Lisa Marie Presleysaid her fatherElvis Presleywould have been “proud” of the film starringAustin Butlerjust days before hertragic death on Thursdayaged 54.
“I just want to thank you for coming,” Lisa Marie said alongside Butler, daughter Riley Keogh and the film’s director, Baz Luhrmann.
Variety’sMarc Malkincaptured the celebratory speech at the Formosa Café — one of Elvis' favorite L.A. haunts — andposted the video on Twitterthe following day.
Eric Charbonneau/Shutterstock
Tragically, Lisa Mariedied just days later on Jan. 13, her motherPriscilla Presleyconfirmed to PEOPLE in a statement.
“It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us,” said Priscilla, 77.
“She was the most passionate strong and loving woman I have ever known. We ask for privacy as we try to deal with this profound loss. Thank you for the love and prayers. At this time there will be no further comment.”
On Thursday morning, Presley wasrushed to the hospital for a possible cardiac arrest. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed to PEOPLE that paramedics responded to the 5900 block of Normandy drive in Calabasas to treat a woman in her 50s who was not breathing. When they arrived, the paramedics began CPR and, upon noting the patient had “signs of life,” transferred the woman to a local hospital for “immediate medical care.”
A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Fire Department confirmed to PEOPLE that the unit was dispatched to the address for a cardiac arrest call. Lisa Marie died at the hospital just hours later.
Austin Butler and Lisa Marie Presley.Eric Charbonneau/Shutterstock
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Butler’s acceptance speech for his award contained callouts to the Presley family “for opening your hearts, your memories, your home to me.”
Born in Memphis, Tennessee on Feb. 1, 1968, exactly nine months after Elvis and Priscilla’s wedding,Lisa Marie was briefly raised in the areabefore moving to Los Angeles at age 4 with her mother following her parents' 1973 divorce.
She has been open about her grief in the years since,posting tributes on Benjamin’s birthdayand penning an emotional essay for PEOPLE in 2022 about the loss, noting that she has been dealing with grief since 9 years old when her father died. She said that her son Benjamin “was so much like his grandfather on so many levels.”
Priscilla Presley, Austin Butler and Lisa Marie Presley at the Golden Globes on Jan. 10, 2023.Shutterstock for HFPA
“It’s a real choice to keep going, one that I have to make every single day and one that is constantly challenging to say the least …But I keep going for my girls,” she wrote in honor of National Grief Awareness Day. “I keep going because my son made it very clear in his final moments that taking care of his little sisters and looking out for them were on the forefront of his concerns and his mind. He absolutely adored them and they him.”
“Obviously, no parent chooses this road, and thankfully not all parents will have to become a victim to it — and I do mean VICTIM here. I used to hate that word. Now I know why. I’ve dealt with death, grief and loss since the age of 9 years old. I’ve had more than anyone’s fair share of it in my lifetime and somehow, I’ve made it this far.”
source: people.com
