Dolly Parton hopes Elvis and Lisa Marie Presley are ‘up there being happy together’

Dolly Parton is among several prominent figures in the music industry and beyond who are mourning the recent death of Lisa Marie Presley.

The singer and only child of Elvis and Priscilla Presley died last week after suffering cardiac arrest at a home near Calabasas. She was 54. The official cause of Lisa Marie Presley’s death has been deferred by the Los Angeles County Dept. of Medical Examiner-Coroner pending further investigation and additional testing.

“That was a sad, sad loss,” Parton told Entertainment Tonight in an interview published Tuesday.

“But in a way, hopefully [Elvis and Lisa Marie Presley are] up there being happy together. And hopefully Priscilla will find some peace through the love that we all have for her. And we’re all with her.”

Shortly after Lisa Marie Presley was pronounced dead on Thursday, Parton shared a statement on Instagram offering her condolences to the family. Lisa Marie Presley is survived by her mother and her children: Riley Keough (33), Finley Aaron Love Lockwood (14) and Harper Vivienne Ann Lockwood (14). Presley’s father died in 1977 at age 42, and her son, Benjamin Keough, died in 2020 at age 27.

“Priscilla, I know how sad you must be. May God comfort you at this time,” Parton wrote in her statement. “Elvis, I know how happy you must be to finally have her home and to have her back with you. Lisa Marie, may you rest in peace. We all love all of you.”

While speaking with Entertainment Tonight, the country music legend explained her decision to pay tribute via Instagram and said that she hasn’t gotten a chance yet to speak privately with Priscilla Presley — who “has been overwhelmed with all this” and “knows we’re all with her.”

“I just wanted to send our sympathies because I can only imagine,” Parton told ET. “That’s her only child, was Elvis’ only child. But I knew that he’d be waiting for her, and … we all love that family … and just wish them the best.”