Riley Keough 'Burst Into Tears' While Writing Her Late Mother Lisa Marie Presley's 'Incredibly Painful' Memoir

Riley Keough opened up about how emotional it was to complete her late mother Lisa Marie Presley’s upcoming memoir, From Here to the Great Unknown.

In a new interview published on Wednesday, September 25, the Daisy Jones & The Six star shared a portion of the book, which will hit shelves on Tuesday, October 8.

“In the years before she died, my mother, Lisa Marie Presley, began writing her memoir. Though she tried various approaches, and sat for many book interviews, she couldn’t figure out how to write about herself,” the oldest daughter of the musician — who passed away in January 2023 — began the tome’s introduction.

“And yet, she felt a burning desire to tell it,” Keough said. “After she’d grown exceedingly frustrated, she said to me, ‘Pookie, I don’t know how to write my book anymore. Can you write it with me?’”

“'Of course I can,’ I said,” she noted.

Following the matriarch’s request, she tragically passed away from cardiac arrest caused by a small bowel obstruction. Keough chose to keep the promise she made to the “Dirty Laundry” singer.

“I got the tapes of the memoir interviews she’d done. I was in my house, sitting on the couch. My daughter was sleeping. I was so afraid to hear my mother’s voice — the physical connection we have to the voices of our loved ones is profound. I decided to lie in my bed because I know how heavy grief makes my body feel,” Keough penned.

“I began listening to her speak. It was incredibly painful but I couldn’t stop. It was like she was in the room, talking to me. I instantly felt like a child again and I burst into tears. My mommy. The tone of her voice,” she explained.

In addition to sharing an excerpt from the start of the highly anticipated release, the actress — who is the only living child Presley had with ex-husband Danny Keough — spoke about what she hopes readers get from her mom’s story.

"Because my mother was Elvis Presley’s daughter, she was constantly talked about, argued over and dissected,” the 35-year-old began. “What she wanted to do in her memoir, and what I hope I’ve done in finishing it for her, is to go beneath the magazine headline idea of her and reveal the core of who she was. To turn her into a three-dimensional human being: the best mother, a wild child, a fierce friend, an underrated artist, frank, funny, traumatized, joyous, grieving, everything that she was throughout her remarkable life. I want to give voice to my mother in a way that eluded her while she was alive.”

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The mother-of-one — who shares daughter Tupelo with husband Ben Smith-Petersen — explained what Lisa Marie wanted those to feel through reading about her struggles.

“I hope that in an extraordinary circumstance, people relate to a very human experience of love, heartbreak, loss, addiction and family. [My mom] wanted to write a book in the hopes that someone could read her story and relate to her, to know that they’re not alone in the world. Her hope with this book was just human connection. So that’s mine,” Riley stated.

People reported on Riley's writing and remarks about her late mother's memoir.