On January 12, 2023, Lisa Marie Presley died at the age of 54. Like her father Elvis Presley, she left the world much too early. She left behind numerous assets, made up of earnings from her own career as well as those of her father, who left her to manage his estate. However, trouble has been brewing behind the scenes between her mother Priscilla Presley and her daughter Riley Keough, who disagree on who should enact Lisa Marie’s wishes.
Amending her wishes
Contrary to how it might have looked at the premiere of the biopic Elvis and other red-carpet events, Lisa Marie and her mother Priscilla hadn’t been on good terms for many years. It all began in 2016 when Lisa Marie split from her husband, Michael. Rather than taking her daughter’s side in the ensuing custody battle for their twins, Priscilla decided to back Michael. They clearly remained close as they flew to Lisa Marie’s funeral together, despite Michael not being invited.
Lisa Marie Presley poses at the Wonderwall portrait studio during the 2013 CMT Music Awards, June 5, 2013. (Photo Credit: Christopher Polk/ Getty Images for Wonderwall)
Lisa Marie clearly hadn’t forgiven her mother for taking someone else’s side when it came to the twins, as she removed her and former business manager Barry Siegel as trustees of her estate in 2016. Instead, she put Riley and Benjamin Keough in control of the trust. Her son died in 2020, leaving Riley as the sole person responsible. It was this amendment that started the conflict between Priscilla and her granddaughter.
Family feud
It’s assumed that Priscilla wasn’t made aware of the change in trust management until after Lisa Marie’s death, as she didn’t take legal action against it until four days after the funeral. Once she was aware, she moved quickly, filing a petition to question the “authenticity and validity” of the amendment. She argued that the entire decision should be thrown out, leaving her as the manager of the trust. This was based on the fact that Lisa Marie never told her of the change – supposedly, a legal requirement according to the terms of the trust.
She also raised questions about the validity of the signatures on the document.
Priscilla Presley and Lisa Marie Presley attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony during the grand opening of Graceland Presents ELVIS: The Exhibition – The Show – The Experience in Las Vegas, April 23, 2015. (Photo Credit: Bryan Steffy/ WireImage/ Getty Images)
While Priscilla is trying to fight the change, friends of Lisa Marie have commented on the situation. According to one, Lisa Marie was extremely clear that she wanted Riley and Ben to be the new trustees: “there’s zero question.” Apparently she “wanted each of her four children to have 5 percent of the estate.”
‘They do not see eye to eye’
While the family waits to see whether the amendment to the trust will be overturned, many people close to them have said that grandmother and granddaughter are hardly speaking to each other as “They do not see eye to eye.” They are apparently only communicating through their lawyers. While Riley is completely taken aback by the fact that Priscilla is contesting the change, Priscilla maintains that it comes from a place of love and says that she hopes they can still have a relationship.
Riley Keough and Lisa Marie Presley attend ELLE’s 24th Annual Women in Hollywood Celebration presented by L’Oreal Paris, at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles, October 16, 2017. (Photo Credit: Neilson Barnard/ Getty Images for ELLE)
An individual who is close with Priscilla has commented on her decision to take legal actions, saying she is doing what feels “is right in her heart.” They elaborated that she is adamant that the documents were forged, and weren’t really her daughter’s wishes.
Was Priscilla locked out of Graceland?
Graceland exterior, circa 2016. (Photo Credit: Raymond Boyd/ Getty Images)
The tense situation between Priscilla and her granddaughter recently came to a head. In mid-March 2023, rumors began circulating that Riley Keough had locked her grandmother out of Graceland over Lisa Marie’s contested will.
Sources told The Daily Mail that Keough allegedly “changed the locks on the upstairs doors and archives’ on a trip to Memphis” to prevent Priscilla from accessing the mansion. A source claimed that Priscilla and Lisa Marie had the only keys to Graceland.
The rumors were denied
Priscilla Presley speaks at the public memorial for Lisa Marie Presley at Graceland on January 22, 2023. (Photo Credit: Jason Kempin/ Getty Images)
Official Graceland reps have since spoken out, denying any validity to these rumors. The official statement read, “These reports are entirely untrue. No locks at Graceland have been changed since Lisa Marie’s passing.”
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A court hearing is scheduled for April 13, 2023. If the ruling is in Priscilla’s favor then she and Riley will co-manage the trust together, rather than full control passing to Priscilla.