Lisa Marie Presley died aged 54 on January 12 (Picture: Getty)
Lisa Marie Presley’s ex-husband has spoken out after her death, insisting that their children would ‘carry on the family legacy’.
The 54-year-old, daughter of music icon Elvis Presley, died on January 12, hours after suffering a ‘cardiac arrest’.
A memorial service for the late star will take place on January 22 on the front lawn of her father’s sprawling Graceland estate in Memphis, Tennessee.
Ahead of the ceremony, Presley’s former partner, Michael Lockwood, opened up about the loss and how their two children – 14-year-old twin girls Harper and Finley – were coping.
‘We are all reeling from the sudden passing of Lisa Marie Presley, the mother of my two beautiful twin daughters Harper and Finley,’ he said in a statement.
‘Nothing prepares us for such an unexpected tragedy. It is incomprehensible.
Lisa Marie Presley and Michael Lockwood share two daughters together (Picture: WireImage)
‘The most important thing to me at this time is to take care of my daughters, making sure they always feel safe and loved.
‘Both of them have incredible spirit and they will carry our family’s legacy on for the rest of their lives. Since they were born, Harper and Finley have brought me profound joy and I remain devoted to them,’ he added to People Magazine. ‘We ask for privacy at this incredibly difficult time.’
The former couple tied the knot in 2006, marking the fourth time that Presley had walked down the aisle – she had previously married Danny Keough, Michael Jackson and Nicholas Cage.
The pair welcomed their twins in 2008, two years after their nuptials, but it wasn’t to last and they called time on their marriage in 2016.
A public memorial service is taking place on Sunday (Picture: Reuters)
She also welcomed daughter Riley and late son Benjamin with Keough
Presley’s mother, Priscilla, shared the sad news of her death earlier this month, paying tribute to her ‘passionate’ daughter.
‘It is with a heavy heart that I must share the devastating news that my beautiful daughter Lisa Marie has left us,’ it read.
‘She was the most passionate, strong and loving woman I have ever known.’
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A note on the Graceland website confirmed that a public memorial service for the mom-of-four will take place over the weekend.
‘Riley, Harper, Finley, and Priscilla Presley are grateful for the support, well-wishes, and outpouring of love honouring their beloved Lisa Marie,’ it read.
‘A public memorial service for Lisa Marie Presley has been arranged for Sunday, January 22 at 9:00 am on the front lawn at Graceland Mansion in Memphis, Tennessee.’
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‘Both of them have incredible spirit.’