‘Nothing takes away the pain’: The essay Lisa Marie Presley wrote about her son’s death last summer

‘It’s a real choice to keep going, one that I have to make every single day and one that is constantly challenging,’ she wrote

Lisa Marie Presley, who has died at the age of 54, wrote an emotional essay about the death of her son Benjamin Keough last summer.

The 27-year-old, who was the grandson of Elvis Presley, died by suicide in 2020.

To mark America’s National Grief Awareness Day on 30 August, singer Lisa Marie wrote a piece for People magazine about the low points she had experienced in the aftermath of Keough’s death.

“Today is National Grief Awareness Day, and since I have been living in the horrific reality of its unrelenting grips since my son’s death two years ago, I thought I would share a few things to be aware of in regard to grief for anyone who is interested,” she began in the article. “If not to help yourself but maybe to help another who is grieving…”

Presley went on to write that she had learned “grief does not stop or go away in any sense” and it is something you carry “for the rest of your life”.

She added that it was “lonely” and that she felt she was “judged and blamed” for her son’s death, admitting that she herself used to “low-key judge” parents who had lost children, swearing she would never make the mistakes she assumed they did.

Presley, who said her life was “detonated and destroyed” by Keough’s death, urged people to join support groups, writing: “Nothing, absolutely NOTHING takes away the pain, but finding support can sometimes help you feel a little bit less alone.”

She added: “It’s a real choice to keep going, one that I have to make every single day and one that is constantly challenging to say the least... But I keep going for my girls.

“I keep going because my son made it very clear in his final moments that taking care of his little sisters and looking out for them were on the forefront of his concerns and his mind. He absolutely adored them and they him.”

Riley and Benjamin Keough (Riley Keough Instagram)

Presley also shared daughter Riley Keough with ex-husband Danny Keough, and had 13-year-old twin daughters Finley Aaron Love and Harper Vivienne Anne with Michael Lockwood. Presley and Lockwood’s divorce was finalised last year.

If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, the Samaritans offers support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.

If you are based in the USA, and you or someone you know needs mental health assistance right now, call National Suicide Prevention Helpline on 1-800-273-TALK (8255). The Helpline is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to everyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If you are in another country, you can go to www.befrienders.org to find a helpline near you.