Lisa Marie Presley's Son Benjamin Keough's Suicide Reportedly Occurred at Birthday Party for Girlfriend and Brother-in-Law

Lisa Marie Presley's son Benjamin Keough's suicide reportedly occurred at a birthday party for [...]

By Stephen Andrew

Lisa Marie Presley's son Benjamin Keough's suicide reportedly occurred at a birthday party for both his girlfriend and brother-in-law. According to The Daily Mail, the families were celebrating Keough's girlfriend Diana Pinto, and Ben Smith-Petersen, who is married to Keough's sister, Riley. The get-together took place at Lisa Marie Presley's Calabasas, California, home on Saturday July 12.

The couples had reportedly celebrated Pinto's and Smith-Petersen's birthdays together in the years prior, so this was not a new event for them. At around 3 a.m. PST, neighbors heard someone shout "don't do it," and believed it to be Pinto. Police officers arrived at around 6 a.m. and found Keough's body. He'd reportedly locked him self in a bathroom. The official cause of death was determined to have been from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Presley's manager issued a statement on behalf of his client, saying that "she is completely heartbroken, inconsolable and beyond devastated but trying to stay strong for her 11-year-old twins and her oldest daughter, Riley." The statement went on to say that "she adored" her son, and that he "was the love of her life."

In the wake of Keough's death, his close friend Brandon Howard spoke to Us Weekly and shared some very sweet memories and kind thoughts about his late friend. "He is a wonderful, magical person," Howard said. "It's just one of the reasons why this is so shocking, and he's the very person that would be there for anybody. If you need him, he'll crash on your couch for three weeks just to make sure that you're doing OK."

Howard went on to praise Keough for being a very "multifaceted" person, adding: "He can go from being, like, the scholar to the wild guy, to the amazing brother that you never had. … He was so gifted in so many ways. You're lucky to know him, to even be around him." Finally, Howard revealed that Keough was "an excellent chef," in supplement to his many other talents. "I kept begging him to cook some food. He's one of the best, he really is. He loved sushi," he shared. "I didn't get a chance [to try his cooking], and I kept begging him for food. We watched him make different dishes and stuff all the time. He would send me pictures."

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.

0comments
Start the Conversation

of