Lisa Marie Presley's († 54) dramatic life in the oversized shadow of father Elvis

Lisa Marie Presley was in 'self-destructive mode' as a teenager

Lisa Marie Presley was born in 1968. Her father Elvis Presley was at the peak of his career and was celebrated worldwide as the 'King of Rock'. In 1972 he and Lisa Marie's mother Priscilla Presley (77) separated. Their only daughter was just four years old at the time. Only five years later, the little girl had to deal with the first major loss of her life: Papa Elvis died at the age of only 42.

That this early childhood trauma did not leave Lisa Marie unscathed was evident in her teenage years. She began experimenting with drugs and rebelled against her mother. Priscilla Presley sent her daughter to boarding school.

Lisa Marie Presley told the Los Angeles Times in 2003 that she was 'quite a loner and a melancholic and weird kid' as a child: 'I was in a self-destructive mode for a while. I never really fit into school. I didn't really have a direction.'

Lisa Marie tried to follow in her father's musical footsteps

In 2003, Lisa Marie Presley tried to follow in her father's oversized footsteps. She released the album To Whom It May Concern, which reached #5 on the Billboard album chart and was certified gold.

In an interview with Larry King at the time, Lisa Marie explained that she should have 'turned off' the comparison pressure with her father because otherwise she would never have made music: 'I had to stop worrying about it because otherwise it would have intimidated me too much .'

Lisa Marie released two more albums: 'Now What' in 2005 and 'Storm & Grace' in 2012. She was never able to build on the success of her father.

Marriages to Michael Jackson and Nicolas Cage made headlines

Privately, Lisa Marie was turbulent. She was married a total of four times. In 1988 she married musician Danny Keough, with whom she has a daughter, Riley Keough, and a son, Benjamin Storm Keough. Benjamin died by suicide on July 12, 2020.

Reading tips: Lisa Marie Presley: Death of Son Benjamin Keough 'Totally Destroyed' Her Heart

In 1994, Lisa Marie and Danny divorced. Two weeks later she gave the 'King of Pop' Michael Jackson († 50) the yes word. This marriage lasted until 1996. Lisa Marie's third husband became a US actor in 2002 Nicholas Cage (59), who filed for divorce after just three months. Cage was a huge Elvis fan, and angry gossip at the time said that Lisa Marie was just another Elvis souvenir for him.

Reading tips: Mourning for Lisa Marie Presley: ex-husband Nicolas Cage raves about her smile

In January 2006, Lisa Marie married musician and producer Michael Lockwood, with whom she had twin daughters, born in 2008. The marriage to Michael Lockwood didn't last either. In 2016, the couple filed for divorce.

'Grief is something you have to carry with you for the rest of your life'

In September 2022, Lisa Marie wrote an essay for National Grief Awareness Day reflecting on the loss of her son. 'Grief is something you have to carry with you for the rest of your life. You can't 'get over it', period.'

Her daughters would help her somehow continue living after Benjamin's death, despite her overwhelming grief. 'I keep going for my girls,' Presley explained at the time. Her broken heart has decided differently now. Finley Aaron and Harper Vivienne must now manage without their mother. (csp)