Priscilla Presley & Riley Keough Allegedly Gearing Up For Court Battle As They Contest Lisa Marie Presley’s Will

Feb 22, 2023 by apost team

Born on Feb. 1, 1968, in Memphis, Tenessee, to parents Elvis 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 Marie 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 Marie 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 Marie 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 Marie inherited her father’s Memphis estate, famously called Graceland. Since Lisa Marie passed away, debates as to who would inherit Graceland have been up in the air – spurring a court battle between her mother and the only living heir on her will, her eldest daughter. 

Lisa Marie 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.

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

"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,” he admitted. 

Weinshanker's statement came after Entertainment Tonight obtained court documents showing Priscilla’s contention of Lisa Marie’s will. 

The documents indicate that Priscilla was arguing that the amendment that ousted her in the will and installed Riley and Benjamin was “purported.” 

Priscilla was 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 Marie’s passing – which was required by the will, BBC said. Moreover, Priscilla asserted that her name was even misspelled, and Lisa Marie’s signatures appeared to have been inconsistent with her customary signatures. 

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

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Despite Weinshanker’s affirmation that Lisa Marie wanted to leave Graceland to her children, that did not stop Priscilla from pursuing legal action. According to Entertainment Tonight, Priscilla was convinced that the old documents pertaining to Lisa Marie’s will, had been forged. 

The outlet described the current situation between Keough and Priscilla to be very “tense and heartbreaking” following the loss of Lisa Marie. 

"Priscilla is adamant that she has a valid case and that she will prevail in court. Riley and Priscilla aren't communicating at this time, but have been in communication through lawyers," the outlet said. 

Both parties are said to have been “gearing up for court” even though Keough preferred to settle her mother’s contented will privately. 

In Weinshanker’s interview with Sirius XM, he revealed that it was always Riley and Ben who would be the stewards of Graceland. 

"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. 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 added. 

The outlet further reported that Keough was “heartbroken” that the dispute had turned into a public matter, knowing that her mother, who was a very private person, “would never want this.” 

Thanks to her daughter and husband, Keough has kept in good spirits, especially since her new Amazon Original series, “Daisy Jones & The Six,” is set to premiere in March 2023. 

Meanwhile, Priscilla was said to have been “right in her heart” to contest her daughter’s trust and will.  

Do you think Lisa Marie Presley’s last will was forged to oust her mother Priscilla? Who do you think deserves to inherit Graceland – Riley or Priscilla? Let us know what you think, and pass this on to your family, friends and other people who are interested in watching this family drama unfold.