Joel Weinshanker is the managing parter at Elvis Presley Enterprises. As such, he was close to Lisa Marie Presley and has been giving interviews following her unexpected death in January 2023.
Joel has been observing the current legal battle over Lisa Marie's estate, and he has come to one conclusion.
He began the conversation by explaining to Elvis Radio, "Everyone knew that when Elvis passed away, he left everything to his little girl. He did so knowing that she would be the one to keep his legacy going."
He said of Lisa Marie, "We got along so well because we were both trying to do what was best for Elvis, regardless of what somebody else was trying to do, regardless of what a family member would do."
He added, "Lisa couldn't be bought, she couldn't be pushed. If she felt that something wasn't in Elvis' best interest, it was never about money. And she really is the only Presley that you could say that about."
He also said the two spoke very clearly about who should inherit her estate. Weinshanker continued, "We discussed this many many times [before] she passed, and that was always Riley and Ben."
"There was never a question in her mind that they would be the stewards, that they would look at it the exact same way that she did. And obviously when Ben passed, it really sat with Riley."
On top of that, Weinshanker insisted that Riley Keough has been very aware of her mother's position.
Lisa Marie's mother, Priscilla Presley, is currently contesting a 2016 amendment to her will that gives responsibility to Riley and Ben.
Priscilla's legal team has cited "many issues surrounding the authenticity and validity" with the document, and it remains unclear what will ultimately happen with the estate Lisa Marie inherited from her father.
