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After the death of Lisa Marie Presley, a custody battle over the youngest twin daughters (from left): Presley’s eldest daughter Riley Keough with her mother Lisa Marie Presley and her twin sisters Finley and Harper.
Patricia BroderEditor People
Lisa Marie Presley († 54) died unexpectedly on Thursday after a cardiac arrest. According to recent reports, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s only child, Elvis Presley (1935-1977), suffered not one, but two cardiac arrests. She had the first at home in her private home in Calabasas, California, her ex-husband Danny Kough (58) and later paramedics performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on site. According to the US portal TMZ, the singer’s heart stopped beating a second time in the hospital.
After the initial grief, the big question now is what will become of their 14-year-old twin daughters, Finley and Harper. According to US media, there is a risk of a major custody battle – between biological father Michael Lockwood (61) and stepfather Danny Keough (58).
At the time of her death, Lisa Marie Presley reportedly had 60 percent custody, with estranged father and ex-husband Lockwood holding the remaining 40 percent. Under California law, he would now be awarded full custody unless a judge decides otherwise in the best interest of the child.
Presley and Lockwood were at odds
Lockwood, who fought a bitter custody and maintenance dispute with Presley until her death, wants full custody in any case and will also go to court in an emergency, it is said. It is quite possible that the US musician and producer will also have to do this, because Presley’s first husband Danny Keough, who recently lived with the singer again, sees himself as the stepfather of the two daughters and could also demand custody, report anonymous sources from the area the family.
Other possibilities are that Riley Keough (33), Lisa Marie Presley’s eldest daughter, is filing for custody of her little sisters, or even that grandmother Priscilla Presley (77) is fighting for her two granddaughters. But if it actually comes to that, the twins themselves, who are already in their teens, would be allowed to declare in court who they want to live with in the future.
You inherit Graceland
It is already certain, however, that the twin daughters will one day inherit the legendary family estate Graceland together with sister Riley. Elvis’ former home in Tennessee, now open to the public as a museum, is valued at $400-500 million and generates around $30 million annually. “Graceland was given to me and will always be mine,” Lisa Marie Presley once said. “Once I’m no longer here, the property will be transferred to my children.” She also emphasized: “Graceland will never be sold.”
As recently revealed, Graceland is also the final resting place of Lisa Marie Presley. She is to be buried alongside her famous father and their late son Benjamin Keough (1992-2020).