Lisa Marie Presley’s posthumous memoir, From Here to the Great Unknown, reveals deeply personal details about how she coped with the devastating loss of her son, Benjamin Keough, in 2020. Benjamin, affectionately known as Ben Ben to his family, tragically took his own life at the age of 27, leaving his mother, Lisa Marie, to navigate the overwhelming grief of losing a child.
In a candid and heartbreaking portion of her memoir, Lisa Marie reveals that she made the unusual decision to keep Benjamin’s body on dry ice for two months. This extended period allowed her to feel close to her son and gave her time to process her loss. Benjamin’s body was kept in a separate casita bedroom at their Los Angeles home, as Lisa Marie struggled with the thought of laying him to rest. She explained that California law doesn’t require a body to be buried immediately, which gave her the flexibility to make this decision.
Lisa Marie’s daughter, Riley Keough, who is Benjamin’s sister, also contributed to the memoir. Riley emphasized how important it was for her mother to have enough time to say goodbye to Benjamin. She noted that Lisa Marie had done something similar when her father, Elvis Presley, died in 1977. At that time, Lisa Marie was just nine years old and had spent time with Elvis’ body, which had helped her process the loss.
Riley shared that her mother wanted to say a proper goodbye to Benjamin in her own time, much like she had done with Elvis. The memoir reveals that Lisa Marie took comfort in having her son nearby, in the same way, she had found solace in spending time with her father’s body after his passing. The intimate act of being able to sit with Benjamin, even in death, allowed Lisa Marie a sense of closeness and connection, which helped her grieve.
Getting Benjamin’s body into their home wasn’t easy. Lisa Marie recounted how she enlisted the help of a compassionate funeral home director who understood her unusual request. She also described how they had to keep the room where Benjamin’s body was stored at 55 degrees to preserve him during this period.
In the memoir, Lisa Marie openly shares her internal struggle about where to bury Benjamin. She couldn’t decide between two significant locations: Hawaii, which had deep personal meaning for their family, or Graceland, where Elvis was buried. This indecision contributed to the extended time Benjamin’s body remained in the house, as Lisa Marie grappled with making such a difficult choice.
Her memoir reflects her honesty about the unique way she dealt with her grief. “I got so used to him, caring for him and keeping him there,” she writes, acknowledging that the decision to keep her son’s body for so long might have seemed unsettling to others. “I think it would scare the living f—ing piss out of anybody else to have their son there like that. But not me.” This raw emotion reveals the depth of Lisa Marie’s bond with Benjamin and her reluctance to let go.
She further explained that this period of time allowed her to continue “parenting” her son in a sense, as she cared for him in death, giving her more time to come to terms with his passing. This emotional connection provided a sense of comfort and a way to delay the finality of his death.
In one poignant moment shared in the memoir, Lisa Marie and Riley decided to get tattoos in Benjamin’s honor. Benjamin had their names tattooed on his body—Riley’s on his collarbone and Lisa Marie’s on his hand—so they decided to mirror this by getting his name tattooed on the corresponding parts of their bodies. To make sure the tattoos matched perfectly, Lisa Marie invited the tattoo artist into the room where Benjamin’s body was kept so they could examine his tattoos firsthand. Riley described this surreal experience, saying, “I’ve had an extremely absurd life, but this moment is in the top five.”
Despite the solace this arrangement provided, Riley and Lisa Marie eventually sensed a shift. Riley wrote in the memoir that it seemed as though Benjamin was communicating with them, indicating that he no longer wanted his body to remain in the house. She recalled a moment when they both felt his presence telling them, “This is getting weird. Guys, this is insane, Mom, what are you doing? What the f—!”
Following this revelation, the family made the decision to hold a funeral service for Benjamin in Malibu. Ultimately, Lisa Marie chose to have him buried at Graceland, next to his grandfather, Elvis Presley. Riley contributed a personal touch by placing a pair of her yellow Nike sneakers, which Benjamin had always loved, inside his casket.
The pain of losing Benjamin weighed heavily on Lisa Marie. According to Riley, her mother never fully recovered from his death. In an emotional reflection, Riley wrote that her mother “died of a broken heart” following Benjamin’s death. Lisa Marie passed away in January 2023 at the age of 54 due to a small bowel obstruction, a long-term complication from bariatric surgery. The grief and trauma from Benjamin’s death were undoubtedly factors in her own declining health.
Before her passing, Lisa Marie had begun writing her memoir, determined to share her story and to show the world a deeper, more complex version of herself. In the final days of her life, she asked Riley to help her complete the memoir. Riley has now fulfilled that promise, carrying on her mother’s legacy by ensuring that her voice continues to be heard.
In an exclusive email interview with PEOPLE, Riley described her motivation for finishing the memoir. “Because my mother was Elvis Presley’s daughter, she was constantly talked about, argued over, and dissected,” Riley said. “What she wanted to do in her memoir, and what I hope I’ve done in finishing it for her, is to go beneath the magazine headline idea of her and reveal the core of who she was.”
Riley further expressed that her mother was much more than the public persona people often associated with her. She was “the best mother, a wild child, a fierce friend, an underrated artist, frank, funny, traumatized, joyous, grieving,” and much more.
Through this memoir, Lisa Marie Presley’s true essence is brought to light, offering readers an intimate look at her life, her pain, and her unwavering love for her children. The memoir serves as a testament to the challenges she faced and the love that sustained her even in her darkest moments.
