Lisa Marie Presley's son Benjamin Keough died by suicide following self-inflicted 'intraoral gunshot wound'
The cause and manner of Lisa Marie Presley's son Benjamin Keough's death have been revealed. An autopsy completed on Monday ruled the 27-year-old musician's cause of death as an "intraoral shotgun wound" and the manner of death as "suicide," the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office revealed Tuesday.
Lisa’s manager confirmed the tragic news of her son's demise in a statement on July 12. Her manager Roger Widynowski told 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."
In 2013, Lisa told the Huffington Post she was letting Benjamin do "his own thing." "He's doing his own thing right now," she said at the time. "I'm going to let him decide when he wants to go out and do what he wants to do."
Benjamin was the son of Presley, 52, and musician Danny Keough, making him the grandson of Elvis and Priscilla Presley and the brother of model and actress Riley Keough. Benjamin, who was a musician himself, reportedly signed a $5 million deal with Universal Records in 2009 to record up to five albums.
Despite hailing from a family brimming with renowned talents, Benjamin maintained a rather low profile. His sister Riley has starred in a series of films such as ‘The Lodge’, ‘Under the Silver Lake’, ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ and ‘American Honey’. That said, Benjamin's close resemblance with the King himself has always been a subject of fascination.
Lisa once addressed the uncanny similarity, saying, "Ben does look so much like Elvis. He was at the Opry and was the quiet storm behind the stage." She added, "Everybody turned around and looked when he was over there. Everybody was grabbing him for a photo because it is just uncanny." Presley's song "Storm and Grace" is reportedly about Keough, whose middle name is Storm.
Upon hearing the tragic news of Keough's demise, fans and rushed to Twitter to send their prayers to his family. One user tweeted, “Noooooooo! Lisa Marie Presley has struggled enough already! This is just... no words! I pray for her. Deeply! May this tragedy not derail her sobriety or her life! So awful!” Another said, “I was so gutted to hear the news of Benjamin Keough's passing. Please, if you need support, contact @LifelineAust or a similar service in your area. Or just reach out to a trusted friend or family member. Rest in peace, Ben.” A third tweeted, “It truly is painful to be human at times. God bless Benjamin Keough’s soul. Thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
Meanwhile, several social media users were seen talking about Benjamin’s apparent suicide and urging one another to seek help owing to struggles with mental illnesses. One user wrote, “Lisa Marie Presley is old enough to have 30-year-old kids? Wow, time flies. #RIPBenjaminKeough. I'm so sorry to read of her son's suicide. Are more people committing suicide? #MentalHealthAwareness."
That said, Benjamin is now survived by his mother Lisa, father Danny, sister Riley, and twin sisters Finley and Harper Lockwood.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, you are urged to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255)