Riley Keough finished training to become a doula, following the tragic shooting of her brother Benjamin in July last year, at the age of 27.
Elvis Presley’s 31-year-old niece took to Instagram to inform fans that she was certified as a doula at the end of her life to support people with terminal illnesses before and after their deaths.
Sharing a quote from the poet Rumi, Riley wrote: “Today I finished preparing for the Death Doula, at the training course The Art of Death Midwifery from @sacredcrossings, so I think I am an almost certified death, doula now
Helping others: Elvis Presley’s niece, Riley Keough, revealed on Sunday that she finished training to become a doula after her brother Benjamin unfortunately died.
“And I just felt like I wanted to write such a profound thank you to this community that teaches and instructs people about conscious death and work.
“We are taught that it is a morbid subject to talk about. Or we were so scared that we can’t talk about it … then, of course, it happens to us and we are very ill-prepared.
“I think it’s just as important to be educated to conscious death and death, as we are educated at birth and conscious birth.
“We are preparing so rigorously for entry and we have no preparations for our exit. So, I am very grateful to this community and that I can contribute with what I can. Thanks Olivia ‘
Tragic loss: Benjamin (pictured) died in July last year at the age of 27, when he shot himself dead after arguing with his girlfriend
Certificate: Speaking of her training, Riley said, “I think it’s just as important to be educated about death and conscious death as we are educated at birth and conscious birth.”
A doula of death is someone who provides emotional and physical comfort and support to those in hospitals, hospitals and nursing homes.
The Sacred Crossings certificate from The Art of Death Midwife offers courses on what it means to die, how to provide practical, emotional and spiritual support to those who die and their families, and to provide support after the death of a person.
In October, it was revealed that Riley’s brother, Benjamin, had cocaine and alcohol in his system, when he shot himself dead after arguing with his girlfriend.
Assistance: a doula doula is someone who provides emotional and physical comfort and support to those with terminal illnesses before and after death
Training: The Sacred Crossings Certificate in Midwifery Art offers courses on what it means to die and how to provide practical, emotional and spiritual support.
At the time, sources revealed that he was “fighting” and that his death, although devastating, was not a “huge surprise” for his mother or other relatives.
Surveillance images showed him arguing with his girlfriend, Diana Pinto, in the yard of their house.
Then he went inside, locked himself in a bathroom, put a gun in his mouth and shot himself.
Loss: In October, it was revealed that Riley’s brother, Benjamin, had cocaine and alcohol in his system when he shot himself dead after arguing with his girlfriend Diana Pinto (pictured)
He disappeared too soon: Benjamin had tried to take his own life six months earlier, then spent three weeks in rehab four months before he died.
Pinto heard the shot, entered, and had to use a pin to gain access to the bathroom. He found him dead and called the police.
It is unclear how much alcohol or cocaine he had in his system, but there were traces of both, according to a report released by the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
The report also described Keough’s history of mental illness.
He had tried to take his own life six months earlier, then spent three weeks in rehab four months before he died.
Keough was the son of Lisa Marie and musician Danny Keough, the first of four spouses. The couple was together from 1988 to 1994.
Benjamin’s grandmother, Priscilla, 75, married Elvis Presley in 1967, but they divorced six years later. They had only one daughter, Lisa Marie, in 1968. Elvis died only nine years later.
For confidential assistance in the UK, call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit www.samaritans.org for details; In the US, call the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)
Family: Benjamin was the son of musician Danny Keough, who married Lisa Marie Presley in 1988 and divorced her in 1994.