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Why Lisa Marie Presley kept son's body at home for two months after his death

<p>Lisa Marie Presley was so heartbroken by the loss of her only son, Benjamin Keough, at just 27-years-old in 2020, that she kept his body in her home for two months after his death. </p> <p>The star revealed this in her memoir <em>From Here to the Great Unknown</em>, which was finished by her daughter Riley Keough after the 54-year-old’s death in January 2023, according to <em>Page Six</em>. </p> <p>In the book, Lisa Marie opened up about the extent of her grief, saying that she had to force herself to "fight" to stay alive for her remaining children, and one of the ways she coped was not saying goodbye to Benjamin right away. </p> <p>“My house has a separate casitas bedroom and I kept Ben Ben in there for two months. There is no law in the state of California that you have to bury someone immediately,” Lisa Marie wrote. </p> <p>“I found a very empathetic funeral homeowner. I told her that having my dad in the house after he died was incredibly helpful because I could go and spend time with him and talk to him. She said, ‘We’ll bring Ben Ben to you.’”</p> <p>The room was kept at around 12 degrees celsius to preserve his body, and the star continued saying that she felt “fortunate that there was a way that I could still parent him, delay it a bit longer so that I could become okay with laying him to rest.”</p> <p>Another reason why she decided to keep his body was because she wasn't sure whether to bury him in Hawaii or at Graceland,  the Memphis estate where Elvis died and is buried.</p> <p>At one point, Riley and Lisa Marie decided to honour Benjamin by getting matching tattoos of his name, which was inscribed in the same place where Benjamin had his tattoos.</p> <p>Riley recalled the odd moment Lisa Marie brought in the tattoo artist into her home. </p> <p>“Lisa Marie Presley had just asked this poor man to look at the body of her dead son, which happened to be right next to us in the casitas. I’ve had an extremely absurd life, but this moment is in the top five," Riley wrote in the memoir. </p> <p>Lisa Marie acknowledged that it was odd, and soon after the tattoo day, they "got the vibe" that Benjamin wanted to be laid to rest. </p> <p>“Even my mum said that she could feel him talking to her, saying ‘This is insane, Mum, what are you doing? What the f**k!”</p> <p>The family held a funeral for Benjamin in Malibu, and he was buried at Graceland alongside Elvis, and now Lisa Marie as well. </p> <p><em>Image: Copetti/Photofab/ Shutterstock Editorial</em></p> <p> </p>

Family & Pets

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Game of Thrones actor passes away at just 39

<p>In a heartbreaking turn of events, Darren Kent, the actor known for his role in Game of Thrones, has passed away following a valiant struggle against osteoporosis, arthritis and an exceptionally rare skin disorder.</p> <p>News of his departure was confirmed by his talent agency, Carey Dodd Associates, through a statement shared on Facebook page this Tuesday.</p> <p>"It is with deep sadness we have to tell you that our dear friend and client Darren Kent passed away peacefully on Friday, his parents and best friend by his side. Our thoughts and love are with his family in this difficult time."</p> <p>They continued: "Darren was not only a talented actor, director and writer, he was truly one of the kindest people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.</p> <p>"It has been a privilege and pleasure to have been a part of his journey. RIP my friend."</p> <p>Darren Kent's on-screen legacy is highlighted by his memorable portrayal as a goatherder in a pivotal 2014 episode of <em>Game of Thrones</em>. His artistic journey began a decade earlier with his first screen credit in the original series <em>Shameless</em>, setting the stage for his ventures into film.</p> <p>Notable among his filmography are roles in the 2008 horror film <em>Mirrors</em>, starring Kiefer Sutherland, as well as 2012's <em>Snow White and the Huntsman</em>. Television audiences were also treated to his talent, as he graced the screens of shows like <em>Community</em> and the BBC's <em>EastEnders</em>.</p> <p>He stole the show with his recent portrayal as the 'Yes' Corpse <span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">in 2023's</span><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;"> </span><em style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">Dungeons &amp; Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, </em><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">one of his final performances. A glance at his IMDb page hints at a future that he won't be able to witness, listing six upcoming titles, comprising short films and the feature titled </span><em style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">What I Know</em><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">.</span></p> <p><em>Images: Facebook / Instagram</em></p>

