Benjamin Keough's Former Bandmate Greg Cipes Shares Rarely Seen Photos of Lisa Marie Presley's Late Son

Daniel S. Levine

07/17/2020 12:13 am EDT

Those who knew Benjamin Keough, the son of Lisa Marie Presley and grandson of Elvis Presley, have begun sharing stories and photos featuring the late musician. Keough, who took his own life on Sunday, was a musician like his mother and grandfather before him but stayed out of the spotlight. He was a member of a band with prolific voice actor Greg Cipes, who shared several photos with Keough on Instagram this week.

Keough was found dead in the Presley family's Calabasas, California home. He was 27. On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner officially ruled Kreough's death a suicide. "Lisa Marie is completely heartbroken, inconsolable and beyond devastated but trying to stay strong for her 11-year-old twins and her oldest daughter, Riley," Presley's representative said in a statement Sunday. "She adored that boy. He was the love of her life." Keough was the son of Presley and her first husband, Danny Keough. The former couple are also parents to actress Riley Keough, 31. Presley is also mother to 11-year-old twin daughters Harper and Finley, whom she shares with ex-husband Michael Lockwood.

Cipes' photos provide Presley's fans with a rare look at Keough, who did not have a public social media presence. Although Keough signed a record deal in 2009, reportedly worth $5 million, he never recorded an album. "If you got to meet him you knew he was pure love from the moment he arrived on earth in that body! Ben will be missed in that beautiful body beyond words," Cipes wrote on Instagram. "Jah lives!"

'The Eternal One'

Keough was a "wonderful, magical person," his close friend Brandon Howard told Us Weekly. Howard described Keough's death as "shocking" and noted he was always there to help anyone. "If you need him, he'll crash on your couch for three weeks just to make sure that you're doing OK," Howard, who met Keough at Michael Jackson's Neverland ranch during Presley's brief marriage to the King of Pop, said.

'Pure Love'

Howard said Keough was "multifaceted," and could easily go from "scholar to the wild guy, to the amazing brother that you never had." Keough was "so gifted in so many ways. You're lucky to know him, to even be around him," Howard told Us Weekly. Keough was also an "excellent chef," according to Howard.

'I loved him a lot'

Presley rarely spoke about her son. During a 2012 stop on The Talk, Presley said Keough was interested in music, but she did not want to pressure him, considering who his grandfather was. "He loves music, but I really kind of don't want to... that's a lot to put on him," she said. "So I'm trying to let him do his thing without pushing that on him so much because I want him to feel I know it's going to be hard."

'The king'

'A celestial musician'

'Your theme song is playing loud'

'Ben always had my back'

'Always the freshest and like always his huge heart shining the brightest!'

If you or someone you know are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741.

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