‘Incredibly Painful’: Lisa Marie Presley’s Daughter Talks Finishing Mom’s Memoir

Lisa Marie Presley’s daughter actress Riley Keough opened up about finishing her late mom’s memoir, calling the experience “incredibly painful.”

During an interview with People magazine, the 35-year-old star talked about fulfilling her mom’s last wish by completing Presley’s memoir, “From Here to the Great Unknown.” Lisa Marie died in January 2023 at the age of 54 from complications from prior bariatric surgery.

“Because my mother was Elvis Presley’s daughter, she was constantly talked about, argued over and dissected,” Riley explained.

“What she wanted to do in her memoir, and what I hope I’ve done in finishing it for her, is to go beneath the magazine headline idea of her and reveal the core of who she was,” she added. “To turn her into a three-dimensional human being: the best mother, a wild child, a fierce friend, an underrated artist, frank, funny, traumatized, joyous, grieving, everything that she was throughout her remarkable life.”

Riley Keough Says She ‘Burst Into Tears’ While Working on Late Mom Lisa Marie Presley’s Unfinished Project: ‘Incredibly Painful’ https://t.co/n5FxvM6veC

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“I want to give voice to my mother in a way that eluded her while she was alive,” Riley continued.

The actress said in order to finish her mom’s memoir, she listened to hours and hours of memories her mom had recorded on tapes of her life as the daughter of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, her romantic relationships, motherhood to Riley and her brother Benjamin, who died in 2020 at the age of 27, and later as a grandma to Keough’s daughter, Tupelo.

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“The tapes are an incredible portrait of the force of nature that she was,” Riley said. “Depending on the day and her mood, she can sound locked-in or distracted, vulnerable and open or annoyed and closed off, hopeful, angry, everything. You hear her in all her complications.”

“I hope that in an extraordinary circumstance, people relate to a very human experience of love, heartbreak, loss, addiction and family,” she added of the book. “[My mom] wanted to write a book in the hopes that someone could read her story and relate to her, to know that they’re not alone in the world. Her hope with this book was just human connection. So that’s mine.”

Priscilla confirmed Lisa Marie’s death on January 12, hours after she was rushed to a hospital, as previously reported.

“My beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us,” a statement from her mother read. “She was the most passionate strong and loving woman I have ever known. We ask for privacy as we try to deal with this profound loss. Thank you for the love and prayers. At this time there will be no further comment.”

“From Here to the Great Unknown,” by Keough and Presley, comes out October 8, the outlet noted.

Related: Lisa Marie Presley’s Daughter Riley Keough Finally Breaks Her Silence A Week After Mom’s Death