Lisa Marie Presley on opioids and weight loss meds before death

Songstress lost ’40 to 50 pounds’ before death

Published Jan 31, 2023 • 3 minute read

Lisa Marie Presley with Icelandic Glacial at the 80th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton on Jan. 10, 2023 in Beverly Hills, Calif. Photo by Joe Scarnici /Getty Images for Icelandic Glacial

Lisa Marie Presley had been using opioids and weight loss medication prior to her death at age 54 earlier this month, according to a new report.

As the daughter of the late Elvis Presley began preparing herself to promote Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis biopic on the awards show circuit, sources tell TMZ that Lisa Marie underwent “plastic surgery and began taking weight loss meds” in order to look her best.

In the lead up to her final red carpet appearance at the Golden Globes earlier this month, Lisa Marie reportedly lost “40 to 50 pounds.” Sources also tell TMZ that the singer was taking opioids again.

During an interview with Extra before the awards show, Lisa Marie appeared unsteady and grasped the arm of Jerry Schilling — a longtime friend of her late father — while speaking with host Billy Bush.

“I’m gonna grab your arm,” she said mid-chat.

Bush said he knew instantly that something was wrong with Lisa Marie during their brief conversation.

“She was very uneven in her balance,” Bush told Fox Los Angeles. “The speech was very slow. And, definitely, when the interview was over, I turned to my producer next to me and said, ‘Something’s off here.’”

Bush went on to add that Lisa Marie was unable to climb two steps to a platform where he was positioned and he had to go down to her. “She was was cognizant. She was certainly with it, just a second slow,” he said. “But she was there. She was definitely there, but just a tad off in some way.”

Lisa Marie Presley seen with Extra host Billy Bush at the Golden Globes earlier this month.

“This is a woman who just encountered so much grief in her life,” Bush told PEOPLE in a separate interview, referencing Lisa Marie’s loss of her father when she was nine and the death of her only son, Benjamin Keough, from suicide in 2020. “It’s just impossible to fathom.”

As she praised Austin Butler’s Golden Globe-winning depiction of her dad, fans said she looked “ill” and “tired.”

“You can see she was unwell and I was shocked because I haven’t seen her in a while,” one person commented on YouTube.

“It’s so heartbreaking to see her so frail,” another added. “But I think it’s even sadder to look at her tired eyes and realize how much she’s seen throughout her life.”

Elvis Presley with then-wife Priscilla and their daughter Lisa Marie in 1970.
Michael Jackson and wife Lisa Marie Presley-Jackson welcome children from around the world as they arrive for a World Children’s Conference at Jackson’s Neverland Valley Ranch, Calif., April 18, 1995. Photo by LEE CELANO /REUTERS
Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley stare into each other’s eyes at the 11th Annual MTV Video Music Awards in New York, Sept. 8, 1994. Photo by MARK CARDWELL /REUTERS
Lisa Marie Presley, left, and her mother Priscilla Presley await the arrival of Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and President Bush before they toured Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley, June 30, 2006 in Memphis, Tenn. Photo by ROB CARR /AP
In this file photo taken on July 16, 2002 Lisa Marie Presley and her children Benjamin Keough (right), Riley Keough (left), and her half-brother Navarone Garibaldi (back) attend the premiere of “Lilo and Stitch” at the El Capitan theatre in Hollywood. Photo by CHRIS DELMAS /AFP via Getty Images
This file photo dated Aug. 13, 2001 shows actor Nicolas Cage arriving at the U.S. premiere of his film “Captain Corelli’s Mandolin” with his girlfriend Lisa Marie Presley, in Beverly Hills. Photo by LUCY NICHOLSON /PROVINCE AFP
In this file photo taken on Oct. 28, 2001, singer and actress Lisa Marie Presley attends the Cinamatheque event honouring Nicolas Cage in Los Angeles. Photo by CHRIS DELMAS /AFP via Getty Images
In this file photo taken on Aug. 29, 2002 Avril Lavigne (left) and Lisa Marie Presley announce Pink as winner the Best Female Video at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York. Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY /AFP via Getty Images
Lisa Marie Presley, with her children Riley and Benjamin Keough, attend the 75th birthday celebration for Elvis Presley in Memphis, Tenn., Jan. 8, 2010. Photo by Nikki Boertman /REUTERS
Singer Lisa Marie Presley performs in support of her new album Storm & Grace at The GRAMMY Museum on May 17, 2012 in Los Angeles, Calif. Photo by Kevin Winter /Getty Images North America
Lisa Marie Presley attends the 2013 CMT Music awards at the Bridgestone Arena on June 5, 2013 in Nashville, Tenn. Photo by Rick Diamond /Getty Images
Lisa Marie Presley and Michael Lockwood (R) attend the Anna Sui Spring 2012 fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at The Theater at Lincoln Center on Sept. 14, 2011 in New York City. Photo by Astrid Stawiarz /Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz F
In this file photo taken on May 7, 2015 singer Lisa Marie Presley and musician Michael Lockwood attend the premiere of Warner Bros. Pictures ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ at TCL Chinese Theatre, in Los Angeles. Photo by VALERIE MACON /AFP via Getty Images
Lisa Marie Presley attends ELLE’s 24th Annual Women in Hollywood Celebration at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills on Oct. 16, 2017 in Los Angeles, Calif. Photo by Frederick M. Brown /Getty Images
Priscilla Presley, Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough, place their handprints in cement at TCL Chinese theatre in Los Angeles, Calif., June 21, 2022. Photo by RINGO CHIU /REUTERS
Lisa Marie Presley and her mother Priscilla Presley pose after placing their handprints in cement at TCL Chinese theatre in Los Angeles, Calif., June 21, 2022. Photo by RINGO CHIU /REUTERS
Jerry Schilling and Lisa Marie Presley with Icelandic Glacial at the 80th Annual Golden Globe Awards at The Beverly Hilton on Jan. 10, 2023 in Beverly Hills, Calif. Photo by Joe Scarnici /Getty Images for Icelandic Glaci
Singer Lisa Marie Presley arrives at the Elton John AIDS Foundation’s 12th Annual “An Enduring Vision” benefit gala at Cipriani in New York City, Oct. 15, 2013. Photo by Eduardo Munoz /REUTERS

The revelations of Lisa Marie’s drastic weight loss and use of opioids comes as her mother Priscilla filed legal documents to dispute who will oversee her daughter’s estate.

Priscilla is questioning the validity of a 2016 amendment to Lisa Marie’s living trust that removed her mother and a former business manager as trustees and replaced them with two of her children, Riley Keough and Benjamin, if she died or became incapacitated.

Priscilla’s court filing says there are several issues that bring the living trust amendment’s authenticity into doubt, including the misspelling of her name, the validity of Lisa Marie’s signature and a lack of a witness or notarization.

But is not clear how much Lisa Marie’s estate is worth. In 2018, Lisa Marie alleged the trust had been mismanaged and sued her former business manager Barry Siegel. Reports suggested that the songstress blew through $100 million and was spending $92,000 a month before her death. Lisa Marie was allegedly $4 million in debt when she died and owed the IRS $2.5 million.

Earlier this week, TMZ reported that Lisa Marie had taken out multiple life insurance polices that may be worth an upwards of $35 million.

Lisa Marie is survived by daughter Riley, 33, and twins Finley Aaron Love and Harper Vivienne Ann Lockwood, 14. Her cause of death on Jan. 12 has not yet been determined.

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