Priscilla Presley is fighting for control of her daughter Lisa Marie’s will.
The actor and widow of Elvis Presley spoke out to the press about her fight, which she will
pursue with “honesty, dignity and integrity”.
“I loved Elvis very much, as he loved me. Lisa is a result of our love. For anyone to think anything differently would be a travesty of the family legacy and would be disrespectful of what Elvis left behind in his life,” Priscilla said in a statement.
Her daughter died on January 12 at the age of 54 from suspected cardiac arrest.
“Please allow us the time we need to work together and sort this out. Please ignore ‘the noise’. As I have always been there for Elvis’ legacy, our family, and the fans, I will continue to forge a pathway forward with respect, honesty, dignity, integrity, and love,” she went on to state.
‘The Noise’ she was referring to is an unnamed person “trying to speak on behalf of the
Presley’s” who was “not a representative of Elvis or our family.”
Lisa Marie’s Legal Will, Trust, and Inheritance
Lisa Marie was a sole heir to her father’s estate and created a living trust in 1993 to protect her assets and determine her distribution in the case of her death. Documents obtained by the media show that the trust was restated in 2010, appointing Priscilla Presley and former business manager Barry Siegel as co-trustees.
Lisa Marie’s will was amended in 2016 naming her children, Riley and Benjamin Keough, as co-trustees of her estate. Benjamin died by suicide in 2020, leaving his sister Riley as the sole heir.
Priscilla’s Petition
Priscilla worked with attorneys to create a petition after her daughter died, alleging issues with the amendment. Namely, she stated that her name was misspelled on the document, that the document was never delivered to her, and the Lisa Marie’s signature “appears inconsistent with her usual and customary signature”. It requests that the judge declare the 2016 amendment invalid which would retain Priscilla’s status as sole heir of the estate.
Joel Weinshanker Appearance
Joel Weinshanker, the managing partner at Elvis Presley Enterprises, recently made an
appearance on Sirius XM Elvis Radio to discuss the case. Here are some highlights:
“Everyone knew that when Elvis passed away, he left everything to his little girl. He did so
knowing she would be the one to keep his legacy going.”
He also added that Lisa Marie “couldn’t be bought” and wanted her children to carry on her
legacy.
“She was very, very, quite certain and very direct about who she wanted to have the legacy left to… and that was always Riley and Ben. There was never a question… that they would be the stewards, that they would look at it exactly the same way she did.” He mentioned that Ben’s death really sat with Riley and that, “She’s had always had an interest and always known that one day, she would be in charge.”