Lisa Marie Presley's Cause of Death Revealed

Small bowel obstruction linked to bariatric surgery killed her, coroner says
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 14, 2023 1:30 AM CDT
Lisa Marie Presley's Cause of Death Revealed
FILE - Lisa Marie Presley arrives at the Los Angeles premiere of "Mad Max: Fury Road" at the TCL Chinese Theatre on May 7, 2015.   (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

A small bowel obstruction led to Lisa Marie Presley's death, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has determined. The 54-year-old's cause of death was found to be sequelae of small bowel obstruction. As People explains, a sequelae is "a condition which is the consequence of a previous disease of injury." In this case, Presley underwent bariatric surgery years ago, and, the coroner's report says, "the obstruction was in the form of a strangulated small bowel caused by adhesions that developed" after the surgery. It's a known long-term complication of such surgeries.

TMZ reports that the toxicology report also found Presley had therapeutic levels of Oxycodone in her blood at the time of her death, as well as a second opioid, Buprenorphine, which treats opioid overuse. Opioids can cause constipation and, thus, bowel obstruction. The gossip site says Presley had undergone a cosmetic procedure a few months prior to her death and had been prescribed opioids, and that in addition to a documented history of drug and alcohol abuse, Presley had a history of forgetting she'd taken her meds and taking them again. Meanwhile, last month, a dispute over Presley's estate was settled, with her daughter, Riley Keough, getting control after Presley's mother, Priscilla Presley, attempted to take over. Keough paid her grandmother $1 million plus $400,000 in legal fees to settle. (More Lisa Marie Presley stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X