Benjamin Keough Death: Friend Says He Struggled With 'Pressure' Of Presley Family Name, Depression

Benjamin Keough, the son of Lisa Marie Presley and grandson of Elvis Presley, struggled with depression and the pressure of living up to the Presley family name before his death, a friend said.

Musician Brandon Howard opened up to told People about Keough, who died by suicide in Calabasas, California on Sunday, saying the pressure of bearing the Presley family name was "definitely a part of what happened." Keough also struggled with depression, Howard said.

"Sometimes he struggled with depression, which is a serious thing with [the coronavirus pandemic] and everything happening right now and everybody being locked in the house," the musician told the magazine. "It takes a lot. I wish I could have been there."

"It's a tough thing when you have a lot of pressure with your family and living up to a name and an image," Howard continued. "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."

Keough was 27 when he died from an "intraoral shotgun wound" on July 12, the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner confirmed to Page Six on Tuesday. Initial reports said he shot himself in the torso.

Howard first met Keough when Lisa Marie was married to the late Michael Jackson in 1994. Jackson's father, Joe, previously managed Howard's mother, singer Miki Howard.

Lisa Marie and Jackson’s union did not last, the couple divorcing in 1996, but Keough and Howard remained friends. As adults, they had "a brotherhood and a kind of respect."

"We always felt we are who we are and we just got to be the best we can for different people around us," Howard said.

Although Keough comes from a famous family, he had maintained a relatively low profile. But his uncanny resemblance to his famous grandfather was a delight to the musician’s fans.

"Ben does look so much like Elvis. He was at the Opry and was the quiet storm behind the stage," Lisa Marie once said about her son.

"Everybody turned around and looked when he was over there. Everybody was grabbing him for a photo because it is just uncanny,” she added.

On Sunday, a representative of Lisa Marie told the media that she was completely heartbroken and devastated over the death of her son.

Keough is survived by his mother Lisa Marie, sister Riley Keough, 31, and 11-year-old twin half-sisters, Harper and Finley. His father, musician Danny Keough, is Lisa Marie's first husband.