Lisa Marie was laid to rest at Graceland—where Elvis and her son Benjamin Keough are also buried—in Memphis, Tenn. on Jan. 22. Graceland was also the place where Austin met Lisa Marie for the first time.
“I first met Lisa when we screened the film at Graceland, and I’ve never had an experience where I met somebody and felt an immediate depth of relationship to them,” he told Jimmy Fallon on the Jan. 30 episode of The Tonight Show. “And she was a person who didn’t really have anything to prove and wouldn’t open up to everybody, and she just opened up to me. And we got so close so fast. So, it’s just devastating.”
Austin—who secured his first Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Elvis—then reflected on what this award show season has been like following the death of Lisa Marie, whose children also include daughters Riley Keough, 33; Finley Lockwood, 14, and Harper Lockwood, 14.
“It’s weird in moments like this because it’s so bittersweet,” he said. “So much great stuff is happening, but I’m just devastated for her family and for her to not be here celebrating with us.”