John Travolta playing 'peacemaker' as Priscilla Presley, Riley Keough feud over Lisa Marie's $35M trust
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: John Travolta has reportedly been working behind the scenes to fix the family drama between Priscilla Presley and her granddaughter Riley Keough as they feud over Lisa Marie Presley’s $35 million trust. Insiders with knowledge revealed that the Hollywood legend, 68, is privately in talks with both parties.
Priscilla, 77, and Riley, 33, have reportedly become estranged as they battle over the money left behind by Elvis's only child. Just weeks after Lisa Marie's demise, Priscilla moved the courts demanding she is named co-trustee of her late daughter’s trust. According to her, Lisa Marie had appointed her and her ex-manager Barry Siegel as heads of the trust.
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Family feud
It's worth noting that Lisa Marie died with $3 to $4 million in debt, but had life insurance policies amounting to $35 million. The official beneficiaries of Lisa Marie's estate are Riley and her younger twin sisters, Harper and Finley. Priscilla has reportedly demanded that an alleged 2016 amendment to the trust not be enforced after it removed her as co-trustee and gave Riley full control of her mother's estate. Riley had become upset with her "cruel" grandmother's power-grabbing moves, sources told Radar Online. Meanwhile, another insider told the outlet that the granddaughter is not pleased Priscilla has become close with Lisa Marie’s ex-husband Michael Lockwood, who is the father to the twins. That said, Riley is reportedly yet to respond in court.
John Travolta to the rescue
Insiders spilled that Travolta has been calling for a truce between Priscilla and Riley. "John has been a part of the family for going on 50 years and he wants to be a peacemaker,” one source told Radar Online. “Lisa Marie’s death was tragic enough without having it tear the family apart!” they added. John met Lisa Marie in 1975 and mentored her as she joined the Church of Scientology two years later. The two were also romantically linked for a brief period, per sources. Regardless, Lisa Marie always considered the 'Pulp Fiction' star a part of the family, even after exiting the controversial religion in 2012.
'He knows things'
Travolta now feels "like it’s his duty” to fix the worsening family feud, the insider said. “John has been on the phone with Riley, on the phone with Priscilla, not only talking about Lisa Marie, but what she would have wanted," they explained. “He knows things were frosty between Priscilla and Lisa Marie at the end, but he tells the surviving Presley women they need each other to get through these dark times." Travolta even lead the tributes after the daughter of rock legend Elvis Presley died on January 12, 2023, from a cardiac arrest. “Lisa baby girl, I’m so sorry. I’ll miss you but I know I’ll see you again," he wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of his late pal, adding, "My love and heart goes out to Riley, Priscilla, Harper, and Finley.”