Riley Keough speaks out after row over Elvis Presley’s Graceland estate

Riley Keough has assured fans of her late grandfather, Elvis Presley, that his famous Graceland estate is in safe hands following a series of rows over the property.

The Daisy Jones and the Six star, 35, has acted as the sole trustee of the rock icon’s mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, since August 2023, following the death of her mother, Lisa Marie Presley.

She also presides over the sub-trusts of her 15-year-old sisters, Finley and Harper Lockwood, Lisa Marie’s daughters from her marriage to fourth ex-husband Michael Lockwood, whom she divorced in 2021.

Priscilla Presley, the ex-wife of Elvis and mother of Lisa Marie, was previously involved in a dispute with Keough over the future of the estate.

Speaking to People, the actor and singer said her hope was to continue what her mother and grandmother did before her: “Which is simply to preserve our family home.”

In May this year, a Tennessee judge blocked efforts to put Graceland up for auction by a company that claimed his estate had failed to properly repay a loan that used it as collateral.

Elvis Presley pictured outside his Graceland mansion, circa 1957 (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Elvis Presley pictured outside his Graceland mansion, circa 1957 (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Elvis Presley purchased the property for £102,500 in 1957 – the same year he released hits such as “All Shook Up” and “Blue Christmas” – and lived there until his death in 1977.

The Graceland estate was then inherited by Lisa Marie and opened to the public as a museum in 1982.

According to the legal notice, Lisa Marie allegedly signed a Deed of Trust in 2018 to secure the loan through a Missouri company called Naussany Investments and Private Lending, using Graceland as collateral.

Keough branded the planned foreclosure auction of the historic building “fraudulent” and filed a lawsuit to hold it.

Riley Keough, pictured, successfully requested the auction of her grandfather’s Graceland property be halted (Getty Images for SXSW)
Riley Keough, pictured, successfully requested the auction of her grandfather’s Graceland property be halted (Getty Images for SXSW)

The suit, which was filed on 15 May, claimed that Lisa Marie’s signatures on the documents were forgeries, that the loan never transpired, that Naussany Investments was not a real company, and that the loan’s notary public did not notarise it.

A representative for Graceland told The Independent: “As the court has now made clear, there was no validity to the claims. There will be no foreclosure.

“Graceland will continue to operate as it has for the past 42 years, ensuring that Elvis fans from around the world can continue to have a best in class experience when visiting his iconic home.”

The 13.8-acre property attracts around half a million visitors each year, as fans make a pilgrimage to pay tribute to one of America’s most significant musicians.