A Complete Look At Lisa Marie Presley's Dating History
As the only daughter of Elvis Presley, Lisa Marie Presley grew up and lived her life in the spotlight. Although she was born into fame and wealth, she didn't avoid hardship. She was only nine years old when her father died. She also battled with addiction, lost her son, and went through many public and turbulent relationships.
The singer was married and divorced four times in her lifetime. Her relationships were with fellow musicians and stars such as Michael Jackson and Nicolas Cage. The notoriety of her own name and her partners made Presley the frequent subject of tabloid gossip. But, she learned a lot through those times and maintained a friendship with her first husband that lasted until Presley's unexpected death at age 54 in 2023.
Speaking to Marie Claire about her marriages, Presley said: "I think it's probably hard to be married to me because s**t happens to me that doesn't happen to your average girl. You have to keep your eyes open."
She and her first husband married at a Scientology center
Lisa Marie Presley's first public relationship was with Danny Keough. The pair met when Presley was still a teenager. According to People, Keough was working several bass player gigs in the area when he met musical royalty, Lisa Marie Presley. The pair crossed paths at the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre. They were both church members, and Presley had an apartment there at the time. Though Keough has since built up his career as a musician and had a few acting roles, at the time of meeting Presley, he was new to LA and relatively unknown. But, a friend of the couple and fellow Scientologist dismissed the idea that Keough might be after Presley's money, saying: "All his needs are met by the church. Besides, he's not the type of person to take his marriage vows as anything less than solemn. He is rock solid."
After dating for three years, the pair married at the same Scientology center in a private and small ceremony in 1988 when Presley was 20 and Keough was 23. Presley's mother, Priscilla Presley, approved of the marriage, telling People: "I am thrilled for Lisa Marie. Danny is a great guy, and I couldn't be happier for the two of them."
She stayed close to her first husband, Danny Keough
Lisa Marie Presley and Danny Keough stayed married for six years, with their divorce finalized in 1994. Although their marriage ended, the pair remained close and continued to parent their two children amicably. Years later, when speaking to People about her first marriage, Presley only had kind things to say about her ex-husband, Keough. "We are like brother and sister, so it is not weird at all," she said. "I knew at the age that I had the kids with him that Danny was someone I could be connected with for the rest of my life. I knew he would be a good father."
The pair remained close for the rest of Presley's life. Tragically their son Benjamin died by suicide in 2020, at which point Presley and Keough began living together again. A source told The Sun that they weren't involved romantically but were supporting each other through the terrible loss. When Presley went into cardiac arrest on January 12, 2023, her ex-husband, Keough, performed CPR until the paramedics arrived.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by dialing 988 or by calling 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
She was with Michael Jackson amid scandal
Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley were a couple bound to make headlines. Her father, Elvis Presley, had been known as The King, and in 1992, she began being seen with Jackson, aka the King of Pop. She and Jackson married two years later, in 1994. You may imagine their wedding had all the pomp and circumstance befitting pop royalty, but according to Entertainment Weekly, the pair married in secret.
At the time, Jackson was accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old boy (via NPR). Many thought his relationship with Presley was a publicity stunt to distract from the allegations especially after their flashy appearance together at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards. After introducing the show, Jackson addressed his relationship with Presley, saying: "And just think, nobody thought this would last." But, Presley told Oprah that their relationship was very real, saying: "When we were together, we were really in love, and then we had the rough patches." According to Presley, those rough patches were mostly because of Jackson's drug addiction. "[Jackson's drug use] put me right back into what I went through with my father," Presley explained.
Presley had mixed emotions looking back on her marriage to Jackson
Lisa Marie Presley and Michael Jackson ended their marriage after two years, citing "irreconcilable differences" (via Entertainment Weekly). In the years following the divorce, Presley was less certain about what Jackson's intentions for marrying her were. In an exclusive with Rolling Stone (via Entertainment Weekly), Presley shared: "I can't tell you what his intentions were, but I can tell you I absolutely fell in love with him and fell into this whole thing which I'm not proud of now." Despite many saying he was using her, Presley said she thought people just didn't know the real him. "I was really in this lioness thing with him — I wanted to protect him ... I never thought for a moment someone like him could actually use me," she said.
But, despite her desire to protect him, their marriage was very rocky, and it got to the point she had to leave. Speaking to Marie Claire in 2007, she referred to her second marriage as "probably the biggest mistake of my life."
After Jackson's death, Presley looked back on their relationship with kinder eyes. Speaking to Oprah about their marriage, she said she believed Jackson did love her even if he manipulated her and the media at times. "I always confused that manipulation thinking that it meant he didn't love me," she said. "But I understand it better now. The manipulation was a survival tactic for him."
