Lisa Marie Presley ‘Wanted to Join Her Son in Heaven’ After Ben Keough Died by Suicide

Lisa Marie Presley‘s unrelenting grief over her son’s suicide eventually took her life as well, experts and people close to Elvis’ only child exclusively tell In Touch.

The depth of her sorrow and absolute refusal to let Ben Keough go was exposed by the shocking news Lisa Marie kept the body of the troubled 27-year-old on ice in her home for an astonishing two months after he died in July 2020.

“Lisa Marie simply wanted to join her son in heaven,” says forensic psychiatrist Dr. Carole Lieberman, who did not treat the late star before her death at 54.

The devastated mom admittedly blamed herself “every day” for Ben’s death, which came a few weeks after he revealed his suicidal thoughts to her in a text.

Presley family insiders say Lisa Marie refused to let go of her only son — and when she finally did allow the body to be laid to rest at Elvis’ legendary Graceland estate in Memphis, she decided she wanted to give up living and join him in the afterlife.

“She was in complete denial for the first two months he was gone,” notes psychologist Dr. Gilda Carle, who also did not treat Lisa Marie. “She acted as though having the body in the house meant he was still with her.”

Keeping someone’s corpse around is said to be a coping mechanism. “When people are in heavy grief over the death of a loved one, they want to go on in their life as though that person is still around,” explains Dr. Lieberman.

Lisa Marie’s horrified 35-year-old daughter, Riley Keough, wrote in her book From Here to the Great Unknown, “My mom said that she could feel him talking to her. I’ve had an extremely absurd life, but this moment is in the top five.”

Insiders say Lisa Marie lost the will to live after her ex-husband, and Ben’s dad, Danny Keough, finally convinced her to let him be buried.

A little over two years later, on January 12, 2023, Lisa Marie died. Although the coroner determined she died of intestinal obstruction following previous gastric bypass surgery, longevity expert Dr. Gabe Mirkin — who did not treat the former singer — says, “Her mental problems were so extensive I have to believe a major contributor to her death was depression, serious mental disease and the drug addiction that fueled her sadness.”

Riley adds, “My mom physically died from the aftereffects of her surgery, but we all knew she died of a broken heart.”