Riley Keough made a moving tribute to her mother Lisa Marie Presley, at the late-singer’s public memorial service on Sunday, 22nd January.
The memorial service, which was held at the iconic Graceland Estate in Memphis, Tennessee, saw hundreds of mourners line the streets around the estate to pay their respects to the star.
Keough’s tribute, which was read by husband Ben Smith-Petersen, revealed that the couple were now parents to a baby girl.
“Thank you for showing me love is the only thing that matters in this life. I hope I can love my daughter the way you loved me, the way you loved my brother and my sisters,” Keough penned in her eulogy.
The actress’s tribute marks the first public mention of the baby’s arrival, who is the couple’s first child and Priscilla Presley’s first great-grandchild. Keough and Smith-Petersen have not revealed their daughter’s name or date of birth.
Keough and Ben Smith-Petersen met on the set of Mad Max: Fury Road in 2012 and tied the knot three years later, in an intimate ceremony in Napa, California. The couple celebrated their seven year anniversary in February 2022.
In her tribute, the 33-year-old actress also touchingly described the similarities between her late-mother and herself.
“Thank you for giving me strength, my heart, my empathy, my courage, my sense of humour, my manners, my temper, my wildness, my tenacity. I’m a product of your heart,” she said.
Keough was one of several mourners to pay tribute to the late-singer, with musical performances from Alanis Morrissette, Axl Rose and Billy Corgan.
Lisa Marie’s close friend, Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York, also gave a speech and read a poem. In her speech, Ferguson quoted her late mother-in-law Queen Elizabeth, stating that “grief is the price we pay for love.”
Lisa Marie’s body will be buried at Graceland, alongside that of her father and son Benjamin, who died in 2020. Her three daughters, Keough and 14 year old twins Finlay and Harper, are expected to inherit the estate.
While the news of Lisa Marie’s first grandchild is by no doubt bittersweet, we hope that the little one will also bring comfort to Lisa Marie’s grief-stricken family, friends and fans.
