Priscilla Presley briefly spoke on Sunday (Jan. 22) at the memorial service for her daughter, Lisa Marie Presley. During her three-minute appearance, Priscilla read a poem by one of her granddaughters about their late mother. It wasn't specified if it was written by 33-year-old Riley Keough or one of Lisa Marie's 14-year-old twin daughters, Harper and Finley Lockwood.
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The poem, presumably titled "The Old Soul," tells Lisa Marie's life story, beginning with: "In 1968, she entered our world / Born tired, fragile, yet strong / She was delicate but was filled with life.
"She always knew she wouldn't be here too long / Childhood passes by with a glimpse of her green eye / She then grew a family of her own," Priscilla continued.
The July 2020 death by suicide of Lisa Marie's only son, Benjamin Keough, was referenced as the poem neared its emotional conclusion: "Then came her second child leaving her with suspicion / Could this be the angel that takes me home?"
Lisa Marie will be buried at the family plot on Graceland next to her son.
"She knew it was close to the end," the poem concluded. "Survivor's guilt, some would say, but a broken heart, was the doing of her death. Now she is home where she always belonged, but my heart is missing her love. She knew that I loved her / I fear I'll never touch her / But the old soul is always with me / She doesn't drift above."
Priscilla ended her emotional appearance with an emphatic "that says it all."
A letter from Riley was shared at the event through her husband, Ben Smith-Peterson.
"I remember how it felt to be loved by the most loving mother I've ever known. I remember how it safe it felt to be in your arms," she wrote. "I remember that feeling as a child, and I remember that feeling two weeks ago on your couch. Thank you for showing me that love is the only thing that matters in this life. I hope I can love my daughter the way that you loved me."
The Sunday morning memorial service was steamed online from Graceland and featured speeches by former Memphis Mayor A C Wharton; Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York; manager Jerry Schilling; and Elvis Presley Enterprises managing partner Joel Weinshanker. Axl Rose, Alanis Morissette and Jason Clark and The Tennessee Mass Choir each paid tribute in song.
