The world was shocked when Lisa Marie Presley passed away on January 12th, just two days after she attended the Golden Globe Awards to support the film Elvis.
Actor Austin Butler, who portrayed Lisa Marie’s famous father, won the trophy for Best Actor and gave Lisa Marie and her mom, Priscilla, a shoutout during his speech. Lisa Marie, in particular, was shedding tears and looking on in pride.
Since the movie came out last year, Lisa Marie and Austin spent a good amount of time together. From the first screening at Graceland, to the memorialization of the Presley women at TCL’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood, to celebrating Elvis’s birthday two days before the Golden Globes – and four days before her death – it was clear the two had created a lifelong bond.
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Lisa Marie always spoke so highly of Austin, his dedication to the role, and wanting to do it right. She gave her seal of approval and even said that anyone else who had ever played Elvis before him: “Bless their hearts.”
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The day after Lisa Marie Presley passed away, Austin released the following statement:
“My heart is completely shattered for Riley, Finley, Harper and Priscilla at the tragic and unexpected loss of Lisa Marie,” Butler said, referencing Lisa Marie’s daughters, Riley Keough (33) and Finley and Harper Lockwood (14), and her mother Priscilla. “I am eternally grateful for the time I was lucky enough to be near her bright light and will forever cherish the quiet moments we shared. Her warmth, her love and her authenticity will always be remembered.”
Austin was a guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on January 30th, and he talked about his Oscar nomination, Denzel Washington’s influence, and of course, Lisa Marie. Fallon brought up the fact that Austin spent some time with Lisa Marie and how sad he was to hear about her passing. Austin talked about how he felt an “immediate” connection to her.
“I first met Lisa when we screened the film at Graceland, and I’ve never had an experience where I met somebody and felt an immediate depth of relationship to them,. And she was a person who didn’t really have anything to prove and wouldn’t open up to everybody, and she just opened up to me. And we got so close so fast. So, it’s just devastating,” he said.
Austin continued, “It’s weird in moments like this because it’s so bittersweet. I mean, so much great stuff is happening, but I’m just devastated for her family and for her to not be here celebrating with us….To get to be with her at the Golden Globes, like, I’ll never forget that for the rest of my life.”
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Fallon also asked Austin about a moment not too many people know about – when Lisa Marie took him into her father’s bedroom and showed him Elvis’s slippers.
Watch the full interview below.