Very few of us give much thought to Elvis anymore, since he
has not been among us for nearly 50 years. Ironically, he has now been dead for
more years (43) that he was alive (42).
Elvis was an American singer and actor. He is regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th
century and is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply
"the King". His energized interpretations of songs and sexually
provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences
across color lines during a transformative era in race relations, led him to great success—and initial controversy.
With
his rise from poverty to significant fame, Presley's success seemed to
epitomize the American
Dream. The best-selling solo music artist of all time, he was
commercially successful in many genres, including pop, country, R&B, adult contemporary, and gospel. He won three Grammy Awards, received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36,
and has been inducted into multiple music halls of fame. Presley holds
several records; the most RIAA certified gold and platinum albums, the most albums charted on the Billboard 200, and the most
number-one albums and number-one singles on the UK Albums
Chart and UK Singles
Chart, respectively. In 2018, Presley was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Even though he has been dead since 1977, the estate of Elvis
Pressley earned $39 million last year. The only dead celebrity to earn more
money was Michael Jackson, whose estate earned $60 million.
On top of that, there are LOTS of people today who still
making a living as an Elvis impersonator.
All to often, the lives of the rich and famous have more than
their share of troubles – and that happened this week to relatives of Elvis.
His only child, Lisa Marie Pressley, has been married 4 times.
·
Danny Keough
(m. 1988; div. 1994)
(m. 1988; div. 1994)
·
Michael Jackson
(m. 1994; div. 1996)
(m. 1994; div. 1996)
·
Nicolas Cage
(m. 2002; div. 2004)
(m. 2002; div. 2004)
·
Michael
Lockwood
(m. 2006; separated 2016)
(m. 2006; separated 2016)
Her marriage to Danny Keough produced two children, Riley and
Benjamin Keough. Last Sunday, her son Benjamin Keough died at the age of 27 in Calabasas, California, of a
self-inflicted gunshot wound according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office and listed his death cause a
suicide.
Lisa Marie Presley’s son, Benjamin Keough, struggled with booze
and drugs and had recently been to rehab, sources told
writer Tony Ortega.
Elvis’ daughter, Lisa Marie, brought up her family in
Scientology before a falling out with its controversial leader, David
Miscavige, in 2014. Keough committed suicide on Sunday. A friend of his told
Ortega — who covers all things Scientology in his blog the Underground Bunker —
that back in May, Keough “had been talking about how f - - ked up kids get in Scientology.”
He was raised in the religion with his sister Riley, and their
dad, Danny Keough — Presley’s first husband — is still in the church.
Meanwhile, Presley has been going through a bitter divorce from
her fourth husband, Michael Lockwood, including a custody battle over their 11-year-old
twins, Finley and Harper.
Speaking about Presley, the source told Ortega: “Ben was her
baby. More than Riley. More than the twins. This will be beyond inconceivable
for her. I really worry that it might be too much for her.”
Another source, who was said to be close to Keough as a boy,
claimed, “His entire family was shaped by Scientology, and [they’re] paying the
price.
