Riley Keough, the granddaughter of the legendary Elvis Presley, recently engaged in an intimate dialogue with Oprah Winfrey, shedding light on her family dynamics. During this conversation, Riley offered poignant reflections on her late mother, Lisa Marie Presley, who had been in the process of writing a memoir prior to her passing. Lisa Marie meticulously chronicled her life experiences, delving deeply into her storied past. Following her mother’s death, Riley took the helm of this project, infusing it with her own perspective.
Throughout the interview, the 35-year-old actress exhibited remarkable composure while reminiscing about her mother. However, a particularly stirring moment arose when Oprah inquired about Lisa Marie’s marriage to Michael Jackson. “Your mom led such an extraordinary life, straddling the worlds of Graceland and Neverland within a single lifetime,” Oprah observed. Riley concurred, revealing her insights into her mother’s infatuation with the iconic pop star. “She was enamored with him,” Riley recounted, “Whenever he visited, she would rush to the bathroom, overcome with nerves, wanting to look perfect for him. She truly adored him.”
Oprah, acknowledging the wealth of recorded memories left by Lisa Marie, played a segment in which her mother discussed Michael Jackson. “He possessed a genuine interest in people and had a remarkable ability to uplift them,” Lisa Marie’s voice resonated, evoking an emotional response from Riley. As the recording continued, Riley discreetly wiped away tears—not solely from the content of her mother’s words, but from the profound experience of hearing her voice once more.
In the recording, Lisa Marie elaborated, “People often think, ‘He’s Michael Jackson; he can’t be like that.’ But he truly could.” She went on to express, “Anyone who entered his sphere found him deeply curious and engaged with everything they had to share. He elevated people; I witnessed it time and again. It was extraordinary, and he did it with me.”
As the recording concluded, Oprah acknowledged the palpable emotion etched across Riley’s face. “Hearing her voice in this moment is powerful, isn’t it?” Oprah remarked. “It’s a lot to process, and I appreciate you sharing this experience with us.”
Lisa Marie also conveyed her sentiments about her father, the king of rock and roll, in her memoir. “To me, my father had the power to alter the weather. He was a deity, a chosen being,” she penned. Within the memoir, she explored the profound impact of her father’s untimely death and the struggles of her adolescence as she grappled with that loss.
Furthermore, Riley Keough candidly addressed the tragic suicide of her brother, revealing that their mother kept his body at home for two months following his death. The memoir disclosed, “California law does not mandate immediate burial. I found a compassionate funeral home owner who said, ‘We’ll bring Ben Ben to you.’” Benjamin Keough sadly took his own life at the tender age of 27 in August 2020.