Riley Keough looked stunning as she stepped onto the red carpet Thursday night for the Los Angeles premiere of her hotly anticipated new show, “Daisy Jones & the Six.”
Fans of the hit novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid are eagerly anticipating the on-screen version starring Elvis Presley’s granddaughter, which debuts on Amazon Prime on March 3.
At another time, Keough, 33, would be on a massive promotional tour, but she is still reeling from the sudden death of her mother, Lisa Marie Presley, aged 54 just six weeks ago from a cardiac arrest. The actress was so overcome at her mother’s funeral that her husband Ben Smith-Petersen read her eulogy, in which she announced the surprise arrival of their baby girl, Tupelo.
Her appearance at the “Daisy” London premiere on February 16 was scrapped and other press outings have been carefully curated, with reporters told Keough will not be answering questions about her mother — or grandmother, Priscilla Presley.
In a shock move, days after Lisa Marie’s death, Priscilla filed a petition in LA questioning the “authenticity and validity” of a 2016 amendment to Lisa Marie’s trust and estate. That amendment named Keough as controller of the trust, which includes Graceland, the tourist-attraction Memphis mansion of Lisa Marie’s father, Elvis Presley, and 15% ownership of the legendary late singer’s estate.
Amid a report that Keough and her grandmother are now at odds, a longtime friend of Lisa Marie confirmed to Page Six: “Riley and Priscilla are not talking. Their relationship is changing, that is true … it’s just so sad. This is the time Riley would really need her grandmother.”
Although the two were once close, the friend said, “Riley is seeing a new side of her grandmother.”
A Graceland source said that Keough doesn’t want it to be this way.
“Riley’s not looking for a war. She always had a good relationship with her grandmother,” the Graceland source said. “Lisa had her issues with her mother, but … she didn’t drag [her kids] into [their] personal issues.”
Keough has a big legal team behind her, Page Six is told, but one legal expert said the actress does not need to file anything in retaliation to Priscilla’s filing until a few days before the April 13 court hearing in LA.
Reps for Keough and Priscilla were unavailable for comment.
Any legal maneuvers would have undoubtedly stolen attention away from “Daisy,” in which Keough stars as the Stevie Nicks-esque lead singer of a fictitious 1970s band, alongside Brit Sam Claflin.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Keough didn’t talk about her mother or grandmother, although she admitted she tapped into her family’s musical heritage during months of band rehearsals, saying: “I don’t know if there is continuing my grandfather’s legacy … But it was a really fun experience for me …
“I’ve listened to music and my whole family are musicians, and I’ve been around this world a lot and been on tour and all that kind of stuff,” she added. “But I’d never really done it myself. So for me, it was more about my personal relationship with getting to play music, which was fun.”
This week, she posted photos of her interview looks on social media; in one, you can see the tattoo of her late brother Benjamin’s name. Lisa Marie had actually listed him along with Keough as co-successor trustees, before the 27-year-old took his own life in July 2020.
Reps for Lisa Marie have confirmed that Elvis’s estate is now in the hands of her three daughters, including 14-year-old twins Finley and Harper, whose father is Lisa Marie’s fourth husband, Michael Lockwood.
Elvis fans have bombarded her Instagram account, pleading with her to “take care” of Graceland.
One even wrote: “Don’t let your grandmother win. Follow your mom’s wishes,” while another commented: “You‘re Graceland‘s rightful owner Riley never stop fighting for what is yours. Your mother and grandfather would want you to have Graceland.”
Lisa Marie had previously named Priscilla, 77, and former business manager Barry Siegel as co-trustees in 2010 — but the 2016 amendment put the trust in the hands of her children.
“In essence, there should be no in-fighting within the family over a trust that was always meant to go to Riley and Benjamin,” the Graceland source said. “Lisa was meant to outlive her mother.”
As friends already told Page Six, Lisa Marie would be “pissed” by the situation. Joel Weinshanker, a managing partner at Elvis Presley Enterprises, told SiriusXM’s Elvis Radio that Lisa Marie was “very very certain” her estate should be left to her children, adding, “[It] 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 exactly the way she did … Although Riley is a movie star [and] an award-winning director, she had always had an interest and had always known that one day, she would be in charge of [things].”
The Graceland source told Page Six: “Why does Priscilla feel that she is most suitable to run things? Why does she feel that she should take over?”
Priscilla, meanwhile, has made clear she feels she should, saying, “Please ignore ‘the noise.’ As I have always been there for Elvis’ legacy, our family, and the fans, I will continue to forge a pathway forward with respect, honesty, dignity, integrity, and love.”
Keough spent a chunk of 2022 in the company of her mother and grandmother as they promoted the movie “Elvis” alongside actor Austin Butler, who plays the King, and director Baz Luhrmann.
Lisa Marie’s last major public appearance was at the Golden Globes, only four days before her death, with Priscilla. But, as Page Six previously reported, they did not even want to be seated together as their relationship was so fraught.
However, with Butler a favorite to win the Best Actor Oscar on March 12 after winning the Golden Globe and BAFTA, Priscilla is set to make an appearance at the awards show. “Lisa was really looking forward to the Oscars,” said the friend. Indeed, Lisa Marie posted online last May: “If he doesn’t get an Oscar for this, I will eat my foot, haha.”
But as for whether or not Keough will be there, too, the Graceland source said, “It’s unlikely.”