Riley Keough pays tribute to 'baby brother' Benjamin after his death: 'I guess this is true heartbreak'

Riley Keough mourned her 27-year-old brother Benjamin Keough who died on July 12, 2020. (Photo: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)
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Actress Riley Keough addressed the death of her “baby brother” Benjamin Keough, who died on Sunday, calling him “pure light” and her “best friend.”

On Saturday, the 31-year-old daughter of Lisa Marie Presley and the granddaughter of music legend Elvis Presley wrote an Instagram post sharing her grief. “Mornings are the hardest. I forget you’re gone. I can’t cry because of the fear that I will never stop. A pain that’s new to me,” she wrote of her 27-year-old sibling. “You. There are no words for you. Angel is the closest I could think of. Pure light. Baby brother. Best friend. Wild man. Intellectual. Witness to my life. Twin soul. Protector. Too sensitive for this harsh world.”

Riley added, “I hope you give me strength to endure the giant hole you’ve left in my heart. I hope you give me the strength to eat. I hope you’re cradled in love. I hope you feel my love. I hope you feel god. You are god. I can’t believe you’ve left me. Not you sweet Ben Ben. Anyone but you. I guess this is true heartbreak. I hope we meet again.”

Manager Roger Widynowski previously told Yahoo Entertainment of client Lisa Marie, “She is completely heartbroken, inconsolable and beyond devastated, but trying to stay strong for her 11-year-old twins and her oldest daughter Riley. She adored that boy. He was the love of her life." A July 13 autopsy by the Los Angeles County Deptartment of Medical Examiner-Coroner's office ruled Benjamin’s death a suicide, according to E! News.

Just like his grandfather, Benjamin, the son of singer Lisa Marie and her first husband Danny Keough, loved music. This week, musician Brandon Howard told People that his late friend battled depression, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic, and that his relationship with the family name was complicated.

"That kind of pressure is definitely a part of what happened," he reportedly said. "It's a tough thing when you have a lot of pressure with your family and living up to a name and an image. It's a lot of pressure. It's almost like you're pressured into having to be a musician, having to be an actor. It was good for him to go around the world and discover himself and have his own friends. You never know what triggers it. You never know ... It's so random."

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