On January 12th, Lisa Marie Presley passed away at the age of 54. Presley is the only child of rock and roll legend Elvis Presley, and only two days before her death, she attended The Golden Globes with her mother, Priscilla Presley, where Austin Butler took home the best actor award for his portrayal of Presley's father in the biopic film Elvis.
As reported by CNN, Presley was hospitalized last week, following apparent cardiac arrest. According to sources, Presley was found in her bedroom by a housekeeper that morning in Calabasas and Presley's ex-husband, Danny Keough, arrived on the scene and performed CPR until paramedics arrived. Following this information, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said paramedics performed CPR before taking Presley to the hospital and 'determined the patient had signs of life.'
The cause of death was subsequently deferred by the Los Angeles County Coroner after the initial autopsy exam. A spokesperson with the LA County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner said Presley's case has been deemed “deferred pending additional investigation,” and she went on to shed some light on the situation.
"Presley was examined on Jan. 14 and the cause of death was deferred. Deferred means that after an autopsy, a cause of death has not been determined and the medical examiner is requesting more investigation into the death, including additional studies. Once the tests/studies come back, the doctor evaluates the case again and makes the cause of death determination." Sarah Ardalani, spokesperson
Doctor Explains the Possible Reason for the Deferral of Lisa Marie Presley's Cause of Death
According to CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta, “There are things on an initial autopsy, trauma, stroke, significant infections, blood clots, pulmonary embolism. If you see those, and they’re obvious within the initial physical autopsy, they may come back with a cause of death. But there are things that are deferred.” Dr. Sanjay explained that there are many possible reasons for the deferral, and he added, “They may want to evaluate more medical records and get more history.”
Spokesperson Sarah Ardalani says it is "an ongoing death investigation," and thus would not comment on the specific tests being run or further details. However, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirmed, "this case is being handled by the Coroner's office," and there is no ongoing police investigation concerning Lisa Marie Presley's Death.
Funeral arrangements are underway in Memphis, taking place at the famous Elvis estate, Graceland, where her son and father, Elvis, are also buried. Lisa Marie Presley visited the estate and burial grounds only days before her death. According to the Graceland website, a public memorial for Presley will take place at the estate on January 22. The notice adds, “In lieu of flowers, the family encourages all who wish to send something to do so in the form of a donation to The Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation.”