I go "Down the Rabbit Hole" today for Lisa Marie. I did not know Lisa Marie Presley. We were both born in 1968 and the whole world cried when she lost her father. We "watched" her life - the good, the bad and the ugly from that gaudy front row media seat. But I did not ever know her or even meet her...so why did her death bring me to my knees 10 days ago??
I always thought she was amazing - soulful and gutsy and honest. She was a tormented but authentic rebel, and I adored her edgy, bluesy style & voice.. She was a fiercely loyal and protective mother. She adored her 4 children - as with many of us, they were her heart and her life - her "reason". When Lisa Marie joined this "club" of bereaved parents by suicide in July of 2020, my heart was with her.
HERE is the LINK to People's article, with the Essay by Lisa Marie Presley that I read at the end of the episode. This article speaks to me in SO. Many. Ways. She puts into words WHY I do what I do. She put into words what so many of us think and feel and LIVE every single day now.
I hear her, and see her, for every word she wrote. I was routing for her to find healing. I knew what she was trying to survive. The past two years she isolated and grieved ... but seemed she was getting there. Was she just too late? Were genetics also her enemy or was it just grief? We may never really know, but I know in my heart - deep in my mom gut - that Benjamin's death absolutely played a role.
And "just because" here is a remastered and (obviously) video compilation of her and her dad, The King, singing "In the Ghetto". She went on to do this "duet thing" with several of his songs later but I think this was the first and it has been in my iTunes playlist for YEARS because I have always loved this Elvis song and it elevated it for me to hear them together.
Also, if you are so inclined - here is the LINK to my son Alex singing the solo (opening) to his show choirs rendition of Elvis' "Jailhouse Rock" His part is only the first 13 seconds, and I have played it on loop at times when I need to hear him but I also watch the whole song because he shows back up and I get to hear him and SEE him, as there are so many things that as his mother I see that made him Alex.... mannerisms, little gestures, etc. I hope you too have videos and memories like this that help you celebrate your loved one's legacy as well. Sending my love to you all! - Melissa
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