We've received your submission. His first son, Jerry Lee Lewis Jr., died in a car accident in 1973 at 19. ), he began his dismount. A representative for 'Great Balls Of Fire' singer Jerry Lee Lewis has confirmed that he is alive and well after false reports of . The Killer, as he was known, also released a letter to accept the honor. Her Instagram account has been dormant since early 2016. He found that audiences loved it when he played standing up or raked the keyboard with his shoe. He was unable to attend the Nashville ceremony due to guidance from his doctor. There was a whole lotta shaking going on in the music world Wednesday when Jerry Lee Lewis was reported dead at 87 but that turned out to be incorrect. Jerry Lee Lewis is Alive and Well Despite News Reports to the Contrary. His scorching performing style suited his material. Read article "He's alive . After 30 years of rock n roll movies, is it too much to ask Hollywood to make a biography that reaches for insight rather than nostalgia; a film with enough imagination and heart to add to a performers artistic legacy rather than belittle it? Jerry Lee Lewis was born on Sept. 29, 1935, in Ferriday, La., to Elmo Lewis, a carpenter, and Mamie (Herron) Lewis. By Daniel S. Levine He was invited on American Bandstand and appeared in Jamboree, a 1957 rock n roll film that also featured performances by Frankie Avalon, Fats Domino, Mr. Perkins and others. You incorrigible sack of shit. Their informal session was later released as the album Million Dollar Quartet.. Thanks for contacting us. The "Great Balls of Fire" singer's agent informed us on Wednesday that the news was incorrectly reported on the basis of a false anonymous tip. I hope my story helps you handle your own ups and downs. In fact, Jerry is still active in music. Age doesnt matter back home. The truth is today, Lewis is still alive and well. Lewis would later say that he knew he had a hit if it came out in one take. He was a part of the rock n roll era that set the bar for music as we know it today. In 2019, Jerry joined the Nashville recording studio, and many fans hope that Jerry had resurrected his musical career. Many news outlets reported on Sunday that rockabilly singer Jerry Lee Lewis died. Lewis, who died Friday at age 87, weathered professional exile in 1958 after a reporter covering his arrival in London inquired about the young girl in his entourage who ultimately introduced herself as Jerrys wife.. However, the music star recently suffered a stroke. If I can survive lifes worst tragedies and my own dumb-ass decisions, you can, too.. My father would load that old piano onto the back of his truck, wed drive somewhere, unload it, Id give a show, wed pass the hat, hed load it back on again, and wed go home and see what wed got, he said. He taught himself to play, combining the boogie beats from the Black clubs and some of what he heard on Sundays at his Pentecostal church. By this time, Lewis had also developed some of his famous stage antics, such as playing standing up and even lighting the occasional piano on fire. Mr. Lewis seemed mystified by the response. Radio stations refused to play his songs, and Lewis had a hard time lining up any live performances. He played Drinkin Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee the tune, a hit for Stick McGhee in 1949, would be a minor pop hit for Mr. Lewis in 1973 and took home nearly $15 when someone passed the hat. Sam Philips, the founder of Sun Records and the producer who also discovered Elvis, Howlin' Wolf, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Roy Orbison called Lewis "the most talented man I ever worked with, black or white one of the most talented human beings to walk God's earth." His fourth wife, Jaren Gunn, drowned in 1982, shortly before their divorce was finalized; Rolling Stone published a long, damning account of Gunn's demise. However, he is not dead. Even so, Lewis knew that the public still wanted "The Killer" of 1958, before his great downfall. TMZ regrets the error.". Rock legend Jerry Lee Lewis is still alive, despite reports earlier today to the contrary, Entertainment Weekly reports. Phoebe worked for him and when I visited her I would still see him, too. "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and "Great Balls of Fire" perfectly showed off Lewis' incredible, fiery piano playing. PREVIOUS: There was a whole lotta shaking going on in the music world Wednesday when Jerry Lee Lewis was reported dead at 87 . He was 87 years old. In October 2009, Joseph Lewis suffered a sudden seizure and died in Utah, however Gary claims that his brother's health would not have . In his biography, he recalled learning to tickle the ivories at age 9, with his father mortgaging the family farm to buy him his first piano shortly thereafter. (Couples married young in his Louisiana hometown of Ferriday, and he wed for the first time when he was 16 and had seven wives over the course of his life.). Lewis had to cancel a tour and his career went into an extended downturn. You know, if I could just find another like Whole Lotta Shakin, he told Mr. Guralnick in a 1971 interview. On their marriage license, Brown stated she was 20 years old, but she was really only 13 at the time. His success made him a global figure in pop culture and earned him the nickname, "The King of Comedy".. Getty Images The rock pioneer was born in Ferriday, Louisiana, on Sept. 29, 1935. With Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On, released in April 1957, he gave Sun the breakout hit it was looking for. Jerry Lee Lewis is a piano-playing rock 'n roll pioneer famous for his high energy stage presence and controversial life. Today, Myra Williