What You Didn't Know About Lisa Marie Presley's Son, Benjamin Keough

Lisa Marie Presley was just 9 years old when she lost her famous father, Elvis (via HuffPost). In 2020, she mourned the passing of her beloved 27-year-old son Benjamin Keough, who reportedly died by suicide at the family's home in Calabasas, California. A statement issued through Presley's manager Roger Widynowski said, "She is entirely heartbroken, inconsolable and beyond devastated but trying to stay strong for her 11-year-old twins and her oldest daughter Riley. She adored that boy. He was the love of her life" (via Variety).

People reported that Presley was particularly close to her son, with whom she shared a matching tattoo. "It is a Celtic eternity knot. Ben (my son) and I got it together in the same place on Mothers Day 3 years ago," she revealed on Twitter back in 2012. 

Benjamin Keough was Hollywood royalty. He was the son of Presley's ex-husband, musician Danny Keough, and brother to Riley, an actress who has appeared in several movies. Benjamin is also the grandson of music legend Elvis Presley — one of the most successful singers of all time — and actress Priscilla Presley (via Hollywood Life). Though he kept a low profile, there were rumors that when he was 17, Benjamin had reportedly cut a deal with Universal Music for $5 million. The report was later denied by Universal's Executive Vice President Peter LoFrumento, who told People, "The story is totally untrue." Still and all, mom Lisa Marie Presley was happy to leave Ben to find his own way. "He's doing his own thing right now. I'm going to let him decide when he wants to go out and do what he wants to do," she told HuffPost in 2012.

Benjamin did get to spend some time in the music spotlight, as the subject of Lisa Marie's 2012 song "Storm and Grace." The song referenced how quickly Ben was growing up, and featured photos of the then 19-year-old and his siblings. The song, which was the title track of Presley's third album, was also apparently inspired by Ben, as his middle name was Storm (via BBC). 

Benjamin Keough also played a part in a tribute Lisa Marie Presley recorded for her father in 2012. "I Love You Because" features a duet that blends the sound of Elvis, recorded in 1954, with his daughter harmonizing with him toward the end (via YouTube). The video tugs at the heartstrings because it shows home videos of Elvis and Priscilla Presley with Lisa Marie, as well as footage of Lisa Marie with her four children. "Every five years, I try to do something special for the fans as a tribute," Lisa Marie told CMT in 2012. "I thought, 'OK, I really want to focus on the fact that I think his spirit lives in his grandchildren — very much.' I thought it would be special for the fans to see that — to focus the attention on that — which made it intimate and sweet, because the song is like that. It felt really right."

It was in the tribute video where we saw Benjamin Keough as the spitting image of his famous grandfather, and fans were quick to comment on the resemblance. Lisa Marie Presley had admitted in the past that she had seen the resemblance too. "He does [look like Elvis]!" Presley told CMT. "He was at the Opry and was the quiet storm behind the stage!" She laughed and continued: "Everybody turned around and looked when he was over there. Everybody was grabbing him for a photo because it is just uncanny. Sometimes I am overwhelmed when I look at him."

While we didn't see much of Keough on social media (Variety says his Instagram settings were set on private), his mother wasn't so shy and she posted a photo of herself and her four children in 2019 on Instagram captioned, "Mama Lion with Cubs." That photo lit up the internet as longtime fans went on social media to comment on how just Keough looked like his famous grandfather. One Twitter user responded, "Beautiful Mama Lion and beautiful cubs! Your son is a twin of your Dad! Nice family!"

At the time of Keough's death, social media was full of expressions of sorrow and condolences over Presley's devastating loss.

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.