Lisa Marie Presley's memoir reveals she wrote poem in Elvis Presley's name hoping 'daddy doesn’t die'
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE: Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of rock icon Elvis Presley, had shared her deep fears about losing her father from a young age.
Elvis Presley died in 1977 when Lisa Marie was just nine years old. In her upcoming posthumous memoir 'From Here to the Great Unknown', Lisa Marie opened up on the anxieties she felt about her father's health, reflecting on their unique bond.
Lisa Marie Presley recalls her fears about Elvis Presley’s health
The memoir, which will be released on October 8, was completed by Lisa Marie’s daughter Riley Keough, using tapes her mother had left behind after her death in 2023.
"I was always worried about my dad dying," Lisa Marie said in the memoir. She described witnessing unsettling moments during her father's struggle with drug use.
"Sometimes I’d see him and he was out of it. Sometimes I would find him passed out. I wrote a poem with the line, 'I hope my daddy doesn’t die,'" she recalls in the excerpts shared by People.
Lisa Marie Presley shares her experience of watching Elvis Presley perform
Lisa Marie Presley also fondly recalled attending her father’s performances as a child, describing it as one of her most cherished memories.
"Going to his shows was my favorite thing in the world," she said, adding "I was so proud of him. He would take me by the hand and bring me out onstage."
After being escorted to her seat, she would watch him perform with her grandfather, Vernon Presley, nearby.
"The electricity of those shows. There’s nothing I’ve felt that’s been even close to that feeling, ever," Lisa Marie described.
She remembered having favorite songs she would ask him to sing. "I had certain songs that I liked — 'Hurt,' and 'How Great Thou Art.' I would ask him to sing those songs for me, and he would always say yes," she wrote in the memoir.
Riley Keough reflects on Elvis and Lisa Marie Presley's bond
Riley Keough, Lisa Marie Presley's daughter, also shared her reflections on her mother and grandfather's relationship.
"My father was always my mom’s greatest protector and best friend," she told the publication.
She described their bond as “incredibly unique,” noting how grateful she was to witness their "unconditional love they had for one another."
Lisa Marie Presley died at the age of 54 in 2023 after suffering a cardiac arrest. Her death was later attributed to complications from a bowel obstruction surgery.
Keough recently told People that Lisa Marie died of a "broken heart" due to constant pain after son Benjamin's death.
Elvis Presley was pronounced dead at hospital on August 16, 1977, at the age of 42 after he was found unresponsive at his Graceland property on the floor of the master suite bathroom.
Initially, his death was attributed to "cardiac arrhythmia" a heart issue, but a later toxicology report also revealed high levels of various drugs in his system like opiates Dilaudid, Percodan, Demerol and codeine as well as Quaaludes.
