Lisa Marie Presley, singer and only child of Elvis, dies at 54 after hospitalization
CALABASAS, Calif. (KABC) -- Lisa Marie Presley - the only child of Elvis Presley and a singer-songwriter dedicated to her father's legacy - died Thursday after being hospitalized earlier that day, her mother said in a statement. The singer was 54.
"It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us," Priscilla Presley said in a statement. "She was the most passionate, strong and loving woman I have ever known."
The announcement came just hours after Priscilla Presley confirmed that her daughter was rushed to the hospital earlier Thursday.
A spokesperson for the family issued an additional statement in the evening:
"Priscilla Presley and the Presley family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Lisa Marie. They are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone, and ask for privacy during this very difficult time."
Los Angeles County paramedics were dispatched to a Calabasas home at 10:37 a.m. following a report of a woman in full cardiac arrest, according to Craig Little, a spokesperson for the county's fire department. Property records indicate Presley was a resident at that address.
Paramedics arrived about six minutes later, Little said. A subsequent statement from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said paramedics performed CPR and "determined the patient had signs of life" before taking her to a hospital in nearby West Hills immediately.
Just two days ago, the 54-year-old singer attended the Golden Globe awards with her mother Priscilla. They were there to support the Baz Luhrmann film "Elvis," about her late father.
Just days before that, she was in Memphis, Tennessee, at Graceland - the mansion where Elvis lived - to celebrate her father's birth anniversary on Jan. 8.
In 2020, Presley's son Benjamin Keough died by suicide at the age of 27. Last July, Presley marked the second anniversary of Keough's death on Instagram, sharing a photo of their matching foot tattoos.
Presley, who had previously been married to Michael Lockwood, Nicolas Cage, Michael Jackson and Danny Keough, had three other children - actress Riley Keough, Finley Aaron Love Lockwood and Harper Vivienne Ann Lockwood.
Lisa Marie Presley says watching new 'Elvis' film was an 'emotional' experience
In September, Presley wrote an essay for National Grief Awareness Day, in which she opened up about the loss of her son.
"My and my three daughters' lives as we knew it were completely detonated and destroyed by his death. We live in this every. Single. Day," she wrote. "Grief is something you will have to carry with you for the rest of your life, in spite of what certain people or our culture wants us to believe. You do not 'get over it,' you do not 'move on,' period."
Presley also said in the essay that she found comfort in the company of people who have faced similar tragedy, adding that her daughters help keep her going.
"I keep going for my girls," she wrote. "I keep going because my son made it very clear in his final moments that taking care of his little sisters and looking out for them were on the forefront of his concerns and his mind. He absolutely adored them and they him."
Presley, the only child of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, shared her father's brooding charisma - the hooded eyes, the insolent smile, the low, sultry voice - and followed him professionally, releasing her own rock albums in the 2000s, and appearing on stage with Pat Benatar and Richard Hawley among others.
She even formed direct musical ties with her father, joining her voice to such Elvis recordings as "In the Ghetto" and "Don't Cry Daddy," a mournful ballad which had reminded him of the early death of his mother (and Lisa Marie's grandmother), Gladys Presley.
"It's been all my life," she told The Associated Press in 2012, speaking of her father's influence. "It's not something that I now listen to and it's different. Although I might listen closer. I remain consistent on the fact that I've always been an admirer. He's always influenced me."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
