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Benjamin Storm Keough, Lisa Marie Presley’s son and Elvis Presley’s grandson, tragically passed away on July 12, 2020, at age 27.
According to TMZ, Keough died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in an apparent suicide at his home in Calabasas, Calif. USA Today noted Presley is «completely heartbroken, inconsolable and beyond devastated» by the loss.
Lisa Marie Presley had her late son with her first husband Danny Keough. A musician from Chicago, Keough was married into Graceland royalty from 1988 to 1994, according to a post on Pop Culture. The couple also shares Danielle Riley Keough, an actress who goes by Riley Keough, and can be seen in films like 2012’s Magic Mike and 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road.
According to a post on Cheat Sheet, Danny Keough and Presley wed when he was 23 years old and Presley was 20. While he keeps a low profile, here’s everything we know about Danny Keough.
Danny Keough and Lisa Marie Presley had a small wedding
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Danny Keough asked for Lisa Marie Presley’s hand in front of a small audience. According to an October 1988 People cover story, Keough and Presley wed at the Celebrity Center International of the Church of Scientology in West Hollywood. Only nine people attended the event, including her mother, Priscilla Presley, who released this official statement following the wedding:
«Lisa, 20, married musician Daniel Keough, 23, her boyfriend for the past three years. I am thrilled for Lisa Marie. Danny is a great guy, and I couldn’t be happier for the two of them. The couple will be honeymooning for the next three months at an undisclosed location.»
Six days later, Priscilla released another official statement via her publicist Paul Bloch that her daughter was expecting Danielle Riley. «Priscilla Presley today announced that her daughter, Lisa Marie, and Lisa’s bridegroom, musician Danny Keough, are expecting their first child in the spring of 1989,» she wrote. That child was Danielle Riley Keough. Benjamin was then born in 1993.
Danny Keough grew up in Scientology
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There’s a reason the pair had their wedding at the Church of Scientology. According to People, both parties were involved in the church. Danny’s brother was married to a Scientology teacher and Danny’s mom, Janet (pictured above), started a private Scientology academy with second husband Alan Hollander according to the 1988 People cover story. It was called the Delphian School, and Danny graduated from that private school, as did his brother.
Meanwhile, Lisa Marie was brought into the church by her mother Priscilla in 1977, according to Pop Culture. The duo were both musicians and practicing at the same church, so the match made all the more sense. Their three-month honeymoon reportedly involved, at least in part, a stay on the Scientology cruise vessel Freewinds.
«He is a very talented musician and extremely good-looking,» a friend told People at the time. «Tall, dark and handsome with a great personality. I think he will make a good husband for Lisa Marie.
Lisa Marie Presley and Danny Keough have stayed close
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While Danny Keough’s marriage to Lisa Marie Presley was her first, it was hardly her last. She famously wed Michael Jackson just 20 days after her divorce from Keough. According to Presley’s page on Biography.com, she was next married to Nicholas Cage for 108 days in 2002. And from 2006 to 2016, she was wed to her fourth husband, guitarist Michael Lockwood, with whom she had twins Finley and Harper. Although Lisa Marie Presley and Danny Keough split after a few years of marriage, the two have remained close. In fact, Keough was Presley’s best man at her wedding to Michael Lockwood in 2006, according to Rolling Stone.
And while Lisa Marie Presley has made (and lost) a decent fortune off her late father’s legacy, Danny lives a humble life. Riley Keough told The Guardian in 2017 that her father was essentially a rolling stone, moving locations frequently and sleeping on bare mattresses.
«I grew up very privileged with my mother, but my dad didn’t live like that,» she said. «And I think experiencing both sides has been helpful. My father had mattresses on the floor of his apartments. He lived in cabins and trailer parks. He just didn’t have much money.»
Danny Keough has yet to comment publicly on the death of his son Benjamin Keough.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.