Priscilla Presley has had a rocky year thanks to the shocking death of her daughter Lisa Marie Presley and the ensuing legal dispute over her late daughter's estate with granddaughter Riley Keough. Amidst that, she's been working on a movie based on her memoir about her relationship with Elvis Presley.
The businesswoman and actress, 78, opened up in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter alongside Sofia Coppola, who is directing the adaptation of her biography, titled Priscilla.
While unpacking the legacy the King of Rock and Roll left behind, they delved into Priscilla's year of trauma over losing her daughter at the age of 54 to a sudden cardiac arrest.
"I did know there was something not right," she confessed when talking about the days leading up to her untimely demise on January 12, recounting an incident from a Golden Globes after-party on January 10, celebrating Austin Butler's win for playing Elvis in Baz Luhrmann's film.
While setting the scene for a mother-daughter outing to the Chateau Marmont, Priscilla recalled: "We had just gotten there, you go down all these stairs.
"I tripped a little bit because I had these high heels on, and [Lisa Marie] started laughing so hard. I started laughing. We hadn't even had a drink yet. She goes, 'Oh my God, Mom, you can't even have a drink.'… It was fun, a fun memory.
"Then we sat down and ordered drinks, and she says, 'Mom, my stomach hurts really bad.' We immediately got up and left."
Two days later, she received a call from Lisa Marie's ex-husband Danny Keough (father to Riley and Benjamin Keough) saying that she had been rushed to the hospital for cardiac arrest. "I got right in the car, but she was already gone," she revealed. "I still can't believe it. I don't wish this on any mother."
SEE: Elvis and Priscilla Presley: the ultimate rundown of the couple's most stylish moments
The ensuing legal battle over Lisa Marie's estate, including Graceland, between Priscilla and Riley, who was named trustee by Lisa Marie in a 2016 amendment to her will, sparked reports of tension and feuding between them.
However, Riley, 34, confirmed in an earlier interview with Vanity Fair that "things with Grandma will be happy," and Priscilla stated the same in her own interview.
"Riley is now the executor, which should be right, obviously, being her daughter," Priscilla stated, referencing the settlement that was reached between both parties in May.
"Riley and I are on good terms. We were never not on good terms. That was all publicity. This is private and this is not something to fool around with and say that we're not agreeing.
"In fact," she added: "I'm having dinner with [Riley] tonight. We understand what needs to be done. I'm there for her. She knows that. She wants me there for her to help her."
The beginnings of a complicated family legacy will be captured in Sofia's Priscilla, starring Jacob Elordi as the rocker and Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla, and is set for an October 24 release.
She emphasized, however, that despite all the disputes, her own idea of her blossoming romance with Elvis was just that – romantic. "It was a different time," she explained. "I lived in his world. I wanted to please him. I wanted to fit in. I wanted to have fun with him. I wanted to see what it was that he liked."
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