Lisa Marie Presley death linked to weight loss surgery

Elvis Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie Presley died in January at the age of 54.


The death of Lisa Marie Presley, the singer-songwriter and only child of rock and roll legend Elvis, was caused by a bowel obstruction related to a prior weight loss surgery, medical examiners said.

Presley, who led a tumultuous life in the sprawling shadow of her world-famous father, died in January at age 54 after being discovered unresponsive in her home and rushed to the hospital.

Her cause of death was determined to be “a small bowel obstruction caused by scar tissue that developed after a previous bariatric surgery years ago. The manner of death is natural,” the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner said in a statement Thursday.

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What is Bariatric surgery?

Bariatric surgery is a stomach-shrinking bypass procedure carried out on those wanting to lose excessive weight.

Presley was found by her ex-husband on January 12, and pronounced dead later that afternoon, the medical examiner said.

The ex-husband, Danny Keough, lived at her property in the celebrity-studded Los Angeles suburb of Calabasas. He performed CPR until paramedics arrived and transported her to hospital, where she was put in an induced coma on life support before dying, TMZ reported at the time.

Lisa Marie Presley’s past relationships

In addition to Keough, whom she divorced in 1994, Presley had also been married to Nicolas Cage, Michael Jackson and actor-composer Michael Lockwood.

Lisa Marie was Elvis’s only child. She previously controlled Elvis Presley Enterprises, although she sold the bulk of shares in the company to a private equity firm in 2005.

She retained control of Graceland, the estate her father owned and where he was found unconscious in August 1977.

Elvis’ widow Priscilla Presley reached a settlement in May, following a dispute over an amendment removing her from her daughter’s will.

In addition to her mother, Lisa Marie Presley was survived by her daughter Riley Keough, who appeared in Mad Max: Fury Road, as well as teenage twin daughters Harper and Finley. Her son Benjamin Keough died by suicide in 2020.

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