Riley Keough on Elvis Presley’s ‘family curse’ after tragic mom, brother death

Riley Keough got candid about the truth of a so-called “curse” on her famous family.

Riley has spoken out about whether her famous family is “cursed,” offering a heartfelt perspective on the tragedies they’ve endured.

The 35-year-old actress, who is the granddaughter of rock and roll icon Elvis Presley, addressed the topic during the final stop of her book tour at the Jerry Moss Theater in Los Angeles on Tuesday.

“I don’t think so,” Riley said when asked about the idea of a family curse.

Elvis Presley died in 1977 at the age of 42, followed by the death of Riley’s mother, Lisa Marie Presley, in January 2023 at age 54. Her brother, Benjamin Keough, also passed away in 2020 at just 27 years old.

Riley reflected on the challenges her family has faced, saying, “I think the word ‘curse’ is used because my family are looked at as this not real mythology or something, but really it’s just very common things, like addiction. Everyone in here has loved somebody with addiction issues or has lost somebody tragically.”

Looking toward the future, Riley shared her hope for her family to break free from these struggles. “I mean, the hope is that the future generations of our family aren’t going to struggle so much with addiction. Of course, that’s the dream.”

Lisa Marie Presley, who was married to musician Danny Keough from 1988 to 1995, passed away earlier this year after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest. Her son Benjamin committed suicided in 2020, at the age of 27.