The passing of Jerry Lee Lewis was announced by his representative, Zach Farnum. He was 87 years old. The singer captivated early audiences with classics such as “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” but later saw his career take a turn when he got married amid scandal.
Lewis died at his home in Desoto County, Mississippi from natural causes.
His seventh and final wife, Judith, was by his side when he died. In his final days, Lewis told her “that he welcomed the hereafter and that he was not afraid.”
Lewis was one of the driving figures of 1950s rock music and a true master showman. He earned his nickname, “The Killer,” from fans who would go into spasms at the sight of his uninhibited performances.
“I was born to be on a stage. I couldn’t wait to be on it. I dreamed about it. And I’ve been on one all my life,” Lewis stated in “Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story,” a 2014 biography by Rick Bragg. “That’s where I’m the happiest.”
But offstage, the singer’s personal life was turbulent. Lewis was near the peak of his popularity in 1958 when public outcry forced him to reveal that he had married Myra Gale Brown, his first cousin. She was only 13 at the time; Lewis himself was 22.
News of the marriage leaked in London, where Lewis had flown to play some concerts. Lewis told the press that Myra was 15, but when the truth came out and caused an uproar among newspapers with headlines such as “Fans Aghast at Child Bride,” it put a stop to his tour after only three shows.
Over the next decade, Lewis continued to record and tour, but sales for his rockabilly music were low during the Beatles era. He couldn’t regain the popularity he’d had in his early years – until he made an unlikely comeback as a country singer.
Lewis was born into a struggling farming family in Ferriday, Louisiana in 1935. His cousin, Jimmy Swaggart would go on to have a successful career as a TV evangelical preacher. According to his website, Lewis began playing the piano at age 9 by mimicking the styles of Black musicians and preachers who came through his region.
After quitting school to focus on music, Lewis went to Sun Studios in Memphis in 1956 and got a job as a session player for singers such as Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash. He also recorded with Elvis Presley.
The recording session in December 1956 with Lewis, Presley, Perkins and Cash – better known as the “Million Dollar Quartet” – is a significant moment in rock history.
By the next year, Lewis became world-famous due to Top 5 hits like “Great Balls of Fire.” Even though some radio stations refused to play his songs because of their lewd style and lyrics, he was still in high demand.
The marriage scandal shattered Lewis’ image.
In the late 1960s, he shifted his focus to country music and experienced a career resurgence, charting several Top 10 hits in the 1970s.
The biopic “Great Balls of Fire!” featuring Dennis Quaid as Lewis came out in 1989 and brought new attention to the singer’s life and music. In fact, he even recorded updated versions of some of his most popular songs for the movie’s soundtrack.
However, his personal life was still in shambles. He went through seven marriages and filed for bankruptcy in 1988 because he allegedly owed the IRS more than $2 million.
He also had many years of struggles with alcoholism, drug addiction and poor health. In 1976, he made headlines when he was arrested after drunkenly crashing his car into Graceland while carrying a loaded gun. He claimed he was only trying to visit Presley at the time.
“I ain’t no goody goody, and I ain’t no phony,” Lewis stated in Bragg’s biography. “I never pretended to be anything, and anything I ever did, I did it wide-open as a case knife. I’ve lived my life to the fullest and I had a good time doin’ it.”
According to a statement posted to his social media, Lewis was unable to attend the Country Music Hall of Fame ceremony in October due to illness.
Lewis’ upbringing in a religious household led him to sometimes question whether his love of rock ‘n’ roll was wrong, as many conservative listeners during the 1950s condemned it as “the devil’s music.”
Although he didn’t write much himself, his covers of other artists’ songs done in his signature style-boogie-woogie with lots of energy-became popular and brought rockabilly music to a wider audience.
Though he had many accomplishments, Jerry Lee Lewis’ most memorable may have been his unique piano-playing style which influenced Elton John and others. During performances, Lewis would bash the keys with his fists and elbows, kick over his stool, climb on top of the piano, and once even set it ablaze.
He thereby displayed that rock ‘n’ roll isn’t only about the guitar.
He joined a legendary group of artists in 1986 as the first batch to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. These include figures such as Berry, Presley, James Brown, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly, Little Richard, and the Everly Brothers.
Although he faced some public scrutiny for marrying his young cousin, Lewis’ fans still loved him for his music and live performances. He lived most of his life on a ranch in northern Mississippi with a piano-shaped swimming pool.
“I want to be remembered as a rock-n-roll idol, in a suit and tie or blue jeans and a ragged shirt, it don’t matter, as long as the people get that show. The show, that’s what counts. It covers up everything,” he said.
“Any bad thoughts anyone ever had about you goes away. ‘Is that the one that married that girl? Well, forget about it, let me hear that song.’”
According to his representative’s statement, Lewis leaves behind his wife Judith Coghlan Lewis, children Jerry Lee Lewis III, Ronnie Lewis, PheobeLewis and Lori Lancaster, sister Linda GailLewis, cousin Swaggart as well as many grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.
More information about these services will be announced soon, the statement continued.
The Lewis family asks that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Arthritis Foundation or MusiCares in honor of the singer.
