(NewsNation) — Lisa Marie Presley, Elvis Presley’s only child, died Thursday after being hospitalized for a medical emergency. She was 54.
Just two days before her death, Lisa Marie Presley attended the Golden Globes, where she supported Austin Butler, who played the role of her father in the “Elvis” biopic.
Billy Bush, the host of “Extra,” said he was the last person to interview Presley before she walked into the awards show. During a Thursday appearance on NewsNation, Bush said, “she was off” during the interview.
“When the interview was over, I said to my crew, ‘Something’s off.’ There’s no question that she was off. She was a little slow and not quite all there. I say that with a heavy heart,” Bush told NewsNation host Ashleigh Banfield.
According to multiple media reports, Lisa Marie Presley went into cardiac arrest. A spokesperson from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department told The Hollywood Reporter that deputies responded to a residence in Calabasas for a female in her 50s who suffered a cardiac arrest, but did not confirm her name. Her death was confirmed Thursday by her mother, Priscilla, a few hours after she said her daughter was rushed to the hospital.
Bush said Presley seemed to be a bit delayed during their interview.
“I can tell you this. We had two steps up onto our platform, and I asked her, you know, ‘Here, let me lend you a hand to come up.’ She was on the arm of Jerry Schilling, who is an old manager of Elvis and a manager of her, too. He was a member of the Memphis Mafia and a great friend. He was holding her arm, and she was very much relying on his support for balance. She spoke very slowly,” Bush said.
Still, her death was a shock to Bush and many others.
“Two nights ago, it did not strike me that something like this could happen, although I did say she does not seem to be in the best place on that red carpet,” Bush said.
He continued: “I can’t believe it. I just talked to her two days ago. It’s just stunning to me how life turns on a dime.”
Bush added that her involvement with the “Elvis” movie and her bond with actor Austin Butler was a light in her life.
“Austin really did a great job of reaching out to Priscilla and Lisa Marie and forged an incredible bond in the process,” Bush said, later mentioning: “He was one of the bright lights in her life before this moment, before she passed.”
Dr. Dave Montgomery, a board-certified cardiologist and host of “The Good Doctor,” said on “Morning in America” that many aspects can lead to someone having cardiac issues, such as genetics or drug use.
“There’s a number of things that can play together,” he said. “I think we should respect what Priscilla (Presley) said. And that is to give them some privacy before we speculate too much.”
However, he notes that across the board, but especially in women, incidences of heart attacks and heart failure for those ages 35-54 are going up.
Bush also noted that Lisa Marie Presley went through an unfathomable amount of pain and struggled throughout her life.
Elvis Presley died in August 1977 when he was 42 and Lisa Marie Presley was only 9 years old. She found him lying face down in a bathroom at Graceland in Memphis. Lisa Marie Presley’s son, Benjamin Keough, died by suicide in 2020 at the age of 27.
“Her father, her son — this could be relief. Right now, she’s with the both of them. It could be a relief. We know the struggles, and I know she loved him so much. I like to think that she’s with him right now,” Bush said.
Lisa Marie Presley also had three other children: actor Riley Keough and twin daughters, Harper and Finley Lockwood.
Bush said his heart goes out to Lisa Marie Presley’s family.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
