(NewsNation) — Lisa Marie Presley revealed her addiction to painkillers and opioids in the foreword for Harry Nelson’s book “The United States of Opioids: A Prescription for Liberating a Nation in Pain.“
“I think it took an enormous amount of courage for her to talk about her own experience and addiction and recovery,” Nelson said during an appearance Friday on NewsNation’s “Rush Hour.”
Nelson is a good friend of Presley and knew her for over a decade.
“Above all, she was a devoted and loving mother … I think she really took great pride in being in her father’s legacy and trying to carry that on as an artist … I think she was just a deeply compassionate person who was really trying to do her best to be a force for good in the world,” Nelson said.
Presley had two children, actor Riley Keough and Benjamin Keough, with her former husband Danny Keough. She also had twin daughters with ex-husband Michael Lockwood.
Benjamin died by suicide in 2020 at the age of 27. Presley was vocal about her grief, writing in an essay last August that she had “been living in the horrific reality of its unrelenting grips since my son’s death two years ago.”
Nelson said that Presley “cared deeply about trying to reach other people” and that Benjamin’s death impacted her deeply.
“I was really grateful that she was able to share what she did and I am sorry that we’re here today,” Nelson added.