Lisa Marie Presley died on Jan. 12, 2023. She was 54.
Priscilla Presley is opening up about her final moments with her daughter, Lisa Marie Presley.
In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 78-year-old recounts knowing something was off with her daughter prior to her death.
"I did know there was something not right," Priscilla says in an interview with filmmaker Sofia Coppola for THR.
Still, she remembers being with her daughter and having a laugh at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles as they celebrated Austin Butler's Golden Globes win for his role as Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis film. However, the outing was cut short as Lisa Marie said she was experiencing pain.
"We had just gotten there, you go down all these stairs," Priscilla remembers of the evening. "I tripped a little bit because I had these high heels on, and she started laughing so hard. I started laughing. We hadn’t even had a drink yet. She goes, 'Oh my God, Mom, you can’t even have a drink.' It was fun, a fun memory. Then we sat down and ordered drinks, and she says, 'Mom, my stomach hurts really bad.' We immediately got up and left."
Priscilla says that a couple days later, she gets a call from Lisa Marie's ex-husband, Danny Keough, who told her to come to the hospital, but it was too late.
"I got right in the car, but she was already gone," Priscilla says. "I still can’t believe it. I don’t wish this on any mother."
Lisa Marie passed away on Jan. 12, 2023. She was 54.
Last month, ET confirmed through the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office that Lisa Marie died from sequelae of small bowel obstruction.
In the months that followed her death, Priscilla and her oldest granddaughter, Riley Keough, were locked in a legal battle surrounding the Elvis' estate, Graceland, in Memphis, Tennessee. Priscilla filed a petition questioning the "authenticity and validity" of her daughter's will, which was amended in 2016 to remove her and a longtime business partner as trustees, replacing them with Riley and her late brother, Benjamin Keough. Ultimately, Riley was made the sole trustee.
The case, which was later resolved, was met with speculation that Priscilla and Riley's relationship was fractured, a claim she disputes.
"Riley is now the executor, which should be right, obviously, being her daughter," Priscilla tells THR of the estate drama. "Riley and I are on good terms. We were never not on good terms. That was all publicity. This is private and this is not something to fool around with and say that we’re not agreeing. In fact, I’m having dinner with [Riley] tonight. We understand what needs to be done. I’m there for her. She knows that. She wants me there for her to help her."
Riley also gave a comment to THR echoing her grandmother's sentiments.
"Things with Grandma will be happy. They’ve never not been happy," the Daisy Jones & The Six star says of Pricilla. "She was a huge part of creating my grandfather’s legacy and Graceland. He was the love of her life. Anything that would suggest otherwise in the press makes me sad because, at the end of the day, all she wants is to love and protect Graceland and the Presley family and the legacy."
Priscilla's story will be told in full with the release of Sofia's upcoming film, Priscilla, which is based off of the King of Rock n Roll's ex-wife's 1985 memoir, Elvis and Me.
The film, which stars Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla and Jacob Elordi as Elvis, documents Priscilla's life from the 14-year-old girl who met Elvis when he was stationed in Germany with her father, and recounts their tumultuous, high-profile relationship through marriage, the birth of Lisa Marie, divorce and his death.
Not only will the film highlight the controversial age gap between Priscilla and the music legend, but also instances where she recalls him putting his hands on her.
"It was a different time," Priscilla says about her relationship. "I lived in his world. I wanted to please him. I wanted to fit in. I wanted to have fun with him. I wanted to see what it was that he liked."
Priscilla has already screened the film, and admits that she finally had to see her story from an outsider's perspective.
"When I saw the movie, I tried to separate myself and live it as if I was just a fan or just someone that’s wanting to see the movie," she tells THR. "At the end, I actually, I was quite emotional. Only being 14. You look back and you go, 'Why me? Why am I here? Why am I driving in a limo going through the gates of Graceland with Elvis?'"
Priscilla hits theaters on Oct. 27.
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