Tragic Details About Elvis Presley's Grandson Benjamin Keough

The following article includes details of addiction, depression, and suicide.

The Presley family has been cursed with tragedy from the beginning of their fame. First was Elvis Presely, whose incredible popularity has somewhat been overshadowed by his manner of death — on the toilet. His daughter Lisa Marie Presley suffered cardiac arrest in 2023, leaving behind her daughters, actor Riley Keough and her twin half-siblings Finley and Harper Lockwood. While the facts state Lisa Marie died due to a bowel obstruction from weight-loss surgery that led to cardiac arrest, her daughter Riley thinks it was due to a broken heart over the tragic loss of her son, Benjamin Keough.

The "Daisy Jones & The Six" actor told People in September 2024: "My mom physically died from the after effects of her surgery, but we all knew she died of a broken heart" from losing her son. Benjamin committed suicide in 2020 at 27. His death was purportedly the effect of addiction, depression, childhood trauma, and the pressure of fame. Benjamin was frequently compared to his grandfather, Elivs, but what you didn't know about Benjamin is that he had more in common with the singer than you may think.

Drugs were a vice that plagued much of the Presley family. Both Elvis Presley and Lisa Marie Presley struggled with addiction. Benjamin Keough also turned to drugs to cope with a troubled life. "My brother was just an incredibly sensitive person, and there was addiction there with him," Riley Keough told People. "I think my brother's addiction was his way of coping with his own discomfort and emotional pain. And it was a few years that got just really incredibly difficult." According to his autopsy obtained by The Sun, Benjamin died with alcohol and cocaine in his system.

In Lisa Marie's posthumous memoir, "From Here to the Great Unknown," she wrote: "Ben was very similar to his grandfather, very, very, very, and in every way. He even looked like him." His looks weren't the only similarity, as Elvis had a well-known drug addiction. At the time of his death, Elvis had copious amounts of opiates and Quaaludes in his system. Benjamin's autopsy report revealed that he historically misused alcohol and drugs, specifically cocaine, and had gone to rehab multiple times.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Benjamin Keough's struggle with addiction was purportedly brought on by internal strife. A family insider told The Sun that they believe Benjamin became overwhelmed with family conflict and his history with depression, ultimately leading to his suicide. "He was depressed, he didn't really have an education, a job or a passion, he was lost in life, and he has always been in his grandfather's shadow, the family source said. "There has also been a lot of drama in the family in recent years, I think it was all just too much for him."

While the autopsy report, as well as his sister Riley Keough, revealed that Benjamin struggled with substance abuse, the insider had no knowledge of Benjamin's addiction, but most people were aware of his mental health struggles. The report that was previously obtained by The Sun also noted that Benjamin had "major depression" three months prior to his death, which involved isolating himself in his bedroom for "long periods of time." He reportedly also attempted suicide five to sixth months before his death.

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

Benjamin Keough's resemblance to The King is remarkable, and something he was told his whole life. In an interview with CMT, per Us Weekly, Lisa Marie Presley said that Benjamin's face grabbed people's attention backstage at the Grand Ole Opry — a spitting image of his grandfather's. "Everybody turned around and looked when he was over there," she said. "Everybody was grabbing him for a photo because it is just uncanny." That one comparison was tough to fulfill, but Benjamin attempted the feat with music, following in his famous grandfather's footsteps. Not wanting to live in Elvis Presley's shadow, Benjamin tried to jumpstart his own career, to no avail. Benjamin was offered a record deal with Universal, but for unknown reasons, his music was never released.

Brandon Howard, a musician and friend of Benjamin, gave insight into Benjamin's struggle with being a Presley, saying he constantly felt the pressure of living up to the Presley name, which Howard says contributed to his depression and substance abuse. "It's a tough thing when you have a lot of pressure with your family and living up to a name and an image. It's a lot of pressure," Howard told People magazine. "It's almost like you're pressured into having to be a musician, having to be an actor."

Fame was not the only unordinary aspet of Benjamin Keough's childhood. Mom Lisa Marie Presley was involved in the Church of Scientology while Benjamin was growing up, ergo his own involvement in the controversial church that has brought in many other celebrities. In her memoir, Lisa Marie revealed that actor John Travolta introduced her mother, Priscilla Presley, to Scientology when Lisa Marie was young, and soon enough, she was raising her own children in the church.

A source close with Benjamin told Scientology reporter Tony Ortega in July 2020, for his blog The Underground Bunker, that Benjamin was not an active member in the church. "Ben had been talking about how f***** up kids get in Scientology," the source said. Another source told Ortega that though Lisa Marie pulled her family from the church in 2014, it still greatly affected Benjamin. "The important thing is that the entire family was shaped by Scientology, and it's paying the price because of it," said the insider.

Benjamin Keough's suicide was a shock and heartshattering loss for the Presley family and their fans. A sopkesperson with the L.A. coroner's office told TMZ that Benjamin shot himself at his mother's Calabassas home in July 2020. Riley Keough, who co-wrote "From Here to the Great Unknown," revealed in the memoir that her brother was throwing a party at Lisa Marie's home when he went upstairs, never rejoining the party that night. "What did you do, Benjamin?" Riley recalled Lisa Marie pleading when she saw his body for the first time after his death.

Another bombshell revelation from Lisa Marie Presley's memoir was that she was so grief stricken that the mother couldn't give up seeing her son's face everyday months after his death. According to Riley, Benjamin was kept on dry ice in Lisa Marie's home so she could have time to properly grieve. Lisa Marie also recalled the months in her section of the book, writing that they had to keep the room at 55 degrees to properly preserve the body. "I think it would scare the living f****** piss out of anybody else to have their son there like that," she wrote. "But not me."

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