Melissa Etheridge mourns friend and fan Lisa Marie Presley: “I can’t believe she is gone”

Melissa Etheridge took to Twitter to mourn her late friend Lisa Marie Presley. Elvis Presley‘s only child died Thursday at the age of 54 after being rushed to the hospital.

“Lisa, @LisaPresley was a friend of mine. She was kind and fun and living a strange life as best she could,” Melissa tweeted. “I am thinking of her family that has endured so much loss and sending all, so much love. She was special with a talent all her own. She will be missed.”

Melissa also noted that Lisa Marie wasn’t just a friend but also a fan. “She once told me that the first song she ever sang for anyone was ‘Similar Features,’” Melissa tweeted, referring to a popular track on her debut album. “I was honored. I can’t believe she is gone.”

In 2015, Lisa Marie wrote a piece for TIME about her friendship with Melissa, describing what a fan she was and explaining that they became friendly after Melissa emailed her following the release of her debut album, because her sound had been compared to Melissa’s. Their friendship grew after Melissa and her then-partner moved into Lisa Marie’s neighborhood.

Sadly, Melissa and Lisa Marie had something in common other than music: Both had sons who died tragically in 2020. Melissa’s son Bennett died of causes related to opioid addiction in May 2020. He was 21. Lisa Marie’s son, Benjamin, died by suicide in July 2020 at the age of 27.

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