Jerry Schilling never imagined outliving Lisa Marie Presley, says logically it should be other way around
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Jerry Schilling revealed he never imagined he would outlive Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of his best friend Elvis Presley.
The 81-year-old talent manager, who was a member of Elvis' inner circle known as the Memphis Mafia, had known Lisa Marie since the day she was born on February 1, 1968.
Jerry Schilling witnessed Lisa Marie Presley's birth and death
Schilling was with Elvis in the hospital waiting room when Priscilla Presley gave birth to Lisa Marie and he remained a close family friend throughout her life.
He was also by the family’s side in Los Angeles when Lisa Marie died hours after she was found in her home after suffering a cardiac arrest.
"I never thought I'd be missing her," Schilling told People, adding "Logically it should be the other way around."
He recalled the little girl he nicknamed "Memphis" for her attitude and how she always called him "Jerry Schilling" in a playful cadence.
“Being a pallbearer [at her funeral], I know she’s gone, and being there with her in the hospital for the last moment,” he said.
Jerry Schilling says he was shocked by Lisa Marie Presley's sudden death as she looked 'in great spirit'
Schilling also witnessed her ups and downs, from her four marriages and divorces to her successful music career to the tragic loss of her son Benjamin Storm Keough, who died by suicide at 27 in July 2020.
But two days before the Golden Globes, he says she was "in great spirit" and had overcome her grief over Benjamin's death with the help of her three daughters: actress Riley Keough, 33, and twins Harper and Finley, 14.
“Since the loss of her son, Ben Storm, Lisa did not go out,” he said, adding “I didn’t know she… was going to survive [Benjamin's death].
"She survived that for two years because of the love and care for her three daughters,” he added.
Lisa Marie Presley died on January 12, 2023, at the age of 54, hours after she was found in her home in cardiac arrest.
An autopsy revealed that the cause was a "small bowel obstruction," a complication that developed years after she had bariatric surgery.
Jerry Schilling says he misses Lisa Marie Presley
Schilling was also by Priscilla's side in the hospital when Lisa Marie died and he served as a pallbearer at her funeral. He said he still thinks of her often and misses her dearly. "There's just a huge vacuum," he said.
"But on a day-to-day basis, there are a lot of times I'll think, 'I wonder what Lisa's going to think of this.' Then I go, 'Oh my God.'"
He added the last thing she said to him was, "Jerry Schilling, I love you." The next time he saw her was on the day she died. He said, “I get the call two days later to rush to the hospital. I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t.”
“Now that I don’t have that opportunity to spend time with her, I didn’t know how much I really would miss her. I’m still dealing with that," he added.
