Although he has a family with a history of fame in the entertainment world, Danny Keough has lived a large part of his life out of the spotlight. He was born in Chicago in 1964 and had a stealth career as a bassist and guitarist, until he became involved in the Presley family when he married Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of the King, in 1988. He is the father of actress Riley Keough, and is a former father of late Benjamin Keough. For the most part, Keough has remained out of the public eye, but he has been spotted at significant events throughout Presley’s career, such as when he was with Lisa Marie when she suffered a cardiac arrest in January 2023. This article is a collection of factual, accurate information about his life, career and family, as reported in the public eye.
Who is Danny Keough?
Danny Keough is an American singer, guitarist and bassist best known as the first husband of singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley and the father of her two oldest children-Riley and Benjamin Keough. Keough reportedly had a career as a musician playing bass for Lisa Marie Presley’s band and mentored her in her own music endeavors. In addition to his association with the Presley family, he also has a handful of acting and music department credits on IMDb, such as the 2019 horror movie The Lodge, where he starred with his daughter Riley.
Danny Keough Age
Based on the IMDb, and several biographical sources, Danny Keough was born on November 6, 1964 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. From this date he was born he is 61 years old in 2026.
| Attribute | Details |
| Date of Birth | November 6, 1964 |
| Birthplace | Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Age (2026) | 61 years |
| Nationality | American |
Height, Weight or Physical Attribute
Little is known about Danny Keough’s early life due to his strict privacy, but he was raised in the Church of Scientology, and his family helped co-found the organization’s Delphian School. He later moved to Los Angeles, where he met Lisa Marie Presley at the Scientology Celebrity Centre in 1985. The couple began dating shortly after and married in 1988.
Early Life
Public details about Danny Keough’s childhood remain limited, as he has kept most of his early personal history out of the media. According to a 1988 People magazine profile referenced by outlets including Nicki Swift and PopCulture, Keough had ties to the Church of Scientology stemming from his childhood, connected to his family’s involvement with the organisation. Reporting from PopCulture notes that Keough moved to Los Angeles in 1984 and began dating Lisa Marie Presley about a year later, after the two met at the Church of Scientology’s Celebrity Centre in Los Angeles, where Presley was living at the time.
Danny Keough Family Background
- Father: Francis Keough, according to a 1988 People magazine cover story cited by Nicki Swift.
- Mother: Janet (“Jan”) Keough, per the same 1988 People report-reporting notes she was involved in Scientology-linked education work.
- Sibling: Keough has a brother, according to the same source.
- Family faith background: The 1988 People profile ties the family to the Church of Scientology, which also connected Keough to Lisa Marie Presley through the Celebrity Centre in Los Angeles.
- Broader family history: No further verified details about Keough’s extended family or upbringing have been documented in credible entertainment or news sources, consistent with his generally private public profile.
Education
There is no known, public record of Danny Keough’s formal schooling, the schools he attended as a child in the Chicago area, or after. The recorded history of his life is how he got into music: several accounts say he was working musicians at a young age, as a guitarist and bassist before moving to Los Angeles in the mid-1980s where he became part of the music scene that led him to Lisa Marie Presley. There is no verified academic or conservatory training reported that is credible.
Danny Keough Career & Movies
Danny Keough’s public career has centred on music, with a smaller number of acting and music-related screen credits.
Music
- He was a bassist and guitarist, and according to several sources, such as PopCulture and Keough’s profile on Chinese search engine, Baidu, he played bass for Lisa Marie Presley’s band.
- According to the same sources, he was a musical mentor to Lisa Marie Presley, helping her become a singer-songwriter long after their divorce.
Acting & Screen Credits
Based on his IMDb page, Danny Keough (also known as Daniel Keough) has the following screen credits:
- The Lodge (2019) — portrayed Aaron Marshall (credited as Daniel Keough) in a film that featured his daughter Riley Keough.
- Cabin by the Lake, 2000 (TV movie) — music director.
- The Darkling (2000, tv movie) — music department credit, contributing title music.
Selected Credits
| Credit | Type / Year |
| The Lodge | Film (Acting), 2019 |
| Cabin by the Lake | TV Movie (Soundtrack), 2000 |
| The Darkling | TV Movie (Music Department), 2000 |
Biography.com reports that Danny Keough is an actor and “longtime musician who stays mostly out of the spotlight” when it comes to his professional career when compared to his ex-wife and daughter.
Danny Keough Personal Life & Relationship
- Marriage: According to PopCulture and Nicki Swift, which cited an October 1988 cover story in People Magazine, Danny Keough wed Lisa Marie Presley on October 3, 1988 at the Celebrity Center International of the Church of Scientology in West Hollywood. Only nine people attended the ceremony; Presley’s mother, Priscilla Presley.
- Children: They had two children, Danielle Riley Keough (1989 May 29) and Benjamin Storm Keough (1992 October 21).
- Divorce: On May 6, 1994, Lisa Marie Presley and Danny Keough were divorced.
- Post-divorce relationship: Even after the split, Entertainment Now and PopCulture say that despite being a divorced couple, the two still treated each other like “brother and sister,” with Presley telling People magazine of his relationship with Keough being “like brother and sister.
- Best man role: According to Fox News and CBS News, Keough was the best man at Lisa Marie Presley’s 2006 marriage to Michael Lockwood in Kyoto, Japan, while his daughter Riley was the maid of honor.
- Loss of his son: According to PopCulture, Benjamin Keough passed away in 2020, aged 27.
- Lisa Marie Presley’s death: Lisa Marie Presley had a cardiac arrest at her home, on January 12, 2023. According to Entertainment Now, TMZ reports, she was being given CPR by Danny Keough until paramedics made it to the scene. She was admitted to the hospital and passed away, confirmed by her mother Priscilla Presley. At the time it was reported that Keough and Presley were living together and had been for some time.
- Current relationship status: According to a 2023 profile from Music in Minnesota, Keough is not in a public relationship, nor has he remarried since his divorce from Presley
Social Media
Danny Keough has not got an extensive social media footprint. In contrast to his daughter Riley Keough, who has a very public social media presence given her acting career, none of Danny Keough’s official social media accounts have been officially confirmed by the entertainment media, which fits with his lack of ever being a public figure.
Conclusion
Danny Keough’s public biography is inextricably linked with his marriage into the Presley family, but there are several clear indications of the importance Keough places on privacy over stardom. The Keoughs’ marriage in 1988 to Lisa Marie Presley and the subsequent births of Riley and Benjamin Keough in 1989 and 1992, respectively, were kept relatively private compared to the intense media spotlight that constantly surrounded the Presley legacy. While Keough has chosen to remain a supportive, quiet presence in the background rather than a main attraction—focusing on his work as a musician rather than chasing Hollywood fame—his deep devotion to his family was fully on display during a family crisis. When his ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley suffered a sudden medical emergency in January 2023, Keough heroically administered CPR in an attempt to save her life. His story is one of constant, loyal presence in a world-famous family, choosing personal devotion over public eyes.
FAQ’S
Danny Keough is an American musician and occasional actor best known as the first husband of Lisa Marie Presley and the father of Riley and the late Benjamin Keough.
He was born on November 6, 1964, making him 61 years old as of 2026.
He was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
Yes. They married on October 3, 1988, and divorced on May 6, 1994. They remained close after the divorce.
He has two children with Lisa Marie Presley: daughter Riley Keough, an actress, and son Benjamin Keough, who died in 2020.
He is known primarily as a musician who played bass in Lisa Marie Presley’s band and served as her musical mentor, along with a small number of acting and music-department credits, including the 2019 film The Lodge.
