After her son Benjamin passed, she remained active by frequently running grief support sessions at her house alongwith a friend.
Days before Lisa Marie's Presley passed away, she paused for a moment of introspection in Graceland. She went to Elvis Presley's cherished Graceland residence in Memphis, Tennessee, on the eve of what would have been his 88th birthday on January 8. She took her close friend David Kessler to the property's Meditation Garden, where her father and her son Benjamin are buried after the fans and employees had left for the evening.
"We sat there mostly in silence by Ben's grave. She showed me where she'd be buried someday, right across from her father's grave," Kessler, a writer and grief specialist Lisa Marie befriended after her son Benjamin died by suicide, said in this week's PEOPLE cover story. He added, "I said, 'Not for a long time,' and she was like, 'Nope, I got a lot to do still.' She was very excited about what was coming up. She had such a challenging first and second act of life, and she was about to take on this third act that was so much about helping people."
Unfortunately, Lisa Marie's third act was cut short. Days after her trip to Graceland, she died after a cardiac arrest hospitalized her. But she'll forever be remembered by people who she has helped as a strong advocate for grief support. She remained active, frequently running grief support sessions at her house in partnership with Kessler. "She had x-ray vision for other people's pain," says Kessler. "When you were in her gaze, no one else existed. She was focused on you. She talked about turning her pain into purpose."
She spent two to three hours with a newly bereaved mother during her most recent visit to Graceland, "and told her what to expect on this journey," Kessler shared. He added, "I just sat there watching how far she had come in her own pain. Her heart was still broken around Ben, but her heart was also healing around Ben."
Lisa Marie never lost joy in her mothering despite the storms in her life, including her four divorces. Despite being devastated by Benjamin's passing, she remained a fierce protector of her daughters, who will through a trust inherit Graceland. "With Riley and her [younger] girls, she was a lioness," says Kessler. "It was amazing to see her with her family."
In the coming days, Lisa Marie will be buried in the place that meant the most to her—next to her baby. On January 22, there will also be a public memorial service for her there. "It is absolutely 100 percent mine, and it has always been mine," she told Entertainment Tonight in 2013 about Graceland. "And when it is no longer mine, it will be my children's. And that is that."
Her loved ones are taking solace in the idea that she will be reunited with those she lost too soon in the wake of her passing. "Who knows what comes after life, but I'd like to think they're together, Lisa Marie, Ben, and her father, in some way," says Axl Rose. "Lisa, and the most important men in her life, happy together."
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Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Jason Merritt
