Academy Award-winning Actor Nicolas Cage, most recently known for his role in the film The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, has released a statement to Entertainment Weekly in the wake of his ex-wife's recent passing. Lisa Marie Presley, the infamous only child of musician Elvis Presley, died unexpectedly on Thursday of suspected cardiac arrest after a brief hospitalization in Los Angeles. Cage expressed his heartbreak at the "devastating news" of her death this weekend, recalling fondly that "Lisa had the greatest laugh of anyone I ever met. She lit up every room, and I am heartbroken. I find some solace believing she is reunited with her son Benjamin."
Cage and singer-songwriter Lisa Marie were a well-known A-list couple during their relationship and marriage in the early aughts. The actor was on the tail end of his 90s work with Scorsese and on blockbusters like Face/Off and The Rock at the time they met, leading into his acclaimed work with Charlie Kauffman on Adaptation. Presley, meanwhile, had released a duet from a posthumous recording with her infamous father, Elvis, preparing for what was to become her certified gold debut album To Whom It May Concern. Cage recalled being "thunderstruck" when meeting Presley at a house party in 2000, especially noting her "big, beautiful, soulful eyes." The couple married briefly in 2002 after publicly dating in 2001, filing for divorce only months later.
The Pair Maintained a Friendship
Still, the actor has long since expressed great respect and friendship for Presley, noting their similarities in their upbringing and personal obstacles in life during a post-divorce interview with Barbara Walters. "She's hilarious," noted Cage. "She's a real firecracker and she tells it like it is." Cage has been known for such qualities throughout his career. Both struggled, according to Cage, with the "pressures" of coming from "famous" and "artistic" families. "She was born with the pressure of an extremely famous name from day one, I was a young actor in Hollywood with the last name Coppola, trying to make it with those pressures."
Ultimately Cage concluded that their similarities made for a hard time "meshing" into their coupledom, both he and Lisa equally possessing "strong" and "intense" personalities. Speaking fondly of Lisa Marie Presley to Barbara Walters in 2003, he described their relationship after the divorce: "The thing we have now... is great. We're friends. In a lot of ways she was [always] like a best friend to me..."
Prior to her passing, Presley had recently attended the 2023 Golden Globes ceremony to celebrate Austin Butler's nomination for his role in Baz Luhrmann's biopic Elvis. She and her mother could be seen emotionally applauding Butler during his acceptance speech for Best Actor as The King. Presley is survived by her mother, Priscilla Presley, and her three daughters, Finley, Harper, and Riley.