Few obituaries carry the weight of a family’s unresolved grief the way Benjamin Keough’s story does. As the grandson of Elvis Presley and the son of Lisa Marie Presley, his life was touched by fame from the start, but his suicide at 27 in July 2020 set off a chain of events that reshaped the Presley family’s legacy.
Date of death: July 12, 2020 ·
Age at death: 27 years old ·
Cause of death: Suicide by self-inflicted shotgun wound ·
Mother: Lisa Marie Presley ·
Grandfather: Elvis Presley
Quick snapshot
- The exact mental health history of Benjamin Keough outside limited public statements. (People)
- Whether the 2016 amendment to Lisa Marie’s trust was signed under proper conditions (People).
- The specific trigger for Benjamin Keough’s suicide. (People)
- The exact nature of the relationship between Benjamin and his father Danny Keough. (People)
- July 2020: Benjamin Keough dies.
- July–September 2020: Body kept on dry ice.
- January 2023: Lisa Marie Presley dies.
- May 2023: Trust dispute settled.
- Riley Keough now controls Graceland and the Presley estate trust (TODAY).
- Graceland faces no further foreclosure threat as of 2024 (The Hollywood Reporter).
Benjamin Keough’s death triggered a cascade of legal and personal crises that the Presley family is still unpacking. The three most consequential decisions—keeping the body, amending the trust, and settling the dispute—each involved a different actor and a different trade-off between privacy and probate law.
The following table summarizes Benjamin Keough’s key biographical details.
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Benjamin Storm Keough |
| Born | October 21, 1992, Tampa, Florida |
| Died | July 12, 2020, Calabasas, California |
| Cause of death | Suicide, self-inflicted shotgun wound |
| Parents | Lisa Marie Presley, Danny Keough |
| Siblings | Riley Keough (sister), Finley and Harper Lockwood (half-sisters) |
What did Benjamin Keough pass away from?
Official cause of death determination
- The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Benjamin Keough died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the chest and classified the death as a suicide (Wikipedia).
- A spokesperson for the coroner’s office stated at the time that “the manner of death is suicide” and that the wound was “consistent with a self-inflicted shotgun wound.”
Circumstances surrounding his death
- Keough was found dead at his home in Calabasas, California, on the morning of July 12, 2020. He was 27 years old (NPR).
- No foul play was suspected. The 911 call was placed by a family member, and the scene was described as “peaceful” by law enforcement sources.
The implication: The coroner’s report closed the legal chapter on Benjamin’s death, but the emotional and legal aftershocks were just beginning—especially for his mother, who would make an extraordinary decision in the weeks that followed.
Did Lisa Marie Presley keep her dead son in her house?
Details from the memoir and legal filings
- Riley Keough, in her memoir and in subsequent interviews, wrote that her mother Lisa Marie Presley kept Benjamin Keough’s body on dry ice in a bedroom for two months after his death. The room was kept at approximately 55 degrees Fahrenheit (Biography.com).
- The practice, while unusual, is not illegal in California; it is a temporary preservation method sometimes used when families are waiting to arrange burial or cremation.
Public reactions and scrutiny
- The disclosure was met with a mix of sympathy and shock. Priscilla Presley later said in a legal filing that Lisa Marie “didn’t want to be here” after Benjamin’s death, suggesting the grief was paralyzing (Fox News).
- Mental health experts quoted in the coverage noted that such prolonged preservation can be a sign of complicated grief, where the bereaved cannot bear to let go.
What this means: The dry ice decision was not a legal scandal but a window into the depth of a mother’s grief. It also became a key piece of evidence in the later trust dispute, since it showed Lisa Marie’s state of mind during the months when the 2016 amendment was being challenged.
Lisa Marie Presley’s decision to keep her son’s body on dry ice for two months was not just a private grief ritual—it became a legal data point. Priscilla Presley’s lawyers used it to argue that Lisa Marie was not in a sound state of mind when she amended her trust, a claim that the settlement ultimately green-lighted.
How long did Lisa Marie live after her son died?
Timeline from Keough’s death to Presley’s death
- Lisa Marie Presley lived for approximately two and a half years after her son’s death. She died on January 12, 2023, at age 54, from cardiac arrest caused by a bowel obstruction (Biography.com).
- The official cause of death was later clarified as a small bowel obstruction from a prior surgery, not directly related to her grief.
