Lisa Marie Presley’s Autopsy Reveals Official Cause Of Death And Toxicology Report

Jul 14, 2023

After being rushed to the emergency room after being found unresponsive in her California home on Jan. 12, 2023, Elvis Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, passed away at the age of 54.

Born on Feb. 1, 1968, in Memphis, Tenessee, to parents Elvis and Priscilla Presley, Lisa was one of the biggest celebrity children upon her birth. She was born exactly nine months after her parents famously tied the knot in a brief ceremony in their suite at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. 

After her father's death in 1977, she was listed as a beneficiary on her father's last will, along with her grandfather Vernon and great-grandmother Minnie. However, Vernon died in 1979, and Minnie a year after. This made Lisa the only surviving beneficiary of Elvis' trust up until her death. In 1993, she inherited her father's estate, which had already grown to $100 million by then. 

She was the only daughter of Elvis, which means that her children — she had four in total — were his only grandchildren. Lisa had Riley Keough and her late son Benjamin Keough with her ex-husband Danny Keough, while she shared her twins, Harper and Finley, with her ex-husband, Michael Lockwood. 

Following in the footsteps of her father, Lisa also went into the music business and found her own voice. She went on to release a few albums and some songs that gained her a lot of popularity. But aside from her musical career, Lisa also devoted her life to humanitarian efforts through the Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation, among many others. 

Read on to learn more about Lisa's career, relationships and breakthroughs she had in her life. 

Lisa had been married four times. Her first marriage was with Keough, with whom she shared two children. She was also married to Nicolas Cage in the 2000s and had two children with American guitarist Lockwood. 

But perhaps the most notable relationship that Lisa had was with the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. In 1993, Michael and Lisa tied the knot. Their union would only last less than two years in total, with some suggesting it was simply a publicity stunt. According to Biography, the official marriage certificate is dated May 26, 1994, from a secret ceremony in the Dominican Republic.

According to The Mirror, the couple even took to TV to deny allegations that the marriage wasn't true love. An outraged Jackson exclaimed, "like we're faking this?" 

"How can you fake this 24 hours a day – sleeping with somebody, waking up with somebody? I'm not going to marry somebody for any reason other than the fact that I fell in love with them," Lisa added. 

Later that same year, Lisa affirmed her love and relationship with Jackson. 

"I am very much in love with Michael, I dedicate my life to being his wife. I understand and support him," read a statement from Lisa Marie at the time. "We both look forward to raising a family."

However, the two divorced in 1996, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason. 

Years after, Lisa proceeded to work on her music. She released three albums, "To Whom It May Concern" in 2003, "Now What" in 2005, and "Storm & Grace" in 2012. The first album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. She has also produced hits like "Lights Out," "Dirty Laundry," "In the Ghetto," "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet" and "I Love You Because," among others. 

Since the release of the highly-acclaimed biopic "Elvis," in which the King of Rock 'n' Roll was played by Austin Butler, Lisa, who had appeared at the red carpet premiere of the movie, had been quiet – which was why her tragic death came as a shock to many.

According to TMZ sources close to the scene, Lisa was pronounced dead after she was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital, where she was taken after suffering cardiac arrest on the morning of Jan. 12, 2023. 

Her housekeeper apparently found her unresponsive in her Calabasas, California, residence. Her ex-husband Keough was present at the scene and even performed CPR on her until emergency first responders arrived and took over for him. At least one dose of epinephrine was administered while she was being resuscitated. Paramedics were even reported to have regained a pulse before she was transported to the hospital. 

A representative for Lisa's mother, Priscilla, issued a statement on her Facebook page, confirming the tragic news.

"My beloved daughter Lisa Marie was rushed to the hospital. She is now receiving the best care. Please keep her and our family in your prayers. We feel the prayers from around the world, and ask for privacy during this time," the statement read. 

Priscilla, in another statement to the outlet, said that they were "shocked" and "devastated" by the tragic death of her daughter. They added they were "profoundly grateful" for the support, love and prayers of their fans and were seeking privacy during this rather difficult time. 

Lisa is survived by her mother, Priscilla, and her three living children, Riley, Harper and Finley. 

Over half a year after Lisa's passing, the Los Angeles Medical Examiner revealed further details surrounding her death. In a report released on July 13, the cause of death was revealed to be from sequelae of small bowel obstruction — sequelae is defined as a condition that is the consequence of a previous disease or injury. The Mayo Clinic states that small bowel obstruction is "a blockage that keeps food or liquid from passing through your small intestine or large intestine." Causes can be due to "fibrous bands of tissue (adhesions) in the abdomen that form after surgery," hernias, certain medications and other illnesses.

The report on Lisa's death said the obstruction was a "strangulated small bowel" that formed from adhesions the musician had developed post-bariatric surgery AKA stomach stapling.

"This is a known longterm complication of this type of surgery," the report stated.

It also revealed the star had two opioids in her system — therapeutic levels of Oxycodone, and Buprenorphine, which is used to treat opioid dependence. TMZ reported traces of the antipsychotic drug Quetiapine were also present. No narcotics or drug paraphernalia were found in her home and urine screening yielded a negative toxicology result.

The report confirmed Lisa had a cosmetic procedure months before her death for which she was prescribed opioids. It added the star had a history of "overmedicating" and of alcohol and drug abuse.

In recent years Lisa opened up about her own struggle with addiction in a foreword she wrote for the book “The United States of Opioids: A Prescription for Liberating a Nation in Pain” by Harry Nelson. 

"I’m not perfect. My father wasn’t perfect, no one’s perfect. It’s what you do with it after you learn and then you try to help others with it,” she wrote, as per CNN. “It is time for us to say goodbye to shame about addiction."  

Are you a fan of Lisa Marie Presley? How do you think she should be remembered? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends and other loved ones!