Fact Check: Was Lisa Marie Presley a Scientologist? Connection explored

Since the passing of Lisa Marie Presley on Thursday, January 12, 2023, people have been researching details about her personal life and have had several questions regarding the same. The most recent question was about Lisa's involvement in the Church of Scientology.

Many celebrities have been affiliated with the Scientology Church, most notably Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Juliette Lewis, and Giovanni Ribisi. Scientology is often referred to as a cult and sometimes as a business. It was founded in 1953 by L. Ron Hubbard.

The Church of Scientology (Image via Getty/Martina Badini)

Lisa Marie was the only child of singer and actor Elvis Presley and actress Priscilla Presley. She suffered a cardiac arrest at her Calabassas home on January 12. While paramedics restarted her heart en route to the hospital, she passed away later that day. Her last public appearance was at the 80th Golden Globe awards with her mother on Tuesday, January 10.

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"They were taking my soul": Lisa Marie Presley on why she broke off with the Church of Scientology

Lisa Marie Presley was reported to have joined the Church of Scientology shortly after her father's death in 1977. According to Ok! Magazine, she was brought to the church by her mother, who found it difficult to handle Lisa after she got involved in drugs in her youth.

Lisa's involvement with the church thus began and lasted for several decades. She was even reported to have said that Scientology saved her life. She said:

"Were it not for Scientology, I would either be completely insane or dead by now."

Lisa Marie Presley with daughter Riley Keough and twins Harper and Finley (Images via Getty/Marion Curtis and Jaxon)

Lisa then raised her two oldest children, Riley and Benjamin, in the church. However, in 2014, Lisa took a clean break from the cult-like religion, claiming that it had taken advantage of her and wanted everything she had. She mentioned:

"I was slowly starting to self-destruct. They were taking my soul, my money, my everything."

Unlike other former Scientologists, she did not reveal too much about the reasons that led to her decision. However, there have been some reports regarding her involvement in the religion.

Lisa Marie Presley married musician Michael Lockwood. They were together for a decade until they filed for divorce in 2016. Lockwood mentioned that his filing for divorce was due to her religion. He accused Lisa of using a church technique called "fair gaming" - a way for members to target enemies of the church by harassing them or putting a blemish on their reputation.

Presley and Lockwood in 2015 (L) and in 2004 (R) (Images via Getty/Stewart Cook and Dale Wilcox)

In court documents, Lockwood said that Presley manipulated their daughters into speaking about him in a bad light. He also alleged that Presley falsely accused him of s*xually abusing the twins, claiming Scientology was the reason behind her behavior and accusations.

During That 70s Show's actor Danny Masterson's trial for misconduct and r*pe, Lisa Marie Presley was also involved. Masterson, also a Scientologist, was accused of r*ping three women who were also of the same religion.

When this matter came to light, the church asked Lisa Marie to convince one of the victims not to report the incident to authorities. She was friends with one of the accusers.

Lisa Marie Presley (L) and Danny Masterson (R) (Images via Getty)

Presley reportedly did what she was asked to do. However, in 2014, after separating from the church, she issued an apology to her friend for attempting to stop her from seeking justice and for not being a better friend.

In 2017, there were rumors of Lisa Marie Presley rejoining the Church of Scientology, but the church debunked the rumor. Her daughter Riley Keough, however, is still involved with the church and has been fighting to get her mom back in the fold.