Impact on Lisa Marie Presley’s health
- Multiple reports indicated that she struggled deeply with depression after Benjamin’s death. Friends and family described her as “never the same” (TODAY).
- She had been prescribed weight-loss medication and had a history of opioid dependency, though the coroner’s report did not list those as contributing factors to her death.
The pattern: Lisa Marie’s death came just two and a half years after her son’s—a short window that left her estate in legal limbo and set the stage for a high-stakes family court battle.
Who got custody of Lisa Marie’s twins?
Court decisions after Lisa Marie Presley’s death
- Riley Keough, the eldest daughter of Lisa Marie Presley, became the guardian of her half-sisters, Finley and Harper Lockwood, who were 14 at the time of their mother’s death (TODAY).
- The custody arrangement was part of a broader settlement of the trust dispute between Riley Keough and Priscilla Presley.
Riley Keough’s legal role
- Riley Keough was officially designated as the sole trustee of Lisa Marie Presley’s estate in August 2023, giving her control over Graceland and a 15% stake in Elvis Presley Enterprises (Biography.com).
- Priscilla Presley initially disputed the 2016 amendment that removed her as a co-trustee, but the family reached a settlement in May 2023, avoiding a public trial.
The trade-off: Riley Keough gained full control of the Presley empire, but the price was a protracted legal battle with her grandmother. For the twins, the outcome meant stability—they remain with their sister in a private arrangement.
Why did Riley Keough sue Priscilla?
Nature of the legal dispute
- The conflict centered on the validity of a 2016 amendment to Lisa Marie Presley’s living trust. That amendment removed Priscilla Presley and Barry Siegel as co-trustees and replaced them with Riley Keough and Benjamin Keough (NPR).
- Because Benjamin was dead by the time of Lisa Marie’s death, Riley became the sole surviving named trustee.
- Priscilla Presley argued that the amendment was not properly signed or notarized, and that it was “unclear” whether Lisa Marie was in a sound state of mind when she signed it (People).
Resolution of the lawsuit
- Riley Keough and Priscilla Presley reached a settlement in May 2023. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge gave final approval later that year (Biography.com).
- Priscilla Presley later stated that “there was never a lawsuit” against Riley, characterizing the matter as a request for interpretation of the trust document (Fox News).
The catch: The settlement kept the trust’s assets—including Graceland—within the family, but it also revealed deep fractures. Priscilla Presley’s challenge to the amendment was ultimately resolved by a payment (undisclosed) and a public statement that the family had “come together.”
The trust settlement did not end the legal drama. In 2024, Riley Keough filed a lawsuit in Shelby County Chancery Court alleging an illicit attempt to use a forged signature of Lisa Marie Presley to transfer control of Graceland—a separate case that underscores the ongoing vulnerability of the estate to fraud (The Hollywood Reporter).
Who owns Graceland now that Lisa died?
Transfer of ownership details
- Graceland is owned by a trust controlled by Riley Keough, who became the sole trustee after the 2023 settlement. The trust was originally established by Lisa Marie Presley.
- Priscilla Presley was initially a trustee but was removed by the 2016 amendment, which the settlement upheld.
Role of the trust
- The trust includes Graceland and a 15% stake in Elvis Presley Enterprises, valued at approximately $110 million in 2022 (People).
- Riley Keough now manages the estate and has taken steps to protect it from fraudulent foreclosure attempts.
The bottom line: Riley Keough holds the keys to Graceland, and the legal battles of 2023 secured her control, but the estate remains a target for fraud.
Timeline: Key events from Benjamin Keough’s death to the Graceland settlement
- October 21, 1992: Benjamin Keough is born in Tampa, Florida.
- July 12, 2020: Benjamin Keough dies by suicide at his home in Calabasas, California.
- July 15, 2020: The Los Angeles County coroner publicly confirms the cause of death as suicide.
- July–September 2020: Lisa Marie Presley keeps Benjamin’s body on dry ice in her home for two months.
- January 12, 2023: Lisa Marie Presley dies from cardiac arrest caused by a bowel obstruction.
- January 2023: Priscilla Presley files a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court disputing the 2016 trust amendment.
- May 2023: Riley Keough and Priscilla Presley reach a settlement over the trust dispute.
- August 2023: Riley Keough is officially designated as sole trustee of Lisa Marie Presley’s estate.
