Lisa Marie Presley feared Scientology goons after quitting, memoir claims
Priscilla Presley’s memoir recounts Lisa Marie Presley’s confrontation with David Miscavige in 2013 and her fear of being followed by church operatives after leaving Scientology.
Lisa Marie Presley feared the Scientology leader was “out to get her” after she left the church, according to Priscilla Presley’s memoir Softly, As I Leave You. The former Scientologist, who died in January 2023, believed she was being followed by operatives loyal to David Miscavige after she stormed the church’s Clearwater, Florida, headquarters in 2013 to confront him about the church’s leadership. The memoir portrays a moment in which Lisa Marie’s exit from Scientology became a high-stakes confrontation, and her mother describes how the event altered the singer’s sense of safety within the organization.
Priscilla writes that the confrontation marked a turning point in Lisa Marie’s relationship with the church. She recounts that Miscavige disconnected from his father, Ron Miscavige, and placed him in a secluded, jail-like setting in the San Bernardino Mountains. Following the visit to headquarters, Lisa Marie reportedly told her mother she was scared, saying there were “black limos parked outside my house and following me around. This is real. This is what they do.”
Priscilla notes that although Lisa Marie had been a fervent Scientologist, she grew increasingly disillusioned in the years leading up to her exit. The singer, who died at 54, released a protest song on her 2012 album Storm and Grace, a piece that includes language and self-description that reference Scientology terms such as “transgressive” and “suppressive.” The memoir situates Lisa Marie’s departure within a broader arc of skepticism toward the church that included public discussions by former members about disconnection and control.
Priscilla writes that her own introduction to Scientology came through John Travolta, and that she brought Lisa Marie into the fold after Elvis Presley’s death left her feeling “broken.” She describes initially finding a welcoming environment at the Celebrity Centre, a hub that has historically served famous Scientologists. The book portrays a dynamic in which celebrities are seen as valuable assets to the church, capable of drawing in new adherents through their visibility. While Priscilla acknowledges moments when Scientology aided her life—particularly in the auditing process—she also concedes that doubts arose over time, though she characterizes her exit as gradual and, at first, relatively quiet.
An ongoing public narrative around Scientology has long featured high-profile critics and legal challenges. Leah Remini, the former star of The King of Queens, has been a pointed critic of the church and has publicly described what she calls a harassment campaign against her and other survivors. Remini and another ex-member, Mike Rinder, gained recognition for their investigative work in the documentary Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath. The church has faced scrutiny over its secrecy, business practices, and the policy of disconnection, all of which continue to draw attention from former members and critics alike. Travolta’s longstanding association with Scientology and his public relationship with Tom Cruise remain part of the public discourse on the church’s influence in Hollywood. In 2004, Cruise and Miscavige publicly embraced during the opening of a new Scientology church in Madrid, a moment that has often been cited in discussions about the church’s public profile.
Priscilla writes that Lisa Marie and she left Scientology around the same period, choosing different paths in the aftermath of her exit. She describes a difficult but ultimately personal decision to step away while maintaining ties to friends who remained within the church. She says she missed aspects of the community and the auditing process, even as she supported her daughter and reflected on the impact of the church’s practices on their family. John Travolta, she notes, remained a friend who offered support after her daughter’s passing, signaling the complicated, nuanced relationships that can persist beyond formal ties to the organization.
Lisa Marie Presley’s death in 2023 has added a layer of poignancy to the accounts in Softly, As I Leave You, which illuminate the private fears she reportedly harbored during a period of intense public interest in Scientology’s internal dynamics. The book’s portrayal of a daughter who moved from devout follower to a critic who felt pursued by “the goons,” and of a leader whose actions affected a family’s sense of safety, contributes to an ongoing debate about the church’s methods and its treatment of former members. The memoir also offers a portrait of Elvis Presley’s daughter grappling with the legacy of her upbringing amid one of the most scrutinized religious organizations in modern pop culture.
The broader implications of the memoir touch on Hollywood’s long association with Scientology, the enforcement of policies that separate families, and the personal toll of a highly scrutinized faith. Priscilla’s reflections cast new light on Lisa Marie’s life, her artistic work, and the way she navigated fame, faith, and family in a landscape shaped by controversy and secrecy. As Softly, As I Leave You enters public conversation, it raises questions about how much of the church’s private world can be understood through the lens of its most famous adherents, and how those personal histories intersect with a broader cultural conversation about belief, autonomy, and power.
The memoir arrives as ongoing discussions about Scientology and its critics continue to reverberate through entertainment media and legal forums. Legal actions, public statements by former members, and investigative reporting have kept the church at the center of cultural debates about transparency, ethics, and the treatment of individuals who decide to leave. The narrative surrounding Lisa Marie Presley’s life, faith, and final years adds a personal dimension to those broader debates, illustrating how family, fame, and faith can intersect in complex and sometimes perilous ways. As with previous revelations about Scientology, Softly, As I Leave You will likely shape readers’ understanding of the church’s influence within the celebrity community and the personal costs that can accompany a public break with a powerful institution.
