Content Warning: Please be advised that this article discusses sensitive topics such as addiction and death.
In the world of music royalty, Lisa Marie Presley, the only child of the legendary Elvis and Priscilla Presley, faced a battle with opioid addiction that gripped her in her later years. Tragically, at the age of 54, she succumbed to small bowel obstruction in January 2023, a complication stemming from bariatric surgery. Despite her untimely passing, Lisa Marie’s voice continues to resonate through the pages of her posthumous memoir, where she bravely shared the harrowing details of her addiction journey.
"It spiraled to a staggering 80 pills a day," she candidly confessed. "The chase for that high became all-consuming, and I couldn’t predict when my body would wave the white flag." Her recreational drug use morphed into a destructive force that threatened to consume her entirely.
The descent into the abyss of addiction wasn’t a gradual slide—it was a freefall into darkness. "I just wanted an escape. Sobriety felt like an unbearable burden," she reflected. Lisa Marie’s reliance on opioids began innocently, seeking solace from the excruciating pain of a c-section. However, the allure of numbness soon eclipsed the initial purpose, clouding her judgment as a mother to two young children.
Following a stint in rehab, Lisa Marie opted for bariatric surgery in a bid to turn her life around. Yet, her daughter, Riley Keough, sensed a lingering reluctance to embrace sobriety wholeheartedly. Despite her commitment to abstaining from narcotics post-rehab, a perilous dance with the "post-rehab cocktail" landed her back in the hospital, this time grappling with a seizure that served as a stark wake-up call.
In a poignant interview with PEOPLE, Riley Keough bared her soul about the emotional turmoil of penning chapters that delved into her mother’s struggle with addiction and the heartbreaking loss of her brother, Benjamin, to suicide in 2020. Through the pages of Lisa Marie’s memoir, "From Here to the Great Unknown," Riley endeavors to unveil the raw, unfiltered essence of her mother—a tapestry woven with threads of love, heartbreak, loss, addiction, and the intricacies of family bonds.
With an unwavering hope to touch hearts and spark conversations, Riley aims to carry forward her mother’s legacy of resilience and vulnerability. The memoir stands as a beacon of truth and a testament to the enduring power of human connection. "From Here to the Great Unknown" beckons readers to embark on a poignant journey through the complexities of life’s tapestry, now available to all who seek solace in its pages.
