She also wrote letters saying, ‘I hope my daddy doesn’t die,’” she reminisced.
“There was clearly a sense there,” Keough concluded.
One of Lisa Marie’s childhood letters shown during the interview read, “I love my mommy and daddy and I hope you gis [sic] don’t die.”
Keough confirmed to Oprah that while Graceland had its share of chaos, “Upstairs was just her and her dad. She cherished private moments up there with him. No one else ventured there.”
Lisa Marie was Elvis’s sole child. The “Burning Love” singer and his then-wife, Priscilla Presley, celebrated the birth of their only child on February 1, 1968.
Tragically, Lisa Marie passed away in 2023 at age 54 due to a small bowel obstruction.
Lisa Marie was present at home when Elvis’s then-fiancée, Ginger Alden, discovered his body in the master bathroom at Graceland. She faced the sight of her father’s lifeless form.
The official cause of Elvis’s death was a heart attack. Former top Scientologist Karen de la Carriere, who provided counsel to Lisa Marie after Elvis’s demise, noted that the singer’s daughter later “turned to drugs for many years” due to the trauma from witnessing her father’s death.
This interview marks Keough’s first extensive public discussion since Lisa Marie’s passing.
“An Oprah Special: The Presleys — Elvis, Lisa Marie, and Riley” is set to air on CBS on Tuesday, October 8, at 8 p.m. EST.