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Priscilla Presley recalls final moments with daughter Lisa Marie: 'She looked very frail'

​​​​​​​View Date:2024-12-24 10:40:03

Priscilla Presley opened up about the loss of her daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, in a rare in-depth interview with Piers Morgan.

In a nearly hourlong interview for "Piers Morgan Uncensored" that aired Thursday – a day before the release of Sofia Coppola's "Priscilla" movie – Priscilla Presley recalled some of her memories with Lisa Marie, including breaking the news of father Elvis' death nearly 50 years ago as well as the mother and daughter's final moments together earlier this year. The rock 'n' roll icon's only child, Lisa Marie died at age 54 of sequelae of small bowel obstruction, an intestinal blockage.

"It was unbearable. I lost my mother, I lost my grandson, and I lost my daughter," Priscilla said. "It's like a large part of your life is taken away."

Priscilla Presley on 'the last hug' she gave Lisa Marie

Lisa Marie Presley had had a festive week leading up to her death, celebrating what would have been her father's 88th birthday with fans at Elvis' Memphis home, Graceland.

She then attended the Golden Globe Awards, tearfully applauding alongside her mother as Austin Butler received a Golden Globe Award for his portrayal of the King of Rock 'n' Roll in Baz Luhrmann's biopic "Elvis."

"She didn't look well that night, and I was concerned. … She looked very frail," Priscilla said of their Golden Globes outing.

Lisa Marie suggested that they celebrate after the awards show at Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood but had to leave. Priscilla remembers her saying, "Mom, I have to go. My stomach really hurts."

"Then I hugged her, and she went her way, and I went mine, and that hug was the last hug I gave her," Priscilla said.

When she arrived at the hospital, it was "too late."

"It's still shocking that I don't have her. I got that call from her ex-husband, Danny, that I need to go to the hospital," she added. "This is not the first time, but I never thought it was the last."

'Priscilla' review:Elvis Presley's ex-wife gets a stylish yet superficial movie treatment

Priscilla Presley protected daughter Lisa Marie from news of Elvis' death

Morgan also asked Priscilla about Elvis' death in 1977 – a topic that still makes her emotional almost 50 years later.

"I'm a little surprised at myself that I still get emotional," she said. "The love is still there. … He's still so present."

It was "devastating to get a call. Absolutely devastating," she admitted, adding that she'd talked to her ex-husband two nights prior to his death. "I can still hear Joe Esposito's words: 'Priscilla, Elvis is dead.' "

"My big fear was Lisa: How do I tell her? She was only 9 at the time," Priscilla told Morgan. "I just told her we're going to Graceland; we're going to go see Daddy. But daddy will be resting. … I said, 'Well, he's going to go to sleep for awhile.' And she goes, 'Will I be able to go see him?' And I said, 'Yes, you'll be able to see him.' "

Priscilla took her sister and Lisa Marie to Europe for two weeks to avoid the paparazzi stationed at their house. Along the way, she prevented her daughter from seeing newspaper headlines about Elvis; later, she also asked Lisa Marie's teachers to not mention anything.

Priscilla surmises that Elvis' death "didn’t really hit (Lisa Marie) until later."

How did Elvis and Priscilla meet?What to know about the duo ahead of 'Priscilla' movie

Contributing: Marco della Cava, USA TODAY

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