Lisa Marie Presley Wanted Riley Keough To Take Over Elvis’ Legacy Despite Priscilla Presley’s Hesitations

Feb 06, 2023 by apost team

Born on Feb. 1, 1968, in Memphis, Tenessee, to parents Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie Presley was one of the biggest celebrity children upon her birth. However, tragically, she passed at the age of 54 on Jan. 12, 2023, after being rushed to the emergency room when she was found unresponsive in her California home. 

Lisa was born exactly nine months after her parents famously tied the knot in a brief ceremony in their suite at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. After Elvis’s death in 1977, she was listed as a beneficiary on her father’s last will, along with her grandfather Vernon and great-grandmother Minnie. However, Vernon passed in 1979, and Minnie a year after. This made Lisa the only surviving beneficiary of Elvis’s trust. In 1993, she inherited her father’s estate, which had grown to $100 million. 

She was the only daughter of Elvis, which means that her four children were his only grandchildren. Lisa had actress Riley Keough and her late son Benjamin Keough with her ex-husband Danny Keough while she shared her twins, Harper and Finley, with her ex-husband, Michael Lockwood. She was also famously married to popstar Michael Jackson and actor Nicolas Cage.

As the sole child of the King of Rock and Roll, Lisa inherited her father’s Memphis estate, famously called Graceland. But since her passing, debates as to who should take over the Presley family legacy have been up in the air. 

One of Lisa’s spokespeople revealed in a February 2023 interview that she wanted one of her daughters to take over the business. Read on to learn more about Lisa’s wishes before passing away. 

Joel Weinshanker, a Managing Partner at Elvis Presley Enterprises and one of Lisa’s spokespeople, graced Elvis Radio on Sirius XM to elaborate on the late singer’s wishes before passing away. 

After Lisa’s remains were laid to rest beside her son Benjamin in Graceland, the drama behind her will unfolded as Priscilla, her mother, contested the “authenticity and validity" of a 2016 amendment of her will naming Riley as a co-trustee, Entertainment Tonight reported. 

Per legal documents obtained by the outlet, it said that Priscilla is arguing that the amendment, which ousted her in the will and installed Riley and Benjamin, was “purported.” 

Priscilla is challenging the authenticity of the will and said that the amendment or updated version of the will was never delivered to her prior to Lisa’s passing – which was required by the will, BBC said. Moreover, Priscilla asserted that her name was even misspelled, and Lisa’s signatures appeared to have been inconsistent with her customary signatures. 

However, Weinshanker weighed in on the issue and said: 

"When Elvis passed away, he left everything to his little girl. He did so knowing that she would be the one to keep his legacy going. I can tell you that she has, without falter, no matter what else was happening in her life, in her career, always been the one to look at what was best for Elvis... regardless of what somebody else was trying to do, regardless of what another family member (was trying to) do.”

Despite Priscilla’s pushback on the will, Weinshanker affirmed that it was Riley and Benjamin who Lisa wanted to take over the legacy. 

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In the same interview, Weinshanker stated with conviction that Lisa was “very, very quite certain and quite direct about who she wanted to have the legacy (left) to.”

"That was always Riley and Ben. There was never a question in her mind that they would be the stewards, that they would look at it exactly the way she did. Obviously, when Ben passed, it really sat with Riley," Weinshanker furthered. "Although Riley is a movie star, she's an award-winning director; she had always had an interest and had always known that, one day, she would be in charge."

Weinshanker also added that in celebration of Lisa’s would-be 55th birthday on Feb. 1, 2023, her wishes on who would take over the legacy should be honored. 

"But on Lisa's birthday, we just want to think about what Lisa would've wanted and that's what's best for Elvis. She never had a doubt in her mind that that's Riley. There's no question on anyone's mind (because) Lisa had spoken (about) it, there's numerous amounts of written information, she had talked to so many of her friends about it. There was never a question, and anybody who's speaking differently isn't looking out for Elvis, isn't looking out for Lisa, certainly isn't looking out for Riley,” he added. 

Lisa was pronounced dead on Jan. 12, 2023, after she was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital, where she was taken after suffering cardiac arrest. Her housekeeper had found her unresponsive in her Calabasas, California, residence. Her ex-husband Danny Keough was present at the scene and performed CPR on her until emergency first responders arrived. At least one dose of epinephrine was administered while attempts at resuscitating her were being made. Paramedics were reported to have regained a pulse before she was transported to the hospital. 

What do you think of Priscilla Presley’s contention? Who do you think should inherit the Presley family legacy? Does Riley Keough deserve to inherit it? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends and other loved ones!