'Elvis' director Baz Luhrmann and Nicolas Cage honor Lisa Marie Presley after her 'devastating' death

• Baz Luhrmann and Nicolas Cage honored Lisa Marie Presley following her unexpected death on Thursday.
• Luhrmann and Presley were last together at the Golden Globes; Cage was married to Presley in 2002.

"Elvis" director Baz Luhrmann and Nicolas Cage are among a number of celebrities to express shock and sadness over the death of Lisa Marie Presley, who passed away unexpectedly at the age of 54 after experiencing cardiac arrest.

"Over the last year, the entire 'Elvis' movie family and I have felt the privilege of Lisa Marie's kind embrace," Luhrmann wrote in an Instagram caption beneath a photo of Presley with "Elvis" star Austin Butler. "Her sudden, shocking loss has devastated people all around the world. I know her fans everywhere join me in sharing prayers of love and support with her mother, Priscilla, and her wonderful daughters Riley, Finley, and Harper. Lisa Marie, we will miss your warmth, your smile, your love."

Luhrmann and Presley were last together just two days prior at the Golden Globes, where Butler won the award for best actor in a motion picture (drama) for his stirring performance in "Elvis" portraying the King of Rock 'n Roll.

Cage, who was married to Presley in 2002 for less than four months, honored his ex-wife in a statement released to The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday.

"This is devastating news," he said in the statement. "Lisa had the greatest laugh of anyone I ever met. She lit up every room, and I am heartbroken. I find some solace believing she is reunited with her son Benjamin."

Presley, who was mother to four children, lost her son Benjamin Keough, who died by suicide at the age of 27 in 2020. She penned an essay for People in August 2022 reflecting on his loss.

"It's a real choice to keep going, one that I have to make every single day and one that is constantly challenging to say the least," Presley wrote then. "But I keep going for my girls. I keep going because my son made it very clear in his final moments that taking care of his little sisters and looking out for them were on the forefront of his concerns and his mind. He absolutely adored them and they him."

Other celebrities, including John Travolta, Pink, LeAnn Rimes, Octavia Spencer, and Tom Hanks, who co-starred with Butler in "Elvis," were among those who have paid tribute to Presley over the last 24 hours, with her mother Priscilla Presley, perhaps summing up sentiments best.

Said Presley in a statement: "She was the most passionate, strong, and loving woman I have ever known."