Jerry Lee Lewis Dead: ‘Great Balls Of Fire’ Singer & Music Icon Dies At Age 87

Jerry Lee Lewis, a antheral described arsenic a pioneer of stone and rotation and dubbed the genre’s “First Great Wild Man,” has died astatine the property of 87, according to Rolling Stone. His publicist confirmed his decease days aft TMZ had falsely reported Lewis’s passing (TMZ aboriginal retracted the report, stating that helium was live successful Memphis.) Jerry’s passing was announced connected Oct. 28, but nary origin of decease was shared astatine the time. He died astatine his location successful Desoto County, Mississippi, with his seventh wife, Judith Coghlan, by his side, according to Rolling Stone.

Jerry Lee Lewis speaks astatine the Country Music Hall of Fame successful May 2022 aft it was announced helium volition beryllium inducted arsenic a subordinate (Mark Humphrey/AP/Shutterstock)

With a vocation that spanned much than 60 years, the antheral down specified hits arsenic “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” “Great Balls of Fire,” and “Breathless” was considered a euphony icon. Fans knew that Jerry’s beingness – 1 afloat of triumphs and controversies – was coming to an extremity aft the singer’s sister, Linda Gail Lewis, posted a plea for prayers connected Oct. 25 “Please commune for my beloved brother, he’s going thru a hard clip and needs our prayers and affirmative thoughts close now,” she wrote via Facebook, alongside a enactment of bosom emojis. “Thank you truthful much.”

Jerry was owed to beryllium inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame connected Sunday, Oct. 23, but alternatively wrote from his “sick bed” that helium regretted being incapable to look successful person. “It is with heartfelt sadness and disappointment that I constitute to you contiguous from my sick furniture alternatively than beryllium capable to stock my thoughts successful person,” helium wrote successful part. “I tried everything I could to physique up the spot to travel contiguous – I’ve looked truthful guardant to it since I recovered retired astir it earlier this year. My sincerest apologies to each of you for missing this good event, but I anticipation to spot you each soon. To beryllium inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame is the highest grant successful Country music.”

Prior to his death, Lewis suffered a insignificant changeable connected Feb. 28, according to an announcement made to his official Facebook page. “He is with his family, recuperating successful Memphis, and the doctors expect a afloat recovery. The Killer looks guardant to getting backmost into the workplace soon to grounds a Gospel grounds and connected the roadworthy performing unrecorded for his fans.” After 3 weeks successful the hospital, helium was moved to a rehabilitation installation to further his treatment, according to Rolling Stone. The prognosis astatine the clip was good, arsenic doctors expected him to “fully recover” from this incident.

Jerry Lee Lewis astatine the 2011  Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend (Shutterstock)

Born successful 1935 to a mediocre farming household successful eastbound Louisiana, Jerry Lee Lewis began playing soft arsenic a youth. His begetter mortgaged the household workplace to bargain Jerry a P.A. Starck piano, 1 helium inactive had arsenic of 2014, according to Rolling Stone. In 1956, Lewis’s begetter drove him to Memphis’s Run Records to request a league with Sam Phillips. A twelvemonth later, euphony past was made with the monolithic deed “Whole Lotta Shakin Going’ On,” which reached the Top Five connected the pop, R&B, and state charts. He was considered a subordinate of Sun Records’ Million Dollar Quartet, which included Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins.

“I had created stone & rotation earlier they ever thought astir having stone & roll,” helium told Rolling Stone in 2014. “When Elvis travel out, helium was rockabilly. When I travel retired with ‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,’ that was stone & roll. That’s erstwhile the sanction ‘rock & roll’ was enactment successful front.” The pursuing hits – “Great Balls of Fire,” “You Win Again,” and “Breathless” – each cracked the Top 10, but his vocation derailed during a London 1958 trip. It was past that the property learned the then-22 Jerry Lee was joined for the 3rd time, that his woman – Myra Gale Brown – was 13 years aged (after helium said she was 15), that helium had forgotten to divorcement his 2nd wife, and that Myra was really his cousin.

After being shunned by the nationalist implicit this marriage, helium recovered occurrence successful the precocious 1960s successful the state euphony genre. He had 30 songs scope the apical 10 connected the Billboard Country and Western Chart, including “To Make Love Sweeter For you,” “Would You Take Another Chance On Me,” and “Me and Bobby McGee.” He continued to circuit and grounds until his death, with his Feb. 2019 announcement saying helium was readying a gospel record. In designation of his contributions to the genre, helium was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame successful 1986.

Jerry Lee Lewish successful the 1960s (Dezo Hoffman/Shutterstock)

Jerry Lee Lewis’s idiosyncratic beingness was marred with calamity and allegations. In 1962, his three-year-old lad Steve Allen drowned successful a swimming pool. His eldest son, 19-year-old Jerry Lee Jr., died successful a car mishap successful 1973, according to The Guardian. His 4th wife, Jaren Gunn, drowned successful a excavation successful 1982 aft their divorcement was finalized. His 5th wife, Shawn Stephens, was recovered dormant from an overdose aft 77 days of marriage. There were allegations and speculation (most notably from a 1984 Rolling Stone article) that she was murdered, but The Guardian reports a expansive assemblage cleared Lewis of immoderate crime.

Jerry Lee Lewis was joined 7 times. His seventh wife, Judith, was antecedently joined to the member of Lewis’s 3rd wife, Myra Gale Brown (the arguable matrimony lasted 13 years, arsenic Jerry Lee and Myra divorced successful 1970.) Overall, helium had six children and

“I said, ‘Elvis, I’m going to inquire you 1 happening earlier we portion institution here. If you die, bash you deliberation you’d spell to eden oregon hell?’ “Jerry recounted to The Guardian astir the infamous story. And helium got existent reddish successful the face, and past helium got existent achromatic successful the face, and helium said, ‘Jerry Lee, don’t you ever accidental that to maine agin.’ I said, ‘Well, I won’t adjacent accidental it to you again.’… I was ever disquieted whether I was going to eden oregon hell. I inactive am. I interest astir it earlier I spell to bed; it’s a precise superior situation. I mean you worry, erstwhile you respire your past breath, wherever are you going to go?”