When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade. But when life gives you a ghostly family reunion, you apparently keep your son in a guesthouse for two months. Yes, this is the wild, bizarre, and undeniably touching story behind Lisa Marie Presley’s unfinished memoir, which her daughter Riley Keough had to finish. Think of it as a touching family story, with just a sprinkle of “Wait, what?”
Release Date: October 8 – Mark Your Calendars!
Because apparently, October 8 was the day the world got to know that Lisa Marie Presley had some, well, unconventional coping methods. The book, “From Here to the Great Unknown,” opens up with a story so jaw-droppingly surreal that even Hollywood would be like, “Nah, too much.”
Let’s cut to the chase: Back in 2020, after Lisa Marie’s son, Benjamin Keough, tragically passed away, she didn’t exactly rush to bury him. Nope. Instead, she kept him… in her house… for two whole months. Not in the living room or on the couch binge-watching Netflix (thank goodness), but in a separate guesthouse room she lovingly dubbed “the casitas.” You know, for casual, deceased family member storage.
As she explained it, “My house has this cute little casitas bedroom, so naturally, I thought, ‘Why not keep Ben-Ben there for a couple of months?’” Because why settle for a photo album when you can keep the actual family member, right?
Dry Ice and Chill (Literally)
Now, we’re not talking about some sort of Norman Bates situation. Lisa Marie went full-on scientific with this – dry ice and everything! “The room was kept at a cool 55 degrees,” Riley revealed, like she was talking about storing wine, not a body.
And just when you thought there might be some state law preventing this? Nope. Lisa Marie was quick to point out, “In California, there’s no law that says you’ve gotta bury someone right away.” Turns out, funerals are more flexible than your local gym’s cancellation policy.
Parenting, Presley-Style
Lisa Marie was refreshingly candid in her explanation. “I got so used to him being there,” she said. “It would freak out anybody else, but not me. I felt like I was still parenting him.”
Because when you’re a Presley, even death doesn’t get you out of family duties. While other moms are texting their kids to ask if they’ve eaten, Lisa Marie was like, “I’m just gonna pop in on Ben-Ben and see how he’s doing. Parenting, am I right?”
A Tattoo…And Some Seriously Awkward Moments
Now, this is where things go from “Okay, that’s unusual,” to “Did that really just happen?” Riley shared a delightful nugget in the book about the time they invited a tattoo artist over to get matching tattoos with Benjamin’s ink. Sounds innocent enough, right? But then Lisa Marie had a lightbulb moment, because she was a visionary in the field of awkward.
Lisa Marie says to the artist, “I don’t have any photos of the tattoo… but I can show you.” Translation: “You see, I’ve got the original artwork… on my son… in the next room.”
Riley’s inner monologue at this point? Pure gold. “Mom, are you out of your f—ing mind?! You don’t even know this guy!” And yet, like in any good Presley story, things only got weirder.
The Ghost Gets Uncomfortable
Eventually, even Benjamin was apparently getting a little tired of his extended staycation. Riley wrote, “We started getting this vibe from him, like, ‘Guys… this is getting weird.’” Imagine being so dead that even you are over it. Even Lisa Marie had a moment where she thought she could hear Benjamin say, “This is insane, Mom. What the f—!”
Resting in Peace… Finally
Eventually, Benjamin was laid to rest at Graceland (where Lisa Marie would also join him). But, if this memoir teaches us anything, it’s that Presley family reunions are anything but boring.
So, if you’re in the mood for a memoir that will have you laughing, crying, and wondering about the legalities of dry ice, then “From Here to the Great Unknown” is the book for you. Available now on Amazon!