News

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“Benjamin Button” mice could pave way for reverse ageing

<p>If the three blind mice from the iconic nursery rhyme were living in molecular biologist Dr David Sinclair’s lab at Harvard Medical School, they might not be blind for very long.</p> <p>Dr Sinclair and his team at Harvard Medical School have been using proteins that can turn adult cells into stem cells - a kind of cell that can be turned into any of the specialised cells our bodies need.</p> <p>These stem cells have been helping restore the sight of old mice with damaged retinas, essentially making them younger versions of themselves.</p> <p>“It’s a permanent reset, as far as we can tell, and we think it may be a universal process that could be applied across the body to reset our age,” Dr Sinclair said about his research, which was published in late 2020.</p> <p>The Australian scientist has spent the past 20 years studying ways to reverse the effects of ageing - including the diseases that can afflict us as we get older.</p> <p>“If we reverse ageing, these diseases should not happen,” he said.</p> <p>During a health and wellness talk at Life Itself, Dr Sinclair said the technology is available and it’s only a matter of when we decide to use it.</p> <p>“We have the technology today to be able to go into your hundreds without worrying about getting cancer in your 70s, heart disease in your 80s and Alzheimer’s in your 90s,” he said.</p> <p>“This is the world that is coming. It’s literally a question of when and for most of us, it’s going to happen in our lifetime.”</p> <p>Whitney Casey, an investor who has partnered with Dr Sinclair to create a DIY biological age test, said the researcher wants to “make ageing a disease”.</p> <p>“His research shows you can change ageing to make lives younger for longer,” she said.</p> <p>Dr Sinclair said that when it comes to how modern medicine addresses sickness, it doesn’t tackle the underlying cause, which is usually “ageing itself”.</p> <p>“We know that when we reverse the age of an organ like the brain in a mouse, the diseases of ageing then go away. Memory comes back, there is no more dementia,” he continued.</p> <p>“I believe that in the future, delaying and reversing ageing will be the best way to treat the diseases that plague most of us.”</p> <p>Dr Sinclair’s research comes amid a global effort by scientists working to reprogram adult cells into stem cells, started by Japanese researcher Shinya Yamanaka, who won a Nobel Prize for reprogramming adult skin cells into behaving like embryonic (or pluripotent) stem cells.</p> <p>These “induced pluripotent stem cells” became known as “Yamanaka factors”, with later research finding that exposing cells to four of the main Yamanaka factors could remove signs of ageing.</p> <p>Since their original study, where they discovered that damaged cells were able to be rejuvenated by injecting three of these factors into the eyes of mice, Dr Sinclair and his lab have reversed ageing in mouse brains and muscles, and are now working on a mouse’s whole body.</p> <p>Dr Sinclair said their discovery indicated that there is a “back-up copy” of youthful information stored in the body, which he calls the “information theory of ageing”.</p> <p>“It’s a loss of information that drives ageing cells to forget how to function, to forget what type of cell they are,” he revealed.</p> <p>“And now we can tap into a reset switch that restores the cell’s ability to read the genome correctly again, as if it was young.”</p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Body

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Meet Benjamin Jesty: The unsung hero of vaccinations

