Austin Butler will always remember his time with Lisa Marie Presley.
The Elvis actor paid tribute to the singer-songwriter one day after she died Jan. 12 at 54 years old.
“My heart is completely shattered for Riley, Finley, Harper and Priscilla at the tragic and unexpected loss of Lisa Marie,” he said in a statement to E! News on Jan. 13. “I am eternally grateful for the time I was lucky enough to be near her bright light and will forever cherish the quiet moments we shared. Her warmth, her love and her authenticity will always be remembered.”
Lisa Marie and Austin developed a close friendship following the movie’s release in 2022, with Austin recently detailing the moment he met Elvis Presley and Priscilla Presley‘s only child.
“She hugged me with tears in her eyes, and she just said, ‘Thank you,'” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “She took me upstairs and we went into Elvis’ bedroom and just sat on his bed and just talked for hours.”
During interviews and on social media, Lisa Marie praised Austin’s portrayal of her dad, raving that he “channeled and embodied my father’s heart and soul beautifully.”
“In my humble opinion,” she wrote on Instagram in May, “his performance is unprecedented and FINALLY done accurately and respectfully. (If he doesn’t get an Oscar for this, I will eat my own foot, haha.)”