'I APPRECIATE EVERY MOMENT I SPENT WITH LISA MARIE'

ELVIS STAR AUSTIN BUTLER ON HIS BITTERSWEET SUCCESS AND LIVING AND BREATHING THE KING OF ROCK'N'ROLL

- LEO ROBERTS

He’s already won a Golden Globe and is now tipped for BAFTA and Oscars glory, but for Elvis actor Austin Butler, his incredible run of success is tinged with great sadness.

Just two days after he scooped the Golden Globe for Best Actor for his role as Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann’s biopic, the legendary singer’s beloved daughter, Lisa Marie, unexpectedly passed away from a cardiac arrest aged 54.

Austin, 31, who was pictured arm-in-arm with her at the awards ceremony, admits he was “shattered” by the news.

“It’s been a roller-coaster lately – a lot of peaks and these deep valleys of sorrow,” he said shortly after learning of his Oscar nomination. “A moment like this, it feels joyous, but it also feels bittersweet because I just wish Lisa Marie was here to celebrate with us right now.

“It definitely has filled me with a lot of appreciation for every moment that I got to spend with her. And just how lucky I was to get the type of experiences that I had with her – very private moments and that sort of thing – that I’ll just cherish for the rest of my life.”

Austin also bonded with Elvis’s ex-wife, actress Priscilla Presley, 77, before filming on the blockbuster began.

He says, “I met Priscilla beforehand and we spent some time together – that was really moving. I mean, just looking into her eyes alone. She’s the woman that he [Elvis] loved for so many years and she’s been in love with him since she was so young.