Priscilla Presley is the matriarch of one of the most famous families in the world. They are an enduring part of the legacy of Elvis Presley, who died in 1977 at age 42. Now 80 years old, Priscilla has had to be very strong to get through some of what she and her relatives have gone through over the years. One of the worst tragedies she ever had to face was the shocking death of her daughter Lisa Marie in 2023 at age 54. The problem was a small bowel obstruction following her bariatric surgery long before.
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Per People via Priscilla's forthcoming memoir, Softly, as I leave You: Life After Elvis, she talks about the agony of losing her only child with the late King of Rock and Roll. "It was the second saddest day of my life, other than losing Elvis. It took a long time to come to terms with the fact that Lisa was gone."
Priscilla and Lisa Marie's Ex Husband Waited Anxiously at the Hospital
The tension and fear they felt as Lisa Marie lay in a hospital bed must have been terrible. It was apparently clear that Lisa Marie's condition was very serious. Priscilla recalled, "We were there all day long. Lisa really wasn't breathing, so she was on the ventilator. For hours we were there waiting, hoping and praying until the doctor came in and said, 'Priscilla, I'm so sorry, she's gone.' We just couldn't believe it — didn't want to believe it. It was hard on all of us, it still is."
Lisa Marie's Heart Momentarily Stopped Beating
Priscilla writes about how Lisa Marie's heart stopped, then was restarted. She found herself having to make a gut-wrenching decision after speaking with a doctor. "The next thing I remember is the doctor talking to me. He asked me what I wanted him to do. They had restarted Lisa's heart, but there was no guarantee it would keep beating. I asked the doctor, 'What kind of life will she have if we keep her on that machine?' He looked at me with compassion and shook his head. 'No quality of life at all.'"
What came next, according to Priscilla's account, was a nightmare. "I said what I had to. 'Take her off the machine, Doctor.' My voice was barely above a whisper."
