Jerry Schilling, who knew Elvis Presley's only child since she was born, says the singer 'did not go out' since the loss of her son Ben, who took his own life at age 27 in 2020.
- Jan 15, 2024
AceShowbiz - Lisa Marie Presley's former manager feared she would never survive her grief over her son's death before she passed away. The late singer, who is the only child of Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley, died on January 12, 2023 aged 54 and was left devastated in July 2020 when her boy Benjamin Keough took his life aged 27.
Jerry Schilling, the U.S. talent manager who was a member of Elvis' Memphis Mafia entourage in the 1960s, has now spoken out about the grim impact Ben's death had on Lisa Marie, to mark the one-year anniversary of her passing.
He told PEOPLE, "Since the loss of her son, Ben Storm, Lisa did not go out. I didn't know she ... was going to survive (his death.)" He added, "She survived that for two years because of the love and care for her three daughters."
Lisa Marie had Ben and her actress daughter Riley Keough, 34, with her first husband, musician Danny Keough, 59, and was mum to twins Harper and Finley, 15, with her fourth ex-husband, Michael Lockwood, 62. After years of grieving, it wasn't until the making of Baz Luhrmann's 2022 film "Elvis" featuring Austin Butler as the singer that Lisa Marie re-entered the spotlight.
Jerry added about the time, "When we were flying back to Memphis for a screening, I met her at the airport. I hadn't seen her since Ben Storm's funeral. She said to me, 'Jerry, I will never be the same.' She looked frail. But she was really trying."
Jerry also said he believes Austin and the crew of "Elvis" helped "bring her out" of herself. He was at the hospital when Lisa Marie's mum Priscilla Presley, 78, gave birth to her on February 1, 1968, and at one point her was the singer's manager.
Lisa Marie died from complications from a small bowel obstruction after suffering a cardiac arrest. Small traces of opioids and antipsychotic drugs were found in her system but did not contribute to her death, according to an autopsy report, and she was laid to rest at Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee, alongside her dad and son.
