Priscilla Presley dismisses rumors of a family rift

Priscilla Presley slams family-rift rumors over Lisa Marie’s will: Ignore ‘the noise’

A woman with dark red hair reads a poem while holding a microphone

By Nardine SaadStaff Writer

Feb. 3, 2023 1:56 PM PT

Just a week after Priscilla Presley contested the will of her late daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, the ex-wife of legendary singer Elvis Presley is addressing rumors of a family rift head on and telling fans to ignore “the noise.”

“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 Presley, 77, said Friday in a statement to The Times.

Lisa Marie Presley was the only child from the 1967-1973 marriage of the “Jailhouse Rock” crooner and the “Dallas” star. When Elvis died in 1977, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll left his estate to his daughter. She died unexpectedly last month, setting off a legal battle over the future stewardship of his lucrative estate.

Lisa Marie’s will states that her trust — which includes Elvis’ iconic Graceland property in Memphis, Tenn., and her remaining 15% ownership of his estate — would be left to her children. But last week, Priscilla filed a petition in Los Angeles Superior Court questioning the “authenticity and validity” of her daughter’s will and disputing a 2016 amendment that allegedly removed Priscilla and her former business manager, Barry Siegel, as trustees.

Lisa Marie replaced Siegel and her mother with her eldest children, actor Riley Keough, 33, and Benjamin Keough, who died in 2020 at age 27. And as friends of the late singer said this week — including Elvis Presley Enterprises managing partner Joel Weinshanker — it was always Lisa Marie’s intention to leave Elvis’ legacy to her children because “they would look at it exactly the same way she did.”

Priscilla, who later had son Navarone Garibaldi with producer Marco Garibaldi, appeared to further address the drama in her statement, although she did not use any specific names.

“There is an individual that bought their way into the family enterprise that is trying to speak on behalf of our family. This person is not a representative of Elvis or our family. Please allow us the time we need to work together and sort this out. Please ignore ‘the noise,’” she added. “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.”

Priscilla’s statement also comes amid a CNN report that the mother and daughter were estranged due to their respective marriages and divorces, as well as financial mismanagement and personal trauma. An unnamed friend of Lisa Marie cited in the CNN story characterized Priscilla’s petition as a “money grab.”

“This is about Graceland and the memorabilia that Elvis left to Lisa Marie,” the source told CNN. “Lisa was the sole heir to his estate. She and her mother were estranged for the last several years. Lisa did not want her mother overseeing the estate.”

Earlier this week, Priscilla said in a separate statement that she wishes “to protect” her grandchildren and “keep our family together.”

Lisa Marie’s children — including her 14-year-old twin daughters, Harper and Finley, with ex-husband Michael Lockwood — have not yet publicly commented on Priscilla’s filing. A representative for Riley Keough did not immediately respond Friday to The Times’ requests for comment.

Times staff writer Christi Carras contributed to this report.