Lisa Presley retained custody of her son's deceased remains.
Throughout her life, Lisa Marie Presley endured the loss of her son Benjamin Keough, at the tender age of 28. She discloses in her newly published memoir, "From Here to the Great Unknown: A Memoir," published on October 8, that it took her a span of two months to accept his departure and that she kept his body in her residence during this period. Even going so far as to invite a tattoo artist to her house to get an identical tattoo as her son.
Following her son's death in January 2023, Lisa Marie Presley's family was once again hit by tragedy. In her final published work, Presley talks about the immense pain she felt due to Benjamin's demise. According to "Page Six," the gossip section of the "New York Post," Presley wrote in the book, completed by her daughter Riley Keough, that she had to muster the strength to carry on living for her other children, which meant delaying her farewell to Benjamin.
Quoting Presley directly, "Page Six" states that she kept Benjamin in a separate room at her house for two months. California law does not require immediate burial, and she was able to find a compassionate funeral director who agreed to bring Benjamin to her. The process of deciding where to bury her son was daunting. She considered both Hawaii and Graceland, the Memphis estate where Elvis Presley died and was buried. The room where Keough was kept was maintained at a chilly 55 degrees Fahrenheit (13 degrees Celsius) to preserve his body.
Tattooing in Honor of the Deceased
In an unusual turn of events, Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough decided to get tattoos in memory of their late sibling/son. Benjamin Keough had his sister's name tattooed on his kneecap and his mother's name on his hand. The two sisters wished to get Benjamin's name inked on the same spots. When asked for photos to match the font and placement, Lisa Marie replied, "I don't have any, but I can show you."
Riley Keough narrates this unusual incident in the book, "Lisa Marie Presley asked this poor man to look at the body of her dead son, which was right next to us in the room. I've lived an absurd life, but this moment is in the top five." The sisters felt Benjamin was ready for his eternal rest shortly after getting the tattoos. In October 2020, the family held a funeral in Malibu, and he was then buried next to his grandfather Elvis Presley at Graceland, where Lisa Marie was also laid to rest in January 2023.
Benjamin and Riley Keough are the offspring of Lisa Marie Presley's marriage to musician Danny Keough, which lasted from 1988 to 1994. Apart from them, she also had twins Harper and Finley Lockwood from her fourth marriage to Michael Lockwood.
After enduring the loss of Benjamin, Lisa Marie Presley found solace in honoring him through a unique gesture. She and her daughter Riley decided to get tattoos with Benjamin's name, mimicking the ones he had for them.
Despite keeping her son's body at home for two months, Presley eventually arranged for his funeral in Malibu, where he was laid to rest next to his grandfather, Elvis, at Graceland.