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">More than 250 years before the first case of COVID-19 was announced, another deadly virus - smallpox - was spreading across Europe.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The smallpox epidemic led to the development of the first vaccine, credited to Gloucestershire physician, Edward Jenner.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, the technique which Jenner became famous for had been pioneered more than 20 years earlier by a Dorset dairy farmer whose social status prevented him from receiving any credit.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It wasn’t until microbiologist Patrick Pead, who was holidaying in Dorset in 1985, found a booklet in a Worth Matravers village called ‘Benjamin Jesty: The First Vaccinator’.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I thought ‘that’s not right, it was Edward Jenner’,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“We went to the churchyard and saw his tombstone and that day changed my life.”</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height:307.37704918032784px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7842847/_119356027_561b6ee2-0976-4b53-ac10-2677da1907fa.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/806cca2aa4094d378377c4193b187d8e" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Julia&amp;keld / Find a Grave</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Over the following years, Pead went to work, piecing together what little information was known about Jesty. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This included the tracking down of the only portrait of the famer, which was believed lost for more than a century before it turned up on the other side of the world.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jesty’s story starts in 1774, when the farmer deliberately infected his family with cowpox to protect them from the smallpox virus, which was the leading cause of death at the time.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Most people became infected during their lifetimes, with about 30 percent of those infected not surviving.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, Jesty had contracted cowpox as a boy and knew that milkmaids seemed to somehow be immune from smallpox.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Using pus taken from lumps on a cow’s udder, he scratched the infectious material into the skin of his wife and two sons using a stocking needle.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though his wife eventually recovered after being seriously ill, Jesty was vilified.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“The last trial for witchcraft had been less than 40 years earlier,” Pead said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Jesty was reviled, people were suspicious.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“In those days, everybody would go to church on Sunday and the human body was sacred but here was a guy taking something from a beast and poking it into a human body.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jesty’s experiments were later proved to be successful after attempts to infect his sons with smallpox failed, indicating they were immune.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Edward Jenner is believed to have heard of Jesty’s experiments through his dining club, carried out a similar test in 1796 on an eight-year-old boy, but his findings were rejected by The Royal Society.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After additional experiments, and with support from his colleagues and the king, Jenner was awarded a total of </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">£</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">30,000 ($AUD 56,270 or $NZD 59,360) by parliament between 1802 and 1807.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But, Jesty’s efforts were not unrecognised, with doctors and clergy calling for his recognition in the discovery.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite their attempts to give him credit where it was due - including in the commission of Jesty’s portrait - Jenner’s well-connected supporters succeeded, leaving Jesty to become a footnote in the history of medicine.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In his quest to uncover more about Jesty, Mr Pead was able to locate the portrait - which had passed to the Pope family of the Eldridge Pope Brewery in Dorchester - after receiving the phone number of a Pope family descendent in South Africa.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I rang them straight away - it was about 10 o’clock at night. They said, ‘it’s hanging here above the fireplace in the family home’,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After a drawn-out process, the portrait returned to the UK and was restored over two years.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The painting finally went on display, first in Dorchester’s Dorset Museum, then at the Wellcome Collection galleries.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Interest in Jesty’s story has grown ever since, and Pead has written books and articles, given hundreds of talks, and was awarded a Fellowship of the Historical Association for his efforts.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“I’m a scientist working in medicine and I know all of the progress is built on the findings of others,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Vaccination wasn’t plucked out of the air by Benjamin Jesty or by Edward Jenner, it was built on out of what went before - that’s why Jesty does deserve recognition.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Wellcome Collection</span></em></p>

Body

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Savage Garden refuses to sell out their famous song

