Following Lisa Marie Presley’s death, Axl Rose paid tribute to the only child of Elvis and Priscilla Presley. Lisa Marie died on Jan. 12 at the age of 54 in Calabasas, California.
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As an homage to Presley, Rose revealed stories about their friendship and the support he offered her following the death of her son Benjamin, who committed suicide in 2020.
“I will miss my friend Lisa,” the Guns N’ Roses frontman said in a new interview. “Her passing, just as her son’s, or as a kid, her father’s, doesn’t seem real. Lisa loved her family, all her children. My heart goes out to them.”
He later commented on Benjamin’s death saying, “Her son’s passing was shocking, tragic, and devastating. It was something that, at a point, you obviously didn’t want to bring up but awkwardly would in an effort to let her know you cared and were thinking about her, about them, and to be of any comfort one could, which she appreciated.”
Rose also recalled sharing “jokes, news articles and lots of animal vids” while trying to help Presley through that mourning period.
“I wanted her to be happy, to feel good about things, at least as much as one could under the circumstances. And really, with the closeness of their relationship, one could hope—but truthfully, it didn’t seem, at least without some real-time passing, a reasonable reality,” he said.
He continued, “What comes after life who knows but I’d like to think they’re together, her and Ben with her father and Ben’s grandfather in some way, and Lisa, and the most important men in her life are happy together.”
He wrapped up his thoughts with memories of Presley sharing stories of Elvis. He said he was “fortunate enough to hear about her father and her experiences and memories with him firsthand.”
He continued, “She came to shows and we hung out backstage. It was always great to see her and she was always fun n’ super supportive.”
Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Stagecoach
