LISA MARIE PRESLEY

Only Daughter of Legendary Music Icon Elvis, Died at 54

Lisa Marie Presley was born February 1st, 1968 and was the only child of Legendary Musician Elvis Presley and his wife Priscilla. Her life was tragically lost at the young age of 54 on January 12, 2023. She died in the hospital of cardiac arrest. Her life was plagued with personal and family controversies and tragedies; and it seems her death is no different. Although a fantastic singer and songwriter in her own right, her career and personal life was marred with controversy due to constant relapses into drug addiction, the squandering and mismanagement of her father’s estate and the suicide death of her son in 2020.

The story of Lisa Marie is both fantastic and tragic. She was an incredible songwriter and singer; the nut truly did not fall far from the tree. Unlike most artists today, she prided herself in writing almost all of her own songs and most of her own music and melodies. Her first album in 2003 titled To Whom It May Concern reached number 5 on the billboard 200 charts; the album's first single, "Lights Out", reached Number 18 on the Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 chart and Number 16 on the UK charts. Shortly after her albums success she was teamed up with none other than Pat Benatar in a benefit concert for the VH1 Save the Music Foundation, where she performed the legendary rock song Heartbreaker and later performed the song solo as a treat for her fans at many of her concert performances over the years. In 2005 she released a second album, Now What, which reached number 9 on the charts and in 2012 her third and final album was released titled Storm and Grace.

Unfortunately her personal life was not as grand as her professional life. When her father, Elvis, passed he left everything to his daughter, his father and his grandmother. When his aged father and grandmother passed and when Lisa Marie was 25 years old she inherited his entire estate which at the time was valued at $100 million dollars.

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That estate was mostly properties and the rights to Elvis’s 5 final albums, unfortunately some bad deals made by Elvis’s managers over the years had sold the rights to the majority of her father’s albums royalty free to production companies. So the estate was not a constantly growing entity. Additionally, Lisa Marie after having a troubled childhood which included sexual assault by her stepfather, poor treatment by her mother and a brief but troubled stint in the cult of Scientology she had a lifelong challenge with Opioids and other drugs. She was in and out of rehab for most of her adult life. These challenges coupled with some bad decisions made by her own business manager, which resulted in 85 percent of the rights to her father’s legacy being sold off, and very lavish spending habits the entire fortune was squandered away. And now even in death, her own mothers I battling Lisa Marie’s daughter Riley in court for control of the remaining estate. It is sad how greed can destroy families. However there was some significant light in Lisa Marie’s life as well. Over the years, aside from music, she also inherited her father’s passion for charity and community. The Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation (EPCF) was run by Lisa Marie Presley and through this foundation the Presley Place was created which was an amazing project that provided for homeless families free housing, vocational assistance and job training and placement, for up to a year, even including child care and music instruction for the children of those families. There were also scholarship funds created in the Memphis area for students going into the arts. Lisa Marie also joined Oprah Winfrey’s Angel Network and during Hurricane Katrina she loaded a full container truck full of groceries, clothing and daily necessity supplies to be distributed directly to victims who were displaced as a result of Hurricane Katrina. She was given humanitarian awards and recognition from the Governor of Tennessee, Bill Haslam, who proclaimed a day of recognition for her charitable efforts on June 24th, 2011 and then two days later she was awarded a Certificate of Proclamation by the mayor of New Orleans, Mitchell J. Landrieu. And then 2 days after that on June 28th,2011 she received a proclamation from the city of Memphis, TN and the mayor of Memphis had this to say. “Lisa Marie Presley is a humanitarian and philanthropist who continues to focus her efforts on the hometown she knows and loves, Memphis. Through her efforts and time she has improved homelessness, literacy, and raised funds for local charities and organizations. She raises awareness for Memphis and continues to set an example of what one person can do when they put their mind to it. Now, Therefore, I, A.C. Wharton, Jr., Mayor of Memphis, Tennessee, do hereby recognize the lifelong service of this illustrious humanitarian and philanthropist.”

Lisa Marie Presley, your struggles are over and I am certain that you will be remembered as a great philanthropist and brilliant musician, the same as your father was. Know that you will be missed and remembered by the fans and all of those lives that you and your charity work have directly touched. Rest in Peace. by Michael

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Photography by Wilfrid Etienne Jr

IG: wil_juniorphotography

Model: Valarie Iosue