<p>Hayes said he’s been approached recently by an advertising company wanting to use the band’s 1997 major hit – <em>Truly Madly Deeply</em> – which Hayes wrote.</p> <p>The singer made his fans laugh on Twitter by sharing the lyrics the advertising company wanted to use and Hayes posted: “If you knew how much money I turn down and how hard I fight to protect your high school memories.”</p> <p>The lyrics the company had pitched to him were:</p> <p><strong>VERSE 1</strong></p> <p><em>I’ll bring you Greek, I’ll bring you French, I’ll bring you Japanese. </em></p> <p><em>I’ll bring you Thai, Steak from the Pub, bring all the food that you need. </em></p> <p><em>Close to your door with every step, I’m outside holding your food. </em></p> <p><em>It will be warm, It will be tasty ‘cause I’m counting on a real good rating.</em></p> <p><em>That’s the reason I’m bringing, you Deep Fried Chicken </em></p> <p><strong>CHORUS 1</strong></p> <p><em>I want to stand with you on food mountain </em></p> <p><em>I want to float with you in some cheese. </em></p> <p><em>[insert brand name] Like this forever </em></p> <p><em>Until more fries rain down on me. </em></p> <p>Twitter users thanked the singer for not selling out and they described the advertising company’s lyrics as “truly madly cringy”, “awful” and “a travesty.”</p> <p>“These lyrics make me want to throw myself off food mountain,” tweeted <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/music/savage-garden-star-darren-hayes-rejects-companys-awful-pitch/news-story/@daggerandpe" target="_blank">@daggerandpen</a>.</p> <p>“‘I want to float with you in some cheese’ is my new pick-up line,” wrote <a rel="noopener" href="https://twitter.com/clairenelson/status/1422342652658425858?s=20" target="_blank">@clairenelson</a>.</p> <p>And <a rel="noopener" href="https://twitter.com/timbyrneses/status/1422343095534854154?s=20" target="_blank">@timbyrneses</a> tweeted: “Could you still record it? The people need to hear this cringe.”</p> <p><em>Truly Madly Deeply</em> was a huge hit for Hayes and his Savage Garden bandmate, Daniel Jones, when it was released in 1997.</p> <p>The song went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in the US and it became the first song in the chart’s history to spend a full 52 weeks inside the top 30.</p> <p>In Australia it won the ARIA award for Single of the Year and was nominated for Song of the Year but lost out to another Savage Garden song, <em>To the Moon and Back</em>.</p> <p>Savage Garden won 10 ARIAs that year from 13 nominations.</p> <p><em>Image: Wikimedia Commons</em></p>

Music

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Babysitter charged with murder of baby 35 years later

<p>In 1985, Terry McKirchy was given a light sentence of attempted murder for shaking five-month-old Benjamin Dowling so severely, he suffered permanent brain damage.</p> <p>But the baby never recovered from his injuries and lived his entire life with severe disabilities. He was never able to communicate, needed metal rods inserted near his spine to keep him upright and used a feeding tube to eat.</p> <p>In 2019, a medical examiner from Florida said Dowling finally succumbed to his injuries and died, aged 35.</p> <p>At the time of the incident, McKirchy, 59, told his parents Dowling had fallen off the couch, according to Fox News. The baby was rushed to hospital and diagnosed with shaken infant syndrome.</p> <p>When his mother, Rae, saw him on the night he suffered his injuries, she told police her boy's hands "were clenched and he was turning blue," according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.</p> <p>Ms Dowling and her husband, Joe, said their first son never progressed past a five-month-old after suffering his injuries and continued to depend on his family and others for support all his life.</p> <p>The couple said in a statement: “Benjamin never crawled, fully rolled over, walked, never talked, never fed himself, he never enjoyed a hamburger or an ice cream cone, he could never tell us when he had an itch or anything hurt."</p> <p>“When he cried in pain, we as a family and caregivers had to guess as to what was wrong and hope that we could satisfy his need,” they added.</p> <p>The babysitter spent weekends in jail as part of her sentence but a Broward County Grand jury recently indicted McKirchy as guilty of first-degree murder and she is now jailed near her home in Sugar Land, Texas, pending her return to Florida.</p> <p>Confusion as to why McKirchy wasn't charged with a harsher sentence at the time centres around the fact she was pregnant at the time. David Weinstein, a Miami defence lawyer and former prosecutor who's not involved in the case, said perhaps witnesses were not available or the available medical evidence was not strong.</p> <p>Now the homicide case appears stronger because the medical and scientific evidence has progressed. As prosecutors said in a statement: “The passage of time between the injuries sustained and the death of the victim were considered by the forensic experts who conducted the autopsy and ruled the death was directly caused by the injuries from 1984."</p> <p>“This case was presented to the grand jury, which determined that this was a homicide.”</p> <p>Mr Dowling’s parents said their son “would never know how much he was loved and could never tell others of his love for them.”</p> <p>“Benjamin did smile when he was around his family, although he could never verbalise anything, we believe he knew who we were and that we were working hard to help him,” they said.</p> <p><em><strong>Image credit: AAP</strong></em></p>

Legal

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Elvis Presley’s granddaughter announces bold new "calling"

