Lisa Marie Presley was so devastated by the loss of her son, Benjamin Keough, that she kept his body in her home for two months after he passed away. She even invited a tattoo artist to see him so she could get matching tattoos.
This is just one of many surprising details in Lisa Marie’s new memoir, From Here to the Great Unknown, which was completed by her daughter, actress Riley Keough, after Lisa Marie passed away in January 2023.
Lisa Marie (left) next to her beloved son Ben, along with her third husband, Michael Lockwood, and a guest, at the London premiere of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” in November 2010.
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In her book, Lisa Marie shared that she had to fight to stay alive for her other children, Riley and her twin daughters Harper and Finley, who are now 16. She didn’t say goodbye to Benjamin right away because she was torn between burying him in Hawaii or at Graceland, the Memphis estate where Elvis, her father, is buried.
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Lisa Marie kept the room at 55 degrees to preserve Benjamin’s body and got so used to caring for him and having him there.
Riley and Lisa Marie decided to honor Benjamin by getting tattoos like his. Benjamin had his sister’s name on his collarbone and his mom’s name on his hand. Riley had her brother’s name tattooed on her collarbone, and a tattoo artist was called to Lisa Marie’s home to add Benjamin’s name to her hand. When the artist asked if they had photos of Benjamin’s tattoos to match the font and placement, Lisa Marie said, “No, but I can show you.”
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Riley writes: “Lisa Marie Presley had just asked this poor man to look at her dead son, who was right next to us in the guest house. I’ve had a very strange life, but this moment is one of the weirdest.”
Lisa Marie also knew it was strange. She said, “I think it would scare the heck out of anyone else to have their son there like that. But not me.”
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Soon after the tattoo day, Riley remembers that everyone felt like Benjamin wanted to be laid to rest.
Even Lisa Marie said she could feel him communicating with her, saying, “This is crazy, Mom, what are you doing? What the heck!”
The family held a funeral for Benjamin in Malibu, and New Age author Deepak Chopra led the ceremony. Riley said she had to keep her eyes closed the whole time because she was struggling to cope with everything.
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Benjamin was buried at Graceland, next to Elvis, and Lisa Marie would later be buried there too.
Riley writes a lot about her brother’s struggles with mental health and how he often went on drinking binges. She doesn’t believe he truly wanted to die.
After his death, she and her mom went through his phone, looking for answers.
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Riley writes, “We found a text he sent to my mom a couple of weeks before he died that said, ‘I think something’s wrong with me mentally. I think I have a mental health issue.’ It’s heartbreaking to me that he only realized he might need help just two weeks before he took his own life.”
The mystery of the “squnk”: Ohio residents can’t tell if this creature is a squirrel or a skunk,,,,,,
In Northeast Ohio, there’s been talk lately about this unusual and intriguing critter that resembles a hybrid between a skunk and a squirrel.
The creature, called a “squnk,” has a squirrel’s body but a skunk’s dark black fur and white-tipped tail:
Recently, there have been multiple reports of sightings of this unusual creature in Ohio, and pictures of it have gone popular on social media. According to some theories, the “squnk” may indeed be a cross between the two species.
It turns out that this “squnk” is a black squirrel. Even without any skunk DNA, it’s still a really uncommon sight. According to Smithsonian Magazine, black squirrels are the offspring of coupling eastern gray and fox squirrels. The squirrel in question is actually an eastern gray squirrel that got a gene variation that gave it a darker pigmentation.
There is only one black squirrel for every 10,000 squirrels, making them extremely rare. They are able to stay warmer in the winter and in colder climates thanks to their darker coat, which gives them a thermal advantage over typical gray squirrels.
Since their release on campus in 1961, ten black squirrels have been an iconic feature of Kent State University, earning them the title of unofficial mascot.
Therefore, don’t worry if you see a “squnk” in Ohio; it’s only a black squirrel with some fur on its tail that resembles that of a skunk, and you won’t get sprayed.
What a remarkable creature, wow! Even while it may not be a squirrel-skunk hybrid, it is nevertheless a rare critter to find.
If you are an animal lover, please share this tale!
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