Benjamin Keough, only grandson of Elvis Presley, dead at 27
- Mother Lisa Marie Presley ‘heartbroken’ after son’s apparent suicide
- Benjamin Keough had strong resemblance to his famous grandfather
Elvis Presley’s only grandson died Sunday, his mother Lisa Marie Presley’s manager confirmed, with local media reporting the death as an apparent suicide.
Benjamin Keough, 27, was found in Calabasas near Los Angeles and had a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police sources told TMZ.
The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said officials responded to a “rescue response” call about 6:30am on Sunday on the 24800 block of Alexandra Court in Calabasas.
“Upon their arrival, they located the victim suffering from one gunshot wound to the upper torso,” the department said. “The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.”
Authorities identified the victim as a white male in his 20s without releasing a name.
Manager Roger Widynowski gave no details about the death, saying that Lisa Marie Presley – Elvis’s only child from his marriage to actor Priscilla Presley – was “heartbroken, inconsolable and beyond devastated”.
“She adored that boy. He was the love of her life,” Widynowski said, adding she was “trying to stay strong” for her daughters.
Lisa Marie Presley was particularly close to Benjamin, revealing on Twitter in 2012 that on Mother’s Day three years prior they bonded over Celtic eternity knot tattoos placed in the same location.
Keough seldom appeared in public, but the few photos of him showed his strong resemblance to his grandfather.
Lisa Marie Presley revealed to CMT in October 2012 that backstage at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, people were struck over Benjamin’s resemblance to his famous grandfather Elvis. “He was at the Opry and was the quiet storm behind the stage!” she said. “Everybody turned around and looked when he was over there. Everybody was grabbing him for a photo because it is just uncanny. Sometimes I am overwhelmed when I look at him.”
Like his famous grandfather, Keough was a musician who signed a US$5 million record deal in 2009.
When asked if Benjamin was going to have a music career, she told The Huffington Post in 2013: “He’s doing his own thing right now. I’m going to let him decide when he wants to go out and do what he wants to do.”
TMZ reported Keough had done some acting and had attended the 40th anniversary of Elvis’s death at the star’s former home Graceland in Memphis in 2017.
Keough’s oldest sister, Riley Keough, is an actress who has appeared in films such as Mad Max: Fury Road and The Lodge.
Lisa Marie Presley is also the mother of twins Harper and Finley from her past marriage to Michael Lockwood.
Rock’n’roll legend Elvis Presley died in 1977 aged 42.
Agence France-Presse and Tribune News Service
If you are having suicidal thoughts, or you know someone who is, help is available. For Hong Kong, dial +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on +1 800 273 8255. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.
