Lisa Marie Presley had decided who she would leave her trust to before she passed away last month: her kids.
Joel Weinshanker, the managing partner of Elvis Presley Enterprises, appeared on Sirius XM’s Elvis Radio on Wednesday, the day before Lisa Marie would have turned 55, to honor her life and clarify what she always desired for the future of Graceland.
“Everyone was aware that Elvis left his young daughter everything after his death. He did so with the knowledge that she would be the one to carry on his legacy “said Weinshanker.
We got along so well because we were each trying to do what was best for Elvis, no matter what anyone else was attempting to do or what a family member might do, the man claimed. “Lisa was impossible to influence or buy. It was never about money if she thought something wasn’t in Elvis’ best interests. And she is the only Presley about whom you can truly make that statement.”
The only child of the legendary rocker Elvis Presley, Lisa Marie, was described as being “very certain” and “quite forthright” about who she wanted to carry on the tradition.
He spoke to her children Riley Keough and Benjamin Keough, whom she had with her ex David Keough, saying, “We talked this many many times [before] she went, and that was always Riley and Ben.” “They would be the stewards, and they would approach it exactly the same way she did, was never a question in her mind. Riley definitely felt Riley’s loss deeply when Ben passed away.”
Riley has a profession in acting and directing, but the man asserted that she “always had an interest” and “knew that one day she would be in charge.”
In his final statement, Weinshanker advised supporters to heed Lisa Marie’s “words” as they celebrated her birthday. While her passing is tragic, he added that “the best years of Graceland are ahead of us.”
He shows up less than a week after Priscilla Presley’s lawyers filed a petition in Los Angeles challenging the “authenticity and validity” of Lisa Marie’s will, which directs that her trust — which includes Elvis’ Graceland property and 15% ownership of Elvis’ estate — be left to her three daughters.
A 2016 addendum that placed the trust in the care of Riley, 33, and twins Harper and Finley Lockwood, 14, was deemed illegal by the petition.
Lisa Marie reportedly drafted a living will in 1993 and updated it in 2010, adding Priscilla as a co-trustee alongside her former business manager Barry Siegel, according to the petition, which PEOPLE received.
But after Lisa Marie passed away, Priscilla learned that a 2016 change had been inserted, removing both her and Siegel as co-trustees and substituting Riley, her twin sisters, and her brother Ben, who committed suicide in 2020. PEOPLE was unable to reach Riley’s representative at the time.
The petition claims “many issues surrounding the authenticity and validity” of the amendment, including the failure to provide Priscilla with the amendment “as required by the express terms of the Trust,” Lisa Marie’s signature being “inconsistent” with her usual signature, and the absence of a witness or notary.
Priscilla, 77, is asking the court to declare the 2016 amendment unlawful because she believes the 2010 amendment is still “the authoritative and governing text.” When contacted by PEOPLE, Priscilla’s spokesperson declined to comment.
Priscilla paid tribute to Lisa Marie’s birthday in a written note that she shared with PEOPLE on Wednesday.
“Lisa would have turned 55 years old today. My objective is to safeguard my three grandkids and maintain our family’s unity “Priscilla composed.
She said, “Like I have my son, I have safeguarded, loved, and led Lisa from the first minute I had her in my arms. “Our hearts are torn, and I’m learning to live without my own daughter,” the author said.
“We sincerely adore you all and are aware of your prayers. I sincerely appreciate your concern for our family “Priscilla wrote in her note.
“It is with a heavy heart that I must deliver the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us,” Priscilla wrote in a statement on Jan. 12, hours after reports that she had been brought to the hospital.
The formal cause of death cannot yet be determined because the family is still awaiting the results of the toxicology tests.
