Lisa Marie Presley opened up this week in an emotional essay about the loss of her beloved son Benjamin Keough.
The 54-year-old daughter of legendary crooner Elvis Presley said her son’s death “destroyed” her after Benjamin committed suicide in 2020 at the age of 27.
On the occasion of “National Grief Awareness Day” on Tuesday, the singer wrote an essay for People magazine about the overwhelming grief she continues to feel over the sudden death of her son.
“Today is National Grief Awareness Day, and as I’ve been living in the horrifying reality of his unforgiving grip since my son’s death two years ago, I thought I’d share a few things to watch out for regarding grief for everyone. who are interested,” she wrote. “If not to help yourself, but perhaps to help another who is grieving.”
Presley said she found that “grief doesn’t stop or go away in any way” and that it’s something that stays with you “for the rest of your life.”
Elsewhere in the essay, she admitted that she felt “judged and blamed” for her son’s death.
“I’m already fighting and beating myself tirelessly and chronically, blaming myself every day and that’s hard enough to live with now, but others will judge and blame you too, even in secret or behind your back, which is even more cruel and painful for top of everything else,” she wrote.
Presley also shares daughter Riley Keough with ex-husband Danny Keough. She shares her 13-year-old twin daughters Finley Aaron Love and Harper Vivienne Anne with ex-husband Michael Lockwood. Their divorce was finalized last year.
Presley said her three daughters’ lives, in addition to hers, had been “completely exploded and devastated by his death. We live here every. Only. Day.”
“Nothing, absolutely NOTHING takes the pain away, but finding support can sometimes help you feel a little less alone,” she added.
“It’s a real choice to keep going, one that I have to make every day and one that’s a constant challenge to say the least… But I keep going for my girls,” she continued.
“I keep going because my son made it very clear in his final moments that taking care of his little sisters and taking care of them was at the forefront of his worries and thoughts. He adored them and they loved him.”
Benjamin died on July 12, 2020 at the age of 27 at his home in Calabasas, California from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled that his death was a suicide.
Three months after his death, he was laid to rest in Graceland alongside his grandfather and several other relatives.
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or going through a mental health crisis and live in New York City, call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis advice. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can call the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.