<p>Eight months after the death of her brother Ben Keough, Elvis Presley’s granddaughter Riley has announced that she just completed her training to become a "death doula".</p> <p>The actress took to Instagram to thank the community of people who taught her “conscious dying and death work.”</p> <p>"We are taught that it’s a morbid subject to talk about. Or were so afraid of it that we’re unable to talk about it... then, of course, it happens to us, and we are very ill-prepared," she wrote.</p> <p>"I think it's so important to be educated on conscious dying and death the way we educate ourselves on birth and conscious birthing. We prepare ourselves so rigorously for the entrance and have no preparation for our exit. So I'm so grateful for this community and to be able to contribute what I can."</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CCydlDNllTw/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CCydlDNllTw/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Riley Keough (@rileykeough)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Riley noted she'd gone through the<span> </span><em>Art of Death Midwifery Training Course by Sacred Crossings</em>, an institute offering workshops and classes in conscious dying and home funerals.</p> <p>The community experience is part of a movement that approaches death through an old-fashioned lens.</p> <p>“When a body is whisked away moments after death, this window closes, often permanently, leaving families feeling helpless, unsure and wishing they had a little more time," the Sacred Crossings website reads.</p> <p>Riley lost her brother in July of 2020, which could point to her decision to want to support others in their experience of death.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CGnG4WSFGtp/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CGnG4WSFGtp/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Riley Keough (@rileykeough)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>"For folks who do this work, often it is in response to experiences with significant loss… who can respond by helping other people," Dawn Walsh, a death doula and co-founder of the<span> </span><em>Lily House<span> </span></em>said.</p> <p>"It is the case with me," she says, adding that she essentially felt like "a spectator" during the rituals that followed. "It's a calling, end-of-life work… It's not something that you just do casually."</p>

Family & Pets

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Priscilla Presley speaks out following tragic loss of grandson Benjamin

<p><span>Following the tragic loss of Benjamin Keough, Priscilla Presley has spoken out.</span><br /><br /><span>The 75-year-old broke her silence in a Facebook post on July 23, almost two weeks after Benjamin was found deceased in his mother, Lisa Marie Presley’s LA home.</span><br /><br /><span>The LA County Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office has since confirmed the death was a suicide.</span><br /><br /><span>He was 27.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.328320802005px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7837040/presley-4.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/3503b68ca7c446749f691d224a7ed0c5" /><br /><br /><span>"These are some of the darkest days of my family's life. The shock of losing Ben has been devastating," Priscilla wrote in a public statement she posted.</span><br /><br /><span>"Trying to put all the pieces together of all the possible whys has penetrated my soul."</span><br /><br /><span>Priscilla was married to Benjamin's grandfather, Elvis Presley and has said that the death has impacted her family greatly.</span><br /><br /><span>Benjamin was the only grandson of Elvis and the only son of Lisa Marie and her ex-husband, Danny Keough.</span><br /><br /><span>Lisa wrote how adored he was by his big sister, actress Riley Keough, and younger half-sisters Harper and Finley Lockwood, as well as Priscilla's own son, Navarone Garibaldi.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CC584XIDOkw/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CC584XIDOkw/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Mimi at the beach (@revamoore506)</a> on Jul 21, 2020 at 6:16am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><br /><span>"Each day I wake up I pray it will get better. Then, I think of my daughter and the pain she is going through as she was a doting mother," Lisa went on to say.</span><br /><br /><span>"Ben's father, Danny, who is completely lost, as Ben was his only son. Riley, so loving and so close to him; Harper and Finley, who absolutely adored Ben. Navarone, who struggles deeply with loss and death.</span><br /><br /><span>"Rest In Peace Ben, you were loved."</span></p> <p><strong><span>If you or anyone you know needs immediate support, contact Lifeline on <a href="tel:0800543354">0800 543 354</a> or text HELP (4357) for free, 24/7, confidential support.</span></strong></p>

Family & Pets

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Elvis Presley’s grandson dead at 27

