Elvis star Austin Butler remembers Lisa Marie Presley: 'My heart is completely shattered'

Austin Butler is paying tribute to singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley after her sudden death at 54 earlier this week.

"My heart is completely shattered for Riley, Finley, Harper, and Priscilla at the tragic and unexpected loss of Lisa Marie," the Elvis star said Saturday in a statement to EW. "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."

Presley, who was the only child of rock & roll legend Elvis Presley, died after suffering a suspected cardiac arrest while at her ex-husband Danny Keough's home in Calabasas, Calif., on Thursday. The pair shared two children together: son Benjamin Keough, who died by suicide in 2020, and her actress daughter, Riley Keough.

Eric Charbonneau/Shutterstock 'Elvis' star Austin Butler and Lisa Marie Presley

Butler formed a strong connection with both Lisa Marie and her mother, Priscilla Presley, after starring as The King in Baz Luhrmann's 2022 biopic. Just two days before her death, Presley and her mother attended the Golden Globes in support of the film and became teary-eyed when Butler won Best Actor in a Drama Motion Picture.

After receiving the award, Butler took a moment to honor Lisa Marie and Priscilla. "I want to thank our incredible producers and Warner Bros. and the Presley family," he said. "Thank you, guys. Thank you for opening your hearts, your memories, your home to me. Lisa Marie, Priscilla, I love you forever."

Presley, similarly, had good things to say about Butler and his portrayal of her father. "It's almost as if he channeled him," she said in the special Exclusively Elvis: A Special Edition of 20/20. "He put everything he had — his heart, his soul, everything he had — into researching, reading, watching, learning. He honored him in every way possible."

She previously called Butler's performance "unprecedented" and "done accurately and respectfully" in a May Instagram post, adding, "If he doesn't get an Oscar for this, I will eat my own foot."

Butler's statement comes after Luhrmann shared his own poignant tribute to Presley on social media Friday. "Her sudden, shocking loss has devastated people all around the world," the director wrote. "Lisa Marie, we will miss your warmth, your smile, your love."

The actor's costar Tom Hanks and Hanks' wife, Rita Wilson, added in their tribute, "We are heartbroken over the loss of Lisa Marie Presley. Absolutely broken."

In addition to her daughter, Riley, and her mother, Priscilla, Presley is also survived by her twin daughters, Harper and Finley Lockwood.

Related content:

• Elvis star Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson honor Lisa Marie Presley — see more celebrity tributes

• Lisa Marie Presley, singer-songwriter and daughter of Elvis Presley, dies at 54

• Lisa Marie Presley says Austin Butler 'channeled' her dad in new making of Elvis special