New allegations in a lawsuit against Priscilla Presley have unveiled intimate details of Lisa Marie Presley’s final hours, claiming her mother made the decision to remove life support amidst a bitter financial dispute.
The amended complaint, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court by former business advisers Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko, includes excerpts from Priscilla Presley’s upcoming memoir, “Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis.” These pages describe Priscilla’s heart-wrenching account of being at her daughter’s bedside when Lisa Marie’s heart stopped after complications from a small bowel obstruction linked to prior bariatric surgery.
According to the alleged memoir excerpts, Priscilla rushed to the hospital and was holding Lisa Marie’s hand when a “code blue” emergency was called, indicating cardiac arrest. Doctors managed to restart her heart, but with no guarantee of survival, and Priscilla was faced with a dire decision about continuing life support.
Priscilla purportedly asked the doctor about the quality of life if Lisa Marie were kept on the machine, to which he responded there would be “no quality of life at all” due to little brain activity. She then made the difficult choice to have her removed from life support, after which she blacked out from grief, describing the moment as “unbearable.”
The lawsuit alleges that Priscilla’s actions were motivated by financial gain, as she was estranged from Lisa Marie and facing removal from managing her trusts, including a $25 million life insurance policy. Kruse and Fialko claim this violated Lisa Marie’s advanced healthcare directive, which stated she wanted life prolonged as much as possible.
Priscilla’s lawyers have vehemently denied the allegations, calling the lawsuit “shameful” and “meritless,” and accusing Kruse of engaging in elder abuse and fraud. They issued a statement dismissing the claims as absurd, comparing them to conspiracy theories like the JFK assassination.
This legal battle is part of a broader dispute over Elvis Presley’s estate and Lisa Marie’s inheritance. After her death in January 2023 at age 54, Priscilla challenged changes to the trust that removed her as co-trustee, but a settlement was reached with Riley Keough, Lisa Marie’s daughter, involving financial payments and advisory roles.
The revelations have sparked public interest and sympathy, highlighting the tragic circumstances of Lisa Marie’s death, which followed the loss of her son Benjamin in 2020. The case continues with hearings scheduled in the coming months, potentially shaping the legacy of the Presley family.