As the new biographical film "Michael" about the late pop star Michael Jackson premieres, fans and media have revisited the late Lisa Marie Presley's candid reflections on her brief marriage to the King of Pop. The movie, which opened Friday, chronicles Jackson's rise from the Jackson 5 to global superstardom and offers fresh insight into his personal life, including his turbulent marriage to Presley.

Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley, married Michael Jackson in May 1994 after a whirlwind romance. Their union lasted until 1996 and was marked by both love and hardship.

In a posthumous memoir titled "From Here To The Great Unknown", completed by her daughter Riley Keough following Lisa Marie's death in January 2023, Presley disclosed intimate details of their relationship. She recounted how Jackson surprised her early on by revealing that, despite being 35 years old, he was "still a virgin" when they began dating. At that time, Presley was about a decade younger, according to Daily Mail.

Presley wrote that Jackson professed his love during a trip to Las Vegas. "Michael said, 'I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm completely in love with you. I want us to get married and for you to have my children,'" she recalled.

She added, "I didn't say anything immediately, but then I said, 'I'm really flattered, I can't even talk.' By then, I felt I was in love with him too."

The memoir also hints at challenges that led to their eventual split. Presley strongly suggested that Jackson's alleged drug problems contributed to the breakdown of their marriage. She described their relationship as tumultuous and revealed her emotional turmoil amid Jackson's child sexual abuse scandal.

According to J. Randy Taraborrelli's biography "Michael Jackson", Presley supported Jackson during the legal battles but urged him to settle lawsuits filed by families of alleged victims.

Lisa Marie Presley Reflects on Michael Jackson's Past Relationships and Their Complex Bond

Presley said Jackson spoke of his past romantic history but downplayed its significance. "He said none of his past relationships had been significant. 'I think he had kissed Tatum O'Neal, and he'd had a thing with Brooke Shields, which hadn't been physical apart from a kiss. He said Madonna had tried to hook up with him once, too, but nothing happened,'" she recounted.

The couple did not have children together; Presley had two children from her previous marriage to Danny Keough, actress Riley Keough and Benjamin Keough, who died by suicide in 2020.

Jackson died on June 25, 2009, from cardiac arrest linked to an overdose of sedatives and anti-anxiety drugs. Presley's death in 2023 was due to complications from a bowel obstruction caused by previous gastric bypass surgery, per AOL.

The film "Michael", directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Jackson's nephew Jaafar Jackson, is a family-sanctioned account of the singer's life.

Comments from readers reflect mixed reactions. One user from Australia wrote, "They were close - even after they broke up she was on tour with him. I think MJ was perhaps incapable of having a proper relationship. Who knows." Another from the U.S. commented, "Saw the movie this weekend; it was actually a really good movie. I was not expecting it to be that good."

A UK viewer added, "I watched the end of a programme on Michael tonight. It basically said how many drugs he took and also he cancelled his tour (which we knew). It showed how ill he was. RIP to him."

The renewed interest in Lisa Marie Presley's memoir and the new biopic sheds light on the complex personal life behind one of music's most iconic figures.

Tags
Michael Jackson, Lisa Marie Presley