Riley Keough, the sole trustee of Graceland and granddaughter of Elvis Presley, offered a poignant glimpse into her family’s private history during An Oprah Special: The Presleys — Elvis, Lisa Marie and Riley, marking her first in-depth interview since the death of her mother, Lisa Marie Presley, in January 2023.
In a moment that blurred the line between icon and individual, Keough presented Elvis’s personal “black box,” a weathered travel case that accompanied the King on tour. The modest container revealed everyday relics: his American Express card, a comb still holding strands of his signature hair, a compact Polaroid camera, and a 1957 Bible annotated in his own hand. “These were the things he carried with him everywhere,” Keough said softly, her voice thick with reverence. “They’re not props—they’re pieces of a man who prayed, who worried, who loved.”
The special also featured a childhood keepsake from Lisa Marie: a golf-cart key from her days roaming the grounds of Graceland. The small object, Keough explained, unlocked memories of carefree afternoons at the estate that Elvis called home.
Now 36 and the last direct heir to the Presley legacy, Keough has assumed stewardship of Graceland with quiet determination. She is set to release her mother’s posthumous memoir, From Here to the Great Unknown, in collaboration with HarperCollins, ensuring Lisa Marie’s unfiltered perspective reaches the world.
“Graceland isn’t just a museum,” Keough told Oprah. “It’s where my grandfather read bedtime stories, where my mom learned to drive a golf cart, where I learned what family means. Protecting that truth matters more than any myth.”
The hour-long special, aired on OWN, drew record viewership for the network and sparked an outpouring of affection on social media. Fans praised Keough’s grace in transforming grief into guardianship, preserving not merely the legend of Elvis Presley, but the fragile, human threads that bind three generations.
