Lisa Marie Presley's daughter hits back at criticism of mom's decision to keep dead son on dry ice for months

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Riley Keough has come to the defense of her late mother, Lisa Marie Presley, who posthumously revealed in her memoir released earlier this week that she kept her son's body on dry ice after his death. 

Presley wrote that she kept her son, Benjamin, who died by suicide in 2020, in the home's casitas bedroom for two months.

The reaction to the revelation has been mixed; some on social media called it "disturbing," while others understood it was part of her grieving process. Users also pointed out that this is customary in other parts of the world.

LISA MARIE PRESLEY HAD SON BENJAMIN'S BODY IN HER HOUSE FOR 2 MONTHS AFTER HE DIED

Lisa Marie Presley passed away more than two years after her son Benjamin died. (Michael Tran/FilmMagic/Getty Images)

Keough believes Presley "wouldn't care what people said" about her unconventional decision.

"The truth is that it was COVID and the plans to bury him were really unclear," Keough told People magazine. "We needed to get to Graceland, and it was really hard because it was COVID, and we didn't know who was going to come, so there was a lot of planning that needed to happen."

Riley Keough defended her mother's decision to keep her brother Benjamin on dry ice for two months at the family's home. (Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)

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In Presley's memoir, "From Here to the Great Unknown," which was completed by Keough after her mother's death in 2023, she wrote that she was not sure if she would bury her son in Graceland or in Hawaii, which prolonged the situation.

"She didn't want his body to be somewhere where people could mess with it," Keough continued. "We come from a family that's pretty high profile, so I think she ultimately just felt like she wanted to be in control of the situation."

"If my mom were here, she'd be like, 'Yeah, whatever. I don't care. If people think that's crazy, they can go f--- themselves,'" Keough said.

Lisa Marie Presley smiles with her four children, Riley and Benjamin Keough and Finley Aaron Love and Harper Vivienne Ann Lockwood. (Lisa Marie Presley Instagram)

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Benjamin Keough passed away in July 2020. He was 27 years old.

"There is no law in the state of California that you have to bury someone immediately," Presley wrote in her book. "I found a very empathetic funeral home owner. I told her that having my dad in the house after he died was incredibly helpful because I could go and spend time with him and talk to him. She said, ‘We’ll bring Ben Ben to you. You can have him there.'"

"If my mom were here, she'd be like, 'Yeah, whatever. I don't care. If people think that's crazy, they can go f--- themselves.'"

— Riley Keough

The room was kept at 55 degrees for Benjamin. 

"But I got so used to him, caring for him and keeping him there," Presley wrote. "I think it would scare the living f---ing piss out of anybody else to have their son there like that. But not me."

Riley Keough and her mother, Lisa Marie Presley, attend the ELLE's Annual Women in Hollywood Celebration in 2017. (Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for ELLE)

Keough wrote that she and her mother decided to get tattoos of Benjamin's name, similarly to how he had tattooed theirs on his body, and actually took a tattoo artist to his body.

"Soon after that, we all kind of got this vibe from my brother that he didn’t want his body in this house anymore. ‘Guys’ he seemed to be saying, ‘this is getting weird.’" Keough wrote. "Even my mom said that she could feel him talking to her saying, ‘This is insane, Mom, what are you doing? What the f---!’"

Shortly after, he was buried at Graceland, next to his famous grandfather. 

A representative for Keough did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Caroline Thayer is an entertainment writer. Follow Caroline Thayer on Twitter at @carolinejthayer and LinkedIn. Story tips can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..