In a deeply moving television special, Riley Keough, Elvis Presley’s granddaughter and heir to the iconic Graceland estate, welcomed Oprah Winfrey into the hallowed halls of the Memphis mansion. The tour, part of “An Oprah Special: The Presleys – Elvis, Lisa Marie and Riley,” provided viewers with an intimate and unprecedented glimpse into the life and legacy of the King of Rock and Roll and his family.
The special coincides with the release of Lisa Marie Presley’s posthumous memoir, “From Here to the Great Unknown.” Keough, who helped complete the book following her mother’s passing in 2023, shared deeply personal family moments with Winfrey, weaving a poignant tapestry of joy, loss, and the enduring spirit of the Presley family.
As they walked through the Colonial Revival mansion, Keough guided Winfrey through rooms filled with carefully preserved memories of her grandfather and late mother. The living room, where 9-year-old Lisa Marie spent time with her father’s coffin after his death, holds particular significance. Keough recounted her mother’s experience, revealing how she found solace in maintaining a connection with Elvis even after his passing.
Keough also unveiled the location of Lisa Marie’s final interaction with Elvis – the back entrance leading to the patio. “She said good night to him,” Keough shared, revealing that her mother sensed something was wrong. “She would tell me that, you know, sometimes she found him in his bathroom looking kind of out of it or holding onto the railing to, you know, stand up straight.”
The tour’s most revealing moment came as Keough and Winfrey examined Elvis’s personal belongings, including his traveling black box, untouched since his death. Wearing protective gloves, they discovered his American Express card from 1972 and a well-used comb, eliciting genuine amazement from Winfrey.
Today, Graceland welcomes over 650,000 visitors annually, and Keough is determined to maintain this tradition while preserving the estate’s character. “My instinct with everything is always to do what my mother would have wanted, which is to keep it a home,” she explained. “It was our family’s home.”
Designated as a National Historic Landmark in 2006, Graceland stands as a living archive of the Presley family’s triumphs and tragedies. From Elvis’s untimely death at 42 to Lisa Marie’s struggles with addiction and the loss of her son Benjamin in 2020, the estate reflects the complexities of their lives and the enduring legacy of their name.
Despite the weight of this legacy, Keough is determined to honor her grandfather’s cultural impact and her mother’s vision for Graceland’s future, ensuring that the estate remains both a public landmark and a private sanctuary for the Presley family’s memories.
