Austin Butler will always remember his time with Lisa Marie Presley.
The Elvis actor paid tribute to the singer-songwriter one day after she died Jan. 12 at 54 years old.
"My heart is completely shattered for Riley, Finley, Harper and Priscilla at the tragic and unexpected loss of Lisa Marie," he said in a statement to E! News on Jan. 13. "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."
Lisa Marie and Austin developed a close friendship following the movie's release in 2022, with Austin recently detailing the moment he met Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley's only child.
"She hugged me with tears in her eyes, and she just said, ‘Thank you,'" he told The Hollywood Reporter. "She took me upstairs and we went into Elvis' bedroom and just sat on his bed and just talked for hours."
During interviews and on social media, Lisa Marie praised Austin's portrayal of her dad, raving that he "channeled and embodied my father's heart and soul beautifully."
"In my humble opinion," she wrote on Instagram in May, "his performance is unprecedented and FINALLY done accurately and respectfully. (If he doesn't get an Oscar for this, I will eat my own foot, haha.)"
Indeed, she felt as though he had truly channeled Elvis, who died on August 1977 at 42 years old.
"He put everything he had, his heart, his soul, everything he had into researching, reading, watching, learning," she said during Exclusively Elvis: A Special Edition of 20/20. "He honored him in every way possible."
On Jan. 10, Lisa Marie's last public outing before her tragic death, she and Priscilla accompanied Austin to the 80th annual Golden Globes. When Austin won the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama, he took a moment to show gratitude for the Presley family in his acceptance speech.
"Thank you guys, thank you for opening your hearts, your memories, your home to me," he said. "Lisa Marie, Priscilla, I love you forever."
Two days later, Lisa Marie was rushed to the hospital. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department told Entertainment Tonight that a 54-year-old woman was in cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived to her Calabasas home.
Hours later, Priscilla shared that her daughter had died.
"She was the most passionate strong and loving woman I have ever known," Priscilla said in a statement. "We ask for privacy as we try to deal with this profound loss. Thank you for the love and prayers."
Lisa Marie is survived by her kids Riley Keough, 33, and her 14-year-old twins Harper and Finley. Her son Benjamin died by suicide in July 2020 at age 27.