<p>Lisa Marie Presley's son and Elvis Presley's grandson Benjamin Keough has died at the age of 27.</p> <p>Reports have said Benjamin took his own life on Sunday. </p> <p>In a statement to TMZ, Lisa's manager, Roger Widynowsk, said, "She is completely heartbroken, inconsolable and beyond devastated but trying to stay strong for her 11 year old twins and her oldest daughter Riley. </p> <p>“She adored that boy. He was the love of her life."</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CCkdywyJkeo/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CCkdywyJkeo/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Gee 💋 (@justginam)</a> on Jul 12, 2020 at 10:01pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Benjamin followed in his famous family’s footsteps and was also a musician. He also acted in a short film called Rod and Barry.</p> <p>While he kept out of the limelight, no one could ignore the striking resemblance he beared to his world renowned grandfather. </p> <p>“He does [look so much like Elvis]!” Lisa Marie told CMT in 2012. </p> <p>“He was at the Opry and was the quiet storm behind the stage. Everybody turned around and looked when he was over there. Everybody was grabbing him for a photo because it is just uncanny.”</p> <p>Elvis’s daughter admitted she gets “overwhelmed” at times by how much they look alike. </p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CCkdqsNF8H1/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CCkdqsNF8H1/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by ⚡𝚎𝚕𝚟𝚒𝚜⚡ (@elvis.presley_tcb)</a> on Jul 12, 2020 at 10:00pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>As for whether Ben inherited his father’s musical skills, she has been cagey on behalf of her son.</p> <p>“He’s doing his own thing right now,” she told Huffington Post in 2013. </p> <p>“I’m going to let him decide when he wants to go out and do what he wants to do.”</p> <p>Lisa has had her own battles in life beyond losing her father and her son, and recently opened up about her addiction to opioids and painkillers. </p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CCkYN1NFXQJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CCkYN1NFXQJ/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Elvis Presley (@bighunkalove)</a> on Jul 12, 2020 at 9:12pm PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>In a foreword she wrote for the book The United States of Opioids: A Prescription for Liberating a Nation in Pain by Harry Nelson, she said, “As I write this, I think of my four children, who gave me the purpose to heal,” and that made her think of “the countless parents who have lost children to opioids and other drugs.”</p> <p>She ended the preface by saying that she is “grateful to be alive today” and especially grateful “to have four beautiful children who have given me a sense of purpose that has carried me through dark times.”</p> <p>Benjamin has three sisters, Riley Keough, 31, and twins Finley and Harper Lockwood, 11.</p>

Music

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John Travolta's in Australia and posts rare pics of kids Ella and Benjamin

<p>Iconic<span> </span>Grease<span> </span>star John Travolta has shared a rare photo with his two children, 19-year-old Ella and 8-year-old Benjamin enjoying a fun day out.</p> <p>Travolta, 65, took the family out to the Featherdale Wildlife Park in Australia, where they hung out with koala bears and spent time with kangaroos.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B4vBY9hHRwE/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B4vBY9hHRwE/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">At the @featherdalewildlifepark with the kids</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/johntravolta/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> John Travolta</a> (@johntravolta) on Nov 11, 2019 at 10:10am PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>He captioned the sweet snap “at the Featherdale Wildlife Park with the kids”.</p> <p>He also posted another photo of Benjamin at the cockpit of a commercial flight and joked that his son was following in his footsteps.</p> <p>“My son Ben is taking my place! His first A380 @qantas flight,” he captioned the photo.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B4qCoxLHdLv/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B4qCoxLHdLv/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">My son Ben is taking my place! His first A380 @qantas flight</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/johntravolta/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank"> John Travolta</a> (@johntravolta) on Nov 9, 2019 at 11:45am PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Travolta often shares photos including his children, but there is rarely an opportunity for a group photo like the one he posted at Featherdale.</p> <p>It is currently unclear if his wife, actress Kelly Preston, joined the family on their trip Down Under.</p> <p>The pair have been married for 28 years and met on the set of the 1989 film<span> </span>The Experts. Although Kelly was married at the time, she has since clarified that she was not “happily married”.</p> <p>“Well, I was not that happily married, let’s put it that way,” Kelly explained to Andy Cohen on<span> </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://people.com/movies/kelly-preston-fell-in-love-with-john-travolta-while-married/" target="_blank">Watch What Happens Live</a>.</em></p> <p>“I was really with the wrong person.”</p> <p>Travolta has often said it was love at first sight.</p>

