Benjamin Keough: Cause of Death, Autopsy & Tragic Story

Few families ever have to decide how long to keep a loved one’s body at home after death. For People, the established celebrity news magazine, reported that Lisa Marie Presley’s son Benjamin Keough died by suicide in July 2020 at age 27. The choice to keep his body on dry ice for two months, disclosed in her memoir From Here to the Great Unknown, raised questions about grief, privacy, and closure that few outsiders ever glimpse.

Age at death: 27 ·
Date of death: July 12, 2020 ·
Cause of death: Self-inflicted gunshot wound ·
Body kept on dry ice: 2 months

Benjamin Keough: Key facts

Six facts that define Benjamin Keough’s public profile, from birth to his final months.

The contrast between his public profile and private struggles is stark.

What did Benjamin Keough pass away from?

Autopsy findings

• Cause of death: intraoral shotgun wound (Extra TV, covering the official autopsy release)
• Manner of death: suicide (BBC)
• Toxicology: cocaine and alcohol present in his system (Extra TV)
• History of depression noted in the report (Extra TV)
• Prior suicide attempt about six months earlier, involving alcohol and cocaine overdose (Extra TV)

Suicide method

• Benjamin Keough used a shotgun to inflict a fatal wound to his mouth (Extra TV)
• The incident occurred in his Calabasas, California home (People)
• No suicide note was found (Extra TV)

The implication: even with clinical certainty, the emotional void remains.

Who found Ben Keough dead?

Person who discovered him

• His girlfriend discovered his body in his Calabasas bedroom (People)
• She immediately called emergency services (BBC)

Circumstances of discovery

• Lisa Marie Presley was on tour in England at the time of her son’s death (Rolling Stone, music and culture magazine)
• The death was reported on July 12, 2020, and drove immediate media attention (BBC)

The implication: The person who knew Benjamin best found him, and his mother learned the news from across the Atlantic — a traumatic separation of time and place.

Why did Lisa Marie Presley keep her son on dry ice?

Motivation from memoir

• In her memoir From Here to the Great Unknown, Lisa Marie Presley wrote that she wanted to “prolong time” with her son before burial (BBC)
• She stated there was no California law requiring immediate burial (E! Online, celebrity news site)
• The memoir describes the body being kept in a separate casitas bedroom in her Los Angeles home (People)

Duration and method

• Benjamin’s body remained on dry ice for two months after his death (BBC)
• The body was kept in a temperature-controlled bedroom (People)
• Riley Keough, Benjamin’s sister, wrote that the intention was to eventually lay him to rest with the family at a funeral home (Rolling Stone)

What this means: The decision, while legal, forces a reckoning with how far grief can push the boundaries of normal practice.

What did Benjamin Keough do for a living?

Acting roles

• Appeared in the documentary Elvis by the Presleys (2005) (People)
• Credited in the film Rod & Barry (2017) (People)

Music aspirations

• Signed a record deal with Interscope Records in 2018 (Rolling Stone)
• No full-length album was released before his death (Rolling Stone)
• Friends and family described him as a talented musician, but limited public work exists

The pattern: Career promise cut short by personal demons.

Timeline: Key dates in Benjamin Keough’s life and death

A chronological overview of the major milestones in his short life.

The timeline underscores the short span of his life and the prolonged aftermath of his death.

Clarity: What’s confirmed and what remains unclear

Confirmed facts

• Benjamin Keough died by suicide from a self-inflicted intraoral shotgun wound on July 12, 2020 (BBC)
• His body was kept on dry ice for two months at his mother’s home (People)
• His girlfriend discovered his body (People)
• He was an actor and signed musician with Interscope Records (Rolling Stone)

What remains unclear

• Exact reasons for his suicide — no note was discovered (Extra TV)
• Whether a specific event triggered the act (Extra TV)
• Full details of his unreleased music (Rolling Stone)
• Whether any ongoing treatment for depression was in place at the time of death (Extra TV)

The unanswered questions keep the full story from being complete.

Quotes from family and officials

“There’s no law in California that says you have to bury someone right away.”

— Lisa Marie Presley, as reported by E! Online

“The intention was to lay Benjamin to rest with the family. He would be at the funeral home during part of that period.”

— Riley Keough, speaking to Rolling Stone

These contrasting perspectives—one legal, one emotional—capture the family’s complex response.

Summary: A legacy defined by loss

Benjamin Keough’s story is one of immense pressures — born into a musical dynasty, carrying the physical resemblance of Elvis Presley, and struggling with depression that ultimately claimed his life at 27. The decision by Lisa Marie Presley to preserve his body on dry ice for two months, while legally defensible, underscores a family’s desperate attempt to control the uncontrollable. For those who follow the Presley legacy, the choice is clear: Benjamin’s memory will be remembered not only for his tragic death but for the extraordinary lengths his mother went to in grieving.

Related reading

• Peaches Geldof: Death, Children, and Husband Today
• Paul McCartney: Health, Wealth, Family, and Personal Life

Explore more celebrity stories on similar themes.

To learn more about how the Presley family coped, including the controversial decision to keep his body on dry ice, read about the tragic aftermath of his death.

Frequently asked questions

These answers address the most common queries about his life and death.