The Complete Timeline Of Lisa Marie Presley And Nicolas Cage's Relationship
Nicolas Cage and Lisa Marie Presley were together for two years before they got married in August 2002. Despite that lengthy relationship, things between the two fell apart fairly quickly into their marriage, and they ended up announcing their intention to divorce just shy of four months after their wedding (via Instyle).
Even though things between them didn't last, Cage and Presley generally had positive things to say about one another following their split. In a 2003 interview with Barbara Walters, Cage admitted to missing his ex-wife daily and shared that part of what made their connection special might have led to their split. He said, "Oftentimes, when you have two people who are very strong and their own personalities and rather intense, sometimes you can have a hard time meshing" (via Extra).
Sadly, Presley died suddenly in January 2023, and Cage offered his heartfelt sadness in a tribute to the singer and songwriter and her family. Here is a look at the short-lived relationship between Lisa Marie Presley and Nicolas Cage.
Lisa Marie Presley and Nicolas Cage met at a party
Lisa Marie Presley and Nicolas Cage met all the way back in 2000 when they both attended the same party. As Presley told Access Hollywood, the party was for Johnny Ramone's birthday.
Cage later recalled the moment that Presley walked into the party as a transformative one. As he put it in an interview with Barbara Walters in 2003, "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 that look like they have a sad story to tell, and I just went 'Oh.' I was thunderstruck" (via Us Weekly).
With that kind of reaction, it's not surprising that sparks flew between the pair. Cage went on to tell Walters that one thing led to another, and the two soon became engaged in a lively conversation. He said he respected Presley for being upfront and honest about who she is and what she thinks.
Lisa Marie Presley and Nicolas Cage were both in relationships at the time
Lisa Marie Presley and Nicolas Cage were both in relationships with other people when they met. Presley was engaged to singer-songwriter John Oszajca, though the pair called things off in March 2001, according to ABC News. Oszajca spoke a little about his then-fiancée to Entertainment Weekly while promoting his record, "From There to Here." When asked how it felt to be known as the boyfriend of an iconic woman, he replied, "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."
When Cage met Presley, he was married to actor Patricia Arquette. The two wed back in 1995, though Hello! magazine noted they'd separated within a year. The two didn't officially get divorced until after Presley and Cage were introduced (via People).
Lisa Marie Presley and Nicolas Cage's relationship was often tumultuous
Lisa Marie Presley and Nicolas Cage were only married for a short time when their relationship came to a sudden halt. Presley released a statement following the finalization of their divorce in 2004 and admitted that the marriage itself wasn't a good idea. As she put it, "I'm sad about this, but we shouldn't have been married in the first place. It was a big mistake" (via New York Post).
Presley and Cage were known for their volatile arguments, including the one that set off the end of their marriage, according to the Daily Express. The fight apparently took place on a yacht, where Presley's impressive six-carat diamond engagement ring ended up getting chucked into the water. Cage was said to have hired a team of divers to find the ring, but the quest ultimately proved unsuccessful. Cage then decided to buy Presley another ring — an even larger one — to replace the one that was tossed.
The outlet noted that Cage believed it made sense for the pair to try to make things work because they had unique childhoods in common. As he told Barbara Walters, "She was born with the pressure of an extremely famous name from day one; I was a young actor in Hollywood with the name Coppola trying to make it with those pressures. There was a logic to it, there was a sense to it" (via Daily Express).
Lisa Marie Presley and Nicolas Cage were officially divorced in 2004
After just 107 days as husband and wife, Lisa Marie Presley and Nicolas Cage called it quits (via Us Weekly). While it was unclear exactly what led to their split, the Irish Mirror reported that Cage's alleged obsession with Presley's father, Elvis. However, Presley denied such rumors in an interview with Larry King Live in 2003, in which she explained that it was unfortunate there was so much emphasis on the story in the first place.
Presley also opened up to Larry King about the pair's divorce. Presley explained that because the two had been together for two years before they got married, she hoped that things between them would work out once they tied the knot, but unfortunately, that didn't happen. As she put it, "It was one of those things where you're marrying hoping that you're going to either stabilize it or it's going to, you know, accentuate all that was going on prior to what was problematic" (via Irish Mirror). However, the two were able to stay friendly during and after their divorce.
Lisa Marie Presley had positive things to say about Nicolas Cage following their split
Despite the fact that their marriage ended in divorce, Lisa Marie Presley and Nicolas Cage continued had kind things to say about each other. While speaking to Diane Sawyer in 2003, after the two had announced their split but before it was finalized, Presley admitted to being fond of Cage and his tendency to do things that were out of the ordinary (via Extra). As she explained, Cage had something special about him. Presley revealed that part of what attracted her to her ex-husband: "I like when someone's shaking it up, when they're different. I don't know why. I'll never know why. But it's just what I get attracted to."
That same year, Cage reflected on his marriage in a sit-down with Barbara Walters. He admitted to missing Presley all the time and expressed some regret over how things had turned out between them. As he put it, "Sometimes I wish we couldn't have rushed the marriage and sometimes I regret rushing the divorce, but it just seemed like it wasn't going to change" (per Extra).
Nicolas Cage was 'heartbroken' by Lisa Marie's death
On January 12, 2023, Lisa Marie Presley passed away suddenly following an experience of cardiac arrest. As news of her passing broke, tributes and remembrances came pouring in from a number of celebrities. The estate of her ex-husband Michael Jackson commented on her passing, with co-executor John Branca sharing, "Bringing these two special people together was a memorable moment resulting in a union full of genuine affection and care for each other" (via Deadline). Nicolas Cage also revealed how he was feeling in the wake of Lisa Marie's death.
Cage shared that the news of Presley's passing was "devastating" and that he hoped she had found peace at the side of her son, Benjamin Keough, who died in summer 2020. He also remembered her spirit and personality, noting, "Lisa had the greatest laugh of anyone I ever met. She lit up every room, and I am heartbroken" (via Deadline).