“The greatest love of Elvis’s life” Elvis Presley’s Ex Linda Thompson ‘Devastated and Shocked’ by Death of Lisa Marie

Lisa Marie Presley is being remembered by those who knew her best.

Linda Thompson, who dated Lisa Marie’s father Elvis Presley from 1972 to 1976, tells PEOPLE that she is “absolutely devastated and shocked” at her death on Thursday aged 54. “I was so happy to see her at Graceland to celebrate what would have been Elvis’s 88th birthday, and then, of course, at the Golden Globes,” Thompson, 72, adds about Lisa Marie, who she first met as a young girl. “She seemed to be on a more positive trajectory emotionally after the unfathomable loss of her beloved son, Benjamin,” continues Thompson in reference to the tragic July 2020 suicide of Lisa Marie’s late son Benjamin Keough.

“Lisa and I kept in touch off & on for all these years — most recently by text. In fact, the very last text to me was a simple ‘Love you Linda’ with a heart emoji.”

“Lisa Marie was so much like her daddy it was uncanny,” adds Thompson, who first met Elvis in 1972 shortly after he separated from Priscilla Presley. “She had his deep, soulful eyes, his pouty lip, and his raucous, irreverent sense of humor. She was a beautiful contradiction like Elvis… complicated in her simplicity. She was brutally honest, straightforward, loving and loyal. I don’t think there was a phony cell in her body. I believe she lived her life authentically.”

Following her relationship with Elvis, Thompson went on marry Caitlyn Jenner in 1981 before she transitioned. The pair had two kids together, Brandon and Brody, before separating in 1986, and before Thompson married David Foster from 1991 to 2005.

The songwriter and actress remained in touch with Lisa Marie throughout and paid her respects on Instagram Thursday, sharing an image of Elvis holding his young daughter with the caption “My heart is too heavy for words….”