She and John Oszajca called off their engagement
In 1998, People reported that Lisa Marie Presley was engaged to Hawaiian-born musician John Oszajca. At the time of their engagement, Presley was 31 and her new fiance was 25. Oszajca had just released his debut album, "From There to Here," and his star was definitely on the rise, though not as well known as his fiancée, Presley. When asked by Entertainment Weekly what it was like being in a relationship with the daughter of Elvis Presley, Oszajca answered: "Most people in the press have been pretty fair. Not to be glib, but I'm happy. I don't spend much time thinking about it, really."
But, it seems this marriage wasn't meant to be. ABC reported the couple broke off their engagement in March 2001. They didn't share any details on the split, though Presley's representative said it was amicable and that the pair were still "very good friends."
She and Nicolas Cage had an intense connection
Lisa Marie Presley's next celebrity relationship was with actor Nicolas Cage. According to The Mirror, the two met when they were both still in relationships with other people. Cage was married to Patricia Arquette, and Presley was still engaged to John Oszajca when the actor and musician both attended Johnny Ramone's birthday party. Cage described their first meeting with Presley saying: "I walk into a party not knowing who I'm going to meet and there's this beautiful girl standing in the middle of the living room wearing this short leather skirt and this fluffy jacket, and she looks up at me with these big, beautiful, soulful eyes, eyes that look like they have a sad story to tell, and I just went 'Oh'" (via The Mirror).
They made their relationship public in May 2001, just one month after announcing the end of Presley's engagement to Oszajca. In August 2002, the pair eloped to Hawaii. The Mirror quoted a 2003 interview with Presley describing their romance to Larry King, saying: "It looked attractive like I could be equal. Similar situations, similar backgrounds. So we connected, we had a great connection. ... We're sort of these gypsy spirited, you know, tyrannical pirates."
Presley and Cage's wedding lasted 107 days
Despite their intense connection (or perhaps because of it), Lisa Marie Presley and Nicolas Cage's relationship was highly volatile. The pair were reported to have explosive arguments. One of their fights on a yacht culminated in Presley throwing her $65,000 six-carat yellow diamond engagement ring into the ocean. They called for divers to attempt to find the ring, but it was never recovered (via The Mirror).
Speaking to ABC about their rocky relationship, Presley compared them to another famous Hollywood couple. "We are like the new millennium version of Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor at this point. I mean we are going to knock each other off," she said. After one of their fights, Cage filed for divorce. "The most upsetting thing," she said, "was when he called to say he was sorry, wish he hadn't done it, things like that ... You can't have a temper tantrum and then call me four days later and expect, you know, everything to be fine again." That was in 2002, after 107 days of marriage, though the divorce wasn't finalized until 2004 (via Us Weekly).
Following Presley's death, her ex-husband Cage shared his heartbreak with Entertainment Weekly. "This is devastating news," Cage said. "Lisa had the greatest laugh of anyone I ever met. She lit up every room, and I am heartbroken. I find some solace believing she is reunited with her son Benjamin."
She felt ready to settle down with Michael Lockwood
Guitarist and producer Michael Lockwood became Lisa Marie Presley's fourth husband. He was also the musical director on Presley's 2005 album "Now What" (via Us Weekly). In an interview with Larry King at the time, Presley said: "I could envision spending the rest of my life with him, easily. I just had this idea we would be perfect together. And I don't think I realized how right I was when I thought that. You know, just everything. We're together 24/7. We do everything together. I've never had a relationship like this before" (via Us Weekly).
The pair married in 2006, with Presley's first husband, Danny Keough, as a member of the wedding party. In a 2007 interview with Marie Claire, Presley spoke about how different Lockwood was from her past relationships. "I've gotten to the point in my life where I've chased all the crazies down. I was ready to stop the madness. At this age, I really appreciate having [a husband who is] a best friend. But you know, the other guys were fun. For a while." Two years after getting married, the singer announced she was pregnant and gave birth to twins Harper and Finley in October 2008.
She and Lockwood had a messy split
Lisa Marie Presley's marriage to Michael Lockwood lasted for 10 years and was her longest relationship. But she filed for divorce in 2016, citing irreconcilable differences. Presley's lawyer, Ronald Litz, spoke to People about the couple's split, saying: "He [Lockwood] apparently was in charge of her assets throughout the marriage and didn't do what he should have done on a fiduciary basis," Litz said. "He took advantage of her." Along with the financial issues, the lawyer added: "There are some problems with him being a good father, in terms of what a father is supposed to do."
The ex-couple entered a heated custody battle for their twin daughters. They were granted joint legal custody of the twins, but a source told People that Lockwood only had supervised visits with the girls while they lived with Presley. Lockwood opened the custody battle again in 2020 after the death of Presley's son Benjamin. Closer quoted the documents Lockwood submitted where he stated: "With all due sympathy and respect, this creates a new and unaddressed twofold problem: the safety of the children and the greater likelihood of Petitioner to relapse into drug or alcohol dependency." Regardless of any disagreements, Lockwood's attorney Joe Yanny told Entertainment Weekly that the musician was shaken by his ex's death. "Michael had been hoping for a speedy and complete recovery because her children needed her. It is very sad it didn't turn out that way."