Lisa Marie Presley Kept Son Benjamin’s Body on Ice For Two Months After His Death Amidst Grief
The memoir published after his death reveals Presley's challenges in dealing with the passing of Elvis' grandson.
Lisa Marie Presley strikes a pose at the Wonderwall portrait studio during the 2013 CMT Music Awards, held at Bridgestone Arena on June 5, 2013, in Nashville, Tennessee. Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Wonderwall.
Please be advised: This story includes references to suicide.
Lisa Marie Presley was so devastated by the passing of her son Benjamin Keough that she stored his body in dry ice at her home for two months. NBC reports that this startling detail is revealed in the new memoir titled *From Here to the Great Unknown*, which her daughter, Riley Keough, known for her role in *Daisy Jones & The Six*, finished after Lisa Marie's death at the age of 54 in January 2023.
In the book, Keough shared, "Instead of leaving my brother at the morgue, my mom brought him home. They informed us that we could have him at home as long as we were able to care for him. So, she kept him with us for some time on dry ice."
Keough expressed the significance of allowing her mother, the only child of the late rock star Elvis Presley, to have the necessary time to bid farewell to her son, who took his own life in 2020. She mentioned that it was similar to how her mother had said goodbye to her father. "I would join her and sit with him," she recalled, highlighting that California has no strict regulations regarding the timeline for burying or handling a deceased person's body. To complete the book, Keough incorporated recordings of her mother's recollections from the past.
Presley shared, "My home features a separate casitas bedroom, and I kept Ben Ben there for two months." She had started writing her memoir prior to her passing due to a small bowel obstruction resulting from complications from previous weight loss surgery. “In California, there's no requirement to bury someone right away,” she noted. “I connected with a very compassionate funeral home director, and I explained how comforting it was to have my dad at home after he died, as it allowed me to spend time with him and talk to him. She responded, 'We'll bring Ben Ben to you so you can keep him there.’”
She remarked, “I believe that having their child in that situation would absolutely terrify anyone else. But not me.” Lisa Marie was just nine years old when Elvis passed away in 1977.
The space where Benjamin's body was said to be maintained at a temperature of 55 degrees also served as the setting where Presley and Keough decided to get matching tattoos. They invited an artist to their home for this purpose. When the artist inquired about any images of the tattoo they wanted to copy, Lisa Marie responded, "No, but I can show you," pointing out Benjamin's ink on his collarbone that featured Keough's name and another tattoo on his hand that had Presley’s name. In honor of Benjamin, both the mother and daughter chose to tattoo his name on similar areas of their bodies.
Keough described the tattoo incident as one of the weirdest moments she had ever encountered, even by the Presley family's unconventional standards. "Lisa Marie Presley had just asked this unfortunate guy to take a look at her deceased son, who was nearby in the casitas. I've had a life filled with incredibly strange experiences, but this one stands out as one of the top five," she explained.
Not long after, one of Keough's brothers expressed his desire to remove the body from their home. In that moment, Keough felt connected to her late brother and imagined what his reaction would have been. She shared, “It was like he was saying, ‘Hey everyone, this is getting strange.’ Even my mom mentioned that she felt him communicating with her, saying, ‘This is crazy, Mom. What are you doing? What the heck!’”
As reported by People, the book describes how the family organized a funeral for Benjamin in Malibu, where Keough placed a pair of her brother's favorite yellow Nikes in the casket. In an earlier interview with People before the book came out, Keough shared, “My mom passed away due to complications from her surgery, but we all understood that she really died from a broken heart.”
Both Presley and her son rest at Graceland, the same place where Elvis is laid to rest.
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