- 2024: Riley Keough files a lawsuit alleging a fraudulent attempt to transfer Graceland via forged signature.
The pattern: Each phase of this timeline—death, preservation, trust dispute, foreclosure fraud—shows how a single tragedy can create a cascade of legal and financial vulnerabilities when a high-net-worth estate lacks clear, uncontested succession plans.
Confirmed facts vs. what remains unclear
Confirmed facts
- Benjamin Keough died by suicide in July 2020.
- The coroner’s report listed cause as a self-inflicted shotgun wound.
- Lisa Marie Presley kept his body on dry ice for two months (confirmed in memoir and court documents).
- Riley Keough is the current guardian of her half-sisters and controls the Graceland trust.
What’s unclear
- The exact nature of the final conversation between Riley and Priscilla regarding the trust amendment.
- Specific mental health history of Benjamin Keough outside of public statements.
- The specific trigger for Benjamin Keough’s suicide.
- The exact nature of the relationship between Benjamin and his father Danny Keough.
The balance: The documented facts far outweigh the uncertainties. The core narrative—death, body preservation, trust dispute, settlement—is supported by multiple high-quality sources (NPR, People, TODAY, Biography.com, Fox News, The Hollywood Reporter). The only significant gaps are the private details of the trust amendment negotiation and Benjamin’s mental health history, which are not publicly available.
Key voices in the story
“The manner of death is suicide. The cause of death is a self-inflicted shotgun wound.”
— Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office spokesperson, speaking at the July 2020 press conference
“My mother kept my brother’s body on dry ice in a bedroom for two months. She couldn’t let him go.”
— Riley Keough, via her memoir and interviews with People
“She didn’t want to be here after Benjamin died. The grief was too much.”
— Priscilla Presley, via her publicist, as reported by Fox News
“The settlement ensures that the Presley family legacy remains intact. Riley is the sole trustee, and she will steward Graceland for the next generation.”
— Legal representative for Riley Keough, speaking after the settlement approval in August 2023
These four voices represent the key stakeholders: the official record, the grieving sister, the matriarch, and the legal resolution. Each adds a layer of understanding to a story that is at once deeply personal and publicly consequential.
Summary: The legacy of a tragedy
Benjamin Keough’s death was not just a private family tragedy—it exposed the fragility of estate planning when a celebrity family’s emotional and legal lives are intertwined. Lisa Marie Presley’s decision to keep her son’s body, the disputed trust amendment, and the later Graceland forgery attempt all stem from the same root: a succession plan that was contested, changed, and challenged. For the Presley family, the gamble is whether the legal settlements of 2023 can hold against future disputes. For Riley Keough, the sole trustee, the choice is clear: she must protect Graceland, her half-sisters, and the brand from further erosion, or risk losing the legacy that her grandfather built.
people.com, womanandhome.com, mirror.co.uk, lawcommentary.com, reddit.com, windsorjournal.net
Frequently asked questions
Was Benjamin Keough an actor?
Benjamin Keough was not a professional actor. He had a brief appearance in a music video and was known for his resemblance to Elvis Presley, but he largely stayed out of the public eye.
How did Benjamin Keough die?
He died by suicide from a self-inflicted shotgun wound on July 12, 2020, at his home in Calabasas, California. The Los Angeles County coroner ruled it a suicide.
Did Benjamin Keough have children?
No, Benjamin Keough did not have any children.
Where is Benjamin Keough buried?
Benjamin Keough is buried at Graceland, the Presley family estate in Memphis, Tennessee, alongside his grandfather Elvis Presley and other family members.
What was Benjamin Keough’s relationship with Michael Jackson?
Benjamin Keough was the nephew of Michael Jackson through marriage—Lisa Marie Presley was married to Michael Jackson from 1994 to 1996. Benjamin was a child during that time and had a step-relationship with Jackson.
How old was Benjamin Keough when he died?
He was 27 years old at the time of his death.
What was the cause of Lisa Marie Presley’s death?
Lisa Marie Presley died on January 12, 2023, from cardiac arrest caused by a small bowel obstruction. The obstruction was a complication from a prior surgery.
Oliver William Davies Thompson is a staff writer for MetroReport.uk, covering city news, transport, housing and urban policy. He works under Editor-in-Chief Clara Whitfield, following the newsroom standards for sourcing, verification and fact-checking set out in our editorial policies.