Domestic Travel

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The best cheese to make the perfect cheese toastie

<p>Is there anything better than a good old-fashioned cheese toastie? Or a deliciously cheesy pizza? If anyone knows the secret to the perfect melted cheese, it’s chef and author of <a href="http://t.dgm-au.com/c/93981/71095/1880?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.booktopia.com.au%2Fchefs-eat-toasties-too-darren-purchese%2Fprod9781743793053.html" target="_blank"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Chefs Eat Toasties Too</span></strong></em></a>, Darren Purchese. In the book, he reveals which cheeses are the best for melting – depending on what you’re making, of course! Here are his favourites.</p> <ol> <li><strong>Montgomery cheddar</strong> – Hailing from Somerset, England, this rich, beefy-flavoured cheese has “the perfect melting texture”, according to Purchese.</li> <li><strong>Bay of Fires cloth-bound cheddar</strong> – This traditionally-made cheddar is created by 13th-century cheesemaker, Ian Fowlers. The cheese is made and matured in repurposed shipping containers in St Helens, on Tasmania’s east coast.</li> <li><strong>Asiago </strong>– There are two types of this Italian cheese, depending on the flavour and texture you want. Young pressato is slightly sweeter and great for melting, as it becomes very stringy. Matured asiago, on the other hand, is deeper, denser and aged like parmesan.</li> <li><strong>Gouda </strong>– This classic aged Dutch cheese is rich, slightly caramelly and a little crunchy. Be careful, though – gouda separates during melting, leaving a clear liquid behind.</li> <li><strong>Emmental </strong>– As one of the main ingredients in fondue, this is one of the best melting cheeses; it becomes gooey and stringy but still manages to hold its shape.</li> <li><strong>Bulgarian feta</strong> – Unlike its crumbly Greek counterpart, Bulgarian feta is softer, creamier and sweeter, with a hint of citrus.</li> <li><strong>Gorgonzola piccante</strong> – Made in Lombardy, Italy, this aged blue cheese is slightly crumbly with a very unique taste. Make sure you don’t overcook it, though – it has a very low melting point.</li> <li><strong>Parmigiano Reggiano</strong> – Purchese suggests Reggiano aged for no more than 18 months to get the perfect sweet, rich flavour. It melts in a similar way to gouda, separating slightly with the fats becoming liquid.</li> <li><strong>Gruyere </strong>– A Swiss favourite, this is a perfect melting cheese, giving that amazing stringiness when pulled. It’s rich, nutty and ideal for toasties.</li> <li><strong>Raclette </strong>– The Swiss love this cheese so much, it’s a dish in and of itself. Smelly and savoury, make sure you use the delicious rind of this hard cheese. Scrape it over potatoes or onto a toastie for a taste explosion.</li> <li><strong>Fontina Val d’Aosta</strong> – Think of this as an Italian take on raclette. Cooked the same way, it’s ultra-savoury, slightly sharp and has a great melting texture.</li> <li><strong>Comte </strong>– Comte is the most popular cheese in France, thanks to its gorgeous, floral aroma and sweet, nutty flavour. Part of the gruyere family, it’s the ultimate melting cheese.</li> <li><strong>Taleggio </strong>– An Italian cheese with a sweet, milky, slightly yeasty flavour. Unlike raclette, you should avoid the rind of taleggio as it can leave an unpleasant bitterness when melted.</li> <li><strong>Fresh mozzarella</strong> – Silky and sweet, it’s no surprise that this cheese is a favourite around the world. Stringy and viscous, it’s great on toasties, in salads and on pizzas.</li> <li><strong>Burrata </strong>– Purchese describes burrata as “a pimped-out mozzarella”. It’s a stretched-curd cheese, richer and creamier than mozzarella. It melts quickly, so it’s best used in sandwiches that require light toasting.</li> </ol>

Food & Wine