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Elvis Presley’s widow, Priscilla, is no longer on speaking terms with her granddaughter Riley Keough amid an ongoing dispute over daughter Lisa Marie Presley’s will, sources say.
Priscilla, 77, and Keough, 33, are the protagonists of the heated legal battle that has been taking place between the two parties’ lawyers for the last month.
The sudden death of the King of Rock’s only child last month began the saga, after it was revealed the 54-year-old had changed the terms of her will and turned daughter Riley and son Benjamin, who committed suicide. in 2020, on his sole heirs.
The change was made in 2016 and saw Priscilla removed from the will entirely.
While it’s unclear exactly how much money Lisa Marie left behind, with various reports indicating that the famously troubled singer-songwriter squandered the $100 million fortune she inherited after her father’s death in 1977, news of the move apparently angered many. her mother, who has since defied the 2016 amendment.
Elvis Presley’s widow Priscilla (left) is reportedly no longer speaking to her granddaughter Riley Keough (right) amid an ongoing dispute over their daughter Lisa Marie Presley’s (center) will.
The sudden death of the King of Rock’s only child last month kicked off the saga, after it was revealed the 54-year-old had changed the terms of her will and created Riley and their son Benjamin (here with his mother in 2010) his only heirs. Ben committed suicide in 2020
On Thursday, a source close to the family offered a new development to the ongoing war of wills, revealing that Lisa Marie, who just weeks ago urged fans to “ignore the noise” over the feud seen in the media. , he is already talking to his granddaughter
“Riley has been mourning the loss of her mother and is heartbroken to have to deal with a trust dispute with a family member,” the anonymous source told Entertainment Tonight.
‘Priscilla insists that she has a valid case and that she will prevail in court.
“Riley and Priscilla are not communicating at this time, but have been communicating through attorneys.”
The source added that while Keough would prefer to resolve this dispute in private, both women are now “preparing” for a bitter court battle.
“She is heartbroken that this has become a public issue and knows that her mother would never want this,” the source said, noting that Priscilla has remained “convinced that [the] old documents had been forged.
Keough, on the other hand, who in the last three years has had to bury both her mother and brother, has been “very stressed” by the dispute but is “trying to stay positive”, the source said.
Lisa Marie is seen with her parents, Elvis and Priscilla Presley, in 1970. The King of Rock’s only daughter, the singer inherited $100 million from her father after his death in 1977.
Since the contents of Lisa Marie’s will were published, Priscilla has vehemently questioned the credibility of the amendment, stating that the appearance of her daughter’s signature on the seven-year-old document seemed inconsistent.
She has since called for the public to allow her and her relatives the time they need to “work together and figure this out” while the high-profile family works to resolve the disagreement.
Speaking about the ongoing feud this month, Priscilla said she intended to find “a way forward with respect, honesty, dignity, integrity and love.”
Filed the legal documents necessary to challenge the 2016 amendment that removed she and Lisa Marie’s former business manager, Barry Siegel, as trustees.
Both were succeeded by Riley and the late Ben Keough, whose death from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in July 2020 left Riley as sole executor, as was Lisa Marie after her father’s death.
Priscilla filed legal papers to set aside a 2010 Lisa Marie trust amendment that removes her and her daughter’s former business manager, Barry Siegel, as trustees and replaces them with her grandchildren Riley and the late Ben Keough (in the photo)
Ben’s suicide in 2020 left Riley (right) as the sole trustee of Lisa Marie’s estate, but Priscilla hopes to invalidate this amendment. Riley is seen here in the final photo with his mother before the 54-year-old died.
Other complaints Priscilla has with the recently revealed amendment include that it was never delivered to her, suspicions about the date of the document, and misspellings in Priscilla’s name.
speaking in said SiriusXM Elvis RadioJoel Weinshanker, managing partner of Elvis Presley Enterprises, insisted: ‘It was always Riley and Ben.
‘There was never a doubt in her mind that they would be the stewards, that they would see it exactly as she did.
“Obviously, when Ben passed away, he really sat down with Riley.”
Weinshanker said Riley knew she would manage the trust.
“Even though Riley is a movie star, she’s an award-winning director, she’s always had an interest and always knew that one day she’d be in charge,” she said.
Weinshanker said he was speaking out because “sometimes you just have to take a stand.”
Fans visited Lisa Marie Presley’s grave and Graceland Meditation Pool during her memorial on January 22 after her death ten days earlier.
“When Elvis passed away, he left everything to his little girl,” she said.
He did it knowing that she would be the one to uphold his legacy.
“I can tell you that she, without hesitation, no matter what’s going on in her life, in her career, she’s always been the one to go after what’s best for Elvis.”
Weinshanker said Lisa Marie cared about the trust “regardless of what someone else was trying to do, regardless of what another family member [was trying to] do.’
Named sole executor of the King’s estate in 1977, Lisa Marie only received her $100 million inheritance on January 29, 1993, her 25th birthday.
The trust, which includes the family’s sprawling Tennessee estate, Graceland, was completely amended and recast on January 27, 2010, placing his mother and Siegel as trustees.
“Lisa Marie Presley named her mother, the petitioner, and her former business manager, Barry Siegel, as co-trustees effective the date of the 2010 reformulation,” the court filing states.
‘The 2010 restatement further provides that Petitioner and Barry Siegel will continue to serve as co-trustees in the event of the incapacity and/or subsequent death of Lisa Marie Presley.’
Priscilla (left) has disputed the validity and authenticity of the amendment, claiming it was never delivered to her, the date on the document is suspect, the document misspells Priscilla’s name, and Lisa Marie’s signature “appears inconsistent with her usual signature and habitual”. ‘ Priscilla and Lisa Marie are seen here with ‘Elvis’ star Austin Butler
In 2018, Siegel and Lisa Marie, who, like her father, struggled with drugs and finances throughout her career, found themselves in a bitter court battle amid their deteriorating financial situation.
Lisa Marie said that Siegel had put his own financial interests ahead of her own and later cut ties with Siegel.
That said, despite the $100 million inheritance from 1993, many have questioned how much money Lisa Marie actually had, amid rumors that she squandered her fortune.
Some celebrity websites estimated that she may have had a negative net worth at the time of her death and that she was not wealthy enough to be on Forbes’ list of the highest paid entertainers.
She still owned Graceland, Presley’s $10 million Memphis estate that is now a tourist attraction, through a trust.
Graceland will now be inherited by their children: Riley and 14-year-old twins Harper and Finley.
After her death, Lisa Marie was buried next to her son Benjamin and her late father.
The feud between his surviving relatives is still going on.