Many Americans know about the Kennedy curse, which seems to plague generation after generation of one of our most famous families. It seems that yet another inherently American family might be battling their own generational nightmare. The family of Elvis Presley has weathered storm after storm, with no apparent end in sight.
From Elvis' own untimely death, to Lisa Marie's too soon passing, to his daughter's admitted struggles with addiction and the 2020 suicide of his grandson, the family has been through a lot.
While he was known for leading a glamorous life, Elvis Presley was born into a family that suffered from extreme poverty. His family lost their home when Elvis was only 4 after his father was sent to prison for changing a check.
Elvis Presley was raised an only child, but he was actually born a twin. His brother, Jesse, was stillborn, and his parents never had any other children. Vernon Presley later told Good Housekeeping that despite the uphill battle he and Elvis' mother, Gladys, faced, "My love for my son began even before he was born. At that time there was almost nobody poorer than my wife Gladys and me. But we were thrilled and excited when we learned that we were going to be parents."
Losing one son impacted Gladys Presley in a major way. Gladys was said to be worried that something would happen to Elvis and was overprotective; as a result, the two ended up enormously close.
Gladys' death when Elvis was in the US Army hit him hard, and sources later said he was "near hysteria" and at her funeral cried out, "Oh God, everything I have is gone. I lived my life for you. I loved you so much."
Elvis' own death was also shrouded in mystery. His death certificate listed a heart attack as the official cause of death, but others disagreed. As Town & Country wrote, "Multiple doctors involved reportedly argued that the musician's cause of death should have been attributed to a toxic combination of pharmaceuticals."
The toxicology report was said to confirm this theory. It stated that Elvis' body "reportedly contained high dosages of, among other things, the opiates Dilaudid, Percodan, and Demerol, as well as Quaaludes and codeine."
Eventually, two people involved with the autopsy admitted that drugs played a serious role in his death. PBS wrote that the cover-up had to happen. "After all, how would it look if the rock star who President Richard Nixon awarded a special badge from the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs had died of a drug overdose?"
Lisa Marie Presley was only 9 years old when her father died. She refused to speak publicly about his death for years, but she eventually admitted to suffering her own bouts with drug addiction. She herself, died in 2023 after being rushed to the hospital with cardiac issues.
Lisa Marie has been married four times, the first to Danny Keough, with whom she had two children. She's also been married to Michael Jackson, Nicolas Cage, and Michael Lockwood, whom she shares her twins with. Each of these marriages ended in divorce and struggle.
Priscilla Presley has also been through her fair share of hard times. She and Elvis had a notoriously unhappy married life that was occasionally punctuated with good times. Following their divorce, she admitted to feeling like a "living doll" who was "molded" into the image that Elvis wanted.
The Presley family also came close to losing all of the money Elvis earned throughout his lifetime. When he died, his estate was worth $4.9 million, despite possible earnings of up to $1 billion. RCA owned most of the rights to his music, so without the singer alive and performing, the Presley family found their income was coming to a startling halt.
By 1989, Priscilla Presley had transformed the estate and rebuilt the fortune many times over. However, Lisa Marie inherited everything from Elvis' will and lost hundreds of millions of dollars. Ultimately, her mother had to step in and bail her out.
In July 2020, the family curse struck again. Benjamin Keough, the grandson of Elvis, was found dead in his home at the age of 27. Lisa Marie was devastated, with her manager Roger Widynowski telling TMZ, "She is completely heartbroken, inconsolable and beyond devastated but trying to stay strong for her 11 year old twins and her oldest daughter Riley. She adored that boy. He was the love of her life."
On Jan. 12, 2023, the family announced that Lisa Marie had died after suffering a cardiac episode. Priscilla told People, "It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us."
"She was the most passionate strong and loving woman I have ever known. We ask for privacy as we try to deal with this profound loss. Thank you for the love and prayers. At this time there will be no further comment."
