Elvis Presley's only daughter died Thursday after being rushed to the hospital.
Lisa Marie Presley made it one of her missions to help others grieve following the death of her 27-year-old son, Benjamin. And just one day after Lisa Marie's sudden death, the grief counselor who helped her after she lost her son is opening up about their close friendship.
David Kessler, who, according to his website, is one of the world's foremost experts on grief and loss, took to social media on Friday and recalled the close bond in a lengthy post in which he remembered her as "a loyal daughter and devoted mother."
According to Kessler, the loss of her son inspired Lisa Marie "to work toward becoming an advocate for those who are struggling with the heartbreak of grief." He says they met after Benjamin died back in July 2020.
"She wanted to talk to me, not because I was a grief expert, but because I was someone who also had a child die," said Kessler, who, according to his website, lost his son at 21 when he suddenly died. "It became an improbable friendship but that is how grief works. Grief is one of those worlds where strangers can become instant friends."
Kessler says their friendship grew so strong that Lisa Marie invited him last weekend to visit her father's gravesite at Graceland in Memphis -- where Benjamin is also laid to rest -- for the late King of Rock and Roll's 88th birthday celebration. Kessler says he first visited Graceland with Lisa Marie when she laid Benjamin to rest across from her late father.
During the latest trip to Graceland, Kessler says Lisa Marie had three objectives.
"She had countless invites for the weekend, but for her, there were only three important ones: being at her father’s birthday celebration, spending time at her son and father’s grave after the tours left Graceland, and meeting with a recently bereaved mother," he said. "They had known each other in their childhood and now were reunited in grief."
Kessler said he watched how she "tenderly talked to this heartbroken mother about what to expect in grief. That's what interested her most these days, helping others in grief."
In the months that followed after Benjamin's death, Kessler said Lisa Marie became so involved in helping others that she "co-led grief groups with me for the past two years on Sundays at her home for other bereaved parents." In fact, Kessler says a podcast was in the works about grief, which they planned on co-hosting.
"Her family, love for music, maintaining her father's legacy, and helping others became her priorities," he said. "Those were the things that mattered to her these days."
During their visit to Graceland, Kessler says they sat there and she made an ominous prediction.
"Saturday night, we sat at the graves of her father and son. We talked about the heartbreak she grew up with and the more recent devastation of her son’s death," he said. "She showed me where she would be buried someday. I said a long time from now …and she said yes, I have so much I still want to do."
Lisa Marie died Thursday after going into cardiac arrest. She initially regained her pulse and was rushed to the hospital, but she later died. She was 54.
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