Billy Bush recalls last Lisa Marie Presley interview: ‘Something’s off’
“Extra” host Billy Bush said he “feels awful” about Lisa Marie Presley’s death, which happened just two days after Bush interviewed her on the Golden Globes red carpet.
“I feel my heart is very heavy for pretty much anyone in pain,” Bush told People magazine.
Presley died Thursday at the age of 54, reportedly after her heart stopped twice, and her family signed a do not resuscitate order. An official cause of death has not been announced.
She was seen standing and walking unsteadily Tuesday, as she gripped the arm of her friend, 80-year-old talent manager Jerry Schilling. In the middle of the interview with Bush, she told her plus one, “I’m gonna grab your arm.”
“She was very uneven in her balance,” Bush, 51, told Fox LA. “The speech was very slow. And, definitely, when the interview was over, I turned to my producer next to me and said, ‘Something’s off here.’”
“She was cognizant. She was certainly with it, just a second slow. But she was there. She was definitely there, but just a tad off in some way,” Bush added.
For interviews, A-listers had to walk up two steps to the platform where Bush stood, yet Presley, the only child of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, struggled to ascend them.
“It was clear that she was not coming up the two flights. I went down and met her on the carpet itself,” he recalled to Fox LA.
Lisa Marie Presley 1968-2023
While the TV personality noticed “something” going on at the time, he said he never expected Presley to die. Bush mused about the possibility of “history repeating itself,” calling the ordeal “very sad.”
“Of course, you think about, yikes, is it history repeating itself? Is it another situation like that?” Bush continued to Fox LA, noting Elvis died at 42 after suffering heart problems. “Seems likely, can’t say for sure that that’s the case.”
Hollywood legend has it that the Presley family may be “cursed” because Elvis’ maternal grandparents were first cousins. Elvis’ own mother, Gladys, died of heart failure at 46, while some of her siblings also passed away in their 40s.
According to Elvis historian Sally Hoedel, the Presley lineage continues to suffer the consequences.
“Elvis certainly was a victim of his own DNA,” Hoedel wrote in her book, “Destined to Die Young,” about the late King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Lisa Marie lost her own son, Benjamin Keough, to suicide in 2020 and was utterly destroyed by his sudden death at the age of 27.
In August 2022, she penned an essay about grief for People magazine in honor of National Grief Awareness Day, promoting it on Instagram “in the hopes that anyone who needs to hear all of this it helps in some way.”
Lisa Marie was rushed to the hospital Thursday after reportedly suffering a cardiac arrest in her Calabasas home. She was put into an induced coma on life support with a temporary pacemaker before her heart flatlined a second time, sources told TMZ.
Priscilla Presley, 77, announced her daughter’s tragic death Thursday.
“Priscilla Presley and the Presley family are shocked and devastated by the tragic death of their beloved Lisa Marie,” she said in a statement to The Post. “They are profoundly grateful for the support, love and prayers of everyone, and ask for privacy during this very difficult time.”
Fellow celebrities paid their respects on social media, expressing their sadness and shock and sharing fond memories of the singer-songwriter.
“My heart is completely shattered for Riley, Finley, Harper and Priscilla at the tragic and unexpected loss of Lisa Marie,” actor Austin Butler, who won a Golden Globe this week for playing the titular rockstar in the biopic “Elvis,” told The Post in a statement.
“I am eternally grateful for the time I was lucky enough to be near her bright light and will forever cherish the quiet moments we shared. Her warmth, her love, and her authenticity will always be remembered,” he continued.
“I’m heartbroken over the passing of Lisa Marie Presley,” “King of Queens” star and fellow former Scientologist Leah Remini tweeted. “Lisa did not have an easy life, as some might think. May she be at peace, resting with her son and father now. Her mom Priscilla and her three daughters, Riley, Finley, and Harper, are in my prayers.”
“Grease” actor John Travolta, who recruited Priscilla into the Church of Scientology after Elvis’ death in 1977, took to Instagram to express his grief.
“Lisa baby girl, I’m so sorry. I’ll miss you but I know I’ll see you again. My love and heart goes out to Riley, Priscilla, Harper and Finley,” he wrote.
“Oh, this one hurts my heart,” singer Pink lamented on Instagram. “Lisa Marie, you were one of a kind. Funny as s–t, smart as a whip, sensitive, talented, witty, mean, loving, generous, judgmental but always right, loyal, and you adored your children.”
“My heart breaks for you and your beautiful family and your children. The world lost a rare gem today. May your soul rest in peace, friend,” she continued.
Presley is survived by her 14-year-old twin daughters, Harper and Finley Lockwood, in addition to actress Riley Keough, 33. She is due to be buried next to her late son at Graceland, her father’s sprawling Memphis estate.
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