Funeral Preparations Underway for DWTS Alum Priscilla Presley’s Child

Pixabay

Funeral arrangements have been made for Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of the late singer Elvis Presley and “Dancing With the Stars” season 6 alum Priscilla Presley. Lisa Marie Presley died on January 12 after suffering what appear to be two cardiac arrests, according to TMZ. The final cause of death is pending toxicology results. She was 54.

Here’s what you need to know:

Lisa Marie Presley Will Be Buried Near Her Father & Son at Graceland

Lisa Marie Presley will be buried in the Meditation Garden at Graceland estate alongside her father and her son.

Surviving family members, mom Priscilla Presley and Lisa Marie’s daughters, Riley, Harper and Finley Keough, said in a statement to People via Riley Keough’s representative, “[We] are grateful for the support, well-wishes, and outpouring of love honoring their beloved Lisa Marie. A public memorial service has been arranged on the front lawn of Graceland at 9:00 am on Sunday, January 22 in Memphis.”

Graceland is the 14-acre Memphis, Tennessee, mansion and estate where Elvis Presley lived. He is buried there in the Meditation Garden along with his parents, Gladys and Vernon Presley, his paternal grandmother Minnie Mae Presley, and Elvis’ grandson Benjamin Presley Keough, according to the official Graceland Facebook page. The garden also includes a memorial to Elvis’ stillborn twin brother Jessie.

Elvis was buried at Graceland when he died in 1977; Lisa Marie Presley’s son Benjamin Keough was buried there in 2020 when he died by suicide. TMZ has video from the current construction going on in the Meditation Garden in preparation for the celebration of life and burial.

Presley will be buried across the fountain from her father and grandparents, right next to her son. In lieu of flowers, the Presley family is asking that donations be made in her name to the The Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation (EPCF), which is a non-profit organization that “offers support to various charitable organizations, especially focusing on arts, education and children’s programs in the Memphis/Whitehaven area, and also supports the Elvis Presley Endowed Scholarship Fund at the College of Communication & Fine Arts at the University of Memphis,” according to its website.

Lisa Marie Presley Had Just Shown Her Grief Counselor Where She Would Be Buried ‘Someday’

David Kessler, a grief counselor who has been working with Presley since the death of her son two years ago, posted on Instagram that he had just been at Graceland with Presley a week before her death, talking about the grief she carries and spending time with her in the Meditation Garden, where she said she would be buried “someday.”

“I’ve been so fortunate to have Lisa Marie as a friend. Her bold, authentic personality made her a loyal daughter and devoted mother. The loss of her son inspired her to work toward becoming an advocate for those who are struggling with the heartbreak of grief,” wrote Kessler on the Instagram post.

He continued:

Last weekend, she asked me to go with her to Memphis for her father’s 88th birthday celebration. She had countless invites for the weekend, but for her, there were only three important ones: being at her father’s birthday celebration, spending time at her son and father’s grave after the tours left Graceland, and meeting with a recently bereaved mother.

I watched how Lisa Marie tenderly talked to this heartbroken mother about what to expect in grief. That’s what interested her most these days, helping others in grief.

She had her challenges but always faced them. She was in my grief educator program and many who met her and chatted with her had no idea who she was. To them, she was a mother, whose son had died and wanted to turn her pain into purpose. She co-led grief groups with me for the past two years at her home for other bereaved parents. We were planning on doing a podcast about grief together. Her family, love for music, maintaining her father’s legacy, and helping others became her priorities.

He finished by writing, “Graceland was her happy place and the employees who all knew her shared that she was looking so much better. She looked more at peace and was so proud of the Elvis movie. Saturday night we sat at the graves of her father and son. We talked about the heartbreak she grew up with and the more recent devastation of her son’s death. She showed me where she would be buried someday. I said a long time from now …and she said yes, I have so much to do. Rest in peace with your father and son, Lisa Marie.”