Lisa Marie Presley was in a very difficult and prolonged health battle that stretched over several years before her passing. Her life was full of health challenges due to both continuing medical issues and the after, effects of drug addiction.
Presley, the only child of Elvis Presley, died on Jan. 12, 2023, at age 54, after suffering a cardiac arrest at her California home.
First responders were able to restore her pulse before she was transported to a nearby hospital, where she died later that day. According to BBC, an autopsy later determined her death was caused by complications from a small bowel obstruction, which developed years after bariatric weight-loss surgery.
While opioids were found in her system, authorities concluded they were not a direct factor in her death. Still, toxicology findings and court records painted a picture of a woman whose body had been under severe strain for years.
Longstanding Health Issues And a Medical Crisis
Presley's health struggles had surfaced publicly well before her death.
Per LA Times, Court documents show that in 2020 she experienced a serious "medical emergency" that was significant enough to pause a contentious custody battle with her ex-husband, Michael Lockwood, over their twin daughters, Finley and Harper, who were 12 at the time.
The emergency occurred just months after Presley suffered a devastating personal loss: the death of her son Benjamin Keough, who died by suicide in 2020 at age 27.
Around that period, a source familiar with the situation said, "Years of drug and alcohol abuse have devastated her body."
People later noted that her health problems were not isolated incidents but part of a longer pattern that alarmed those closest to her.
Liver Concerns And Worsening Health Rumors
By 2021, speculation about Presley's condition intensified.
Sources claimed her inner circle feared her liver had sustained serious damage, with some suggesting she might ultimately need a transplant. One insider said Presley had undergone a liver biopsy, explaining that tissue samples were examined for disease or potential cancer.
"It's my understanding Lisa Marie had a liver biopsy this past August," a source told the National Enquirer at the time, adding that little information followed the procedure.
Another remark from the same source reflected frustration over her medical care, saying she was "apparently ignoring what her doctors want her to do."
Although Presley had publicly stated she had been sober for years, sources alleged her body was still struggling to recover from prolonged drug and alcohol use. Paparazzi photos from that period fueled further concern, showing her appearing disheveled while smoking during routine errands in Los Angeles.
Doctors, according to insiders, would not have considered her a candidate for a liver transplant unless she made major lifestyle changes, including quitting smoking and alcohol altogether.
Substance Abuse History Acknowledged
Presley herself acknowledged her past struggles. In a deposition tied to legal proceedings, she admitted to "abusing cocaine terribly" in 2015, along with opioids and alcohol.
Sources also claimed that when she learned in 2017 that her mother, Priscilla Presley, and ex-husband Danny Keough were discussing an intervention, she reacted emotionally and took a combination of prescription medications that further harmed her liver.
Keough, according to one source, had been "watching over her closely," though the same insider noted that "it's up to Lisa Marie to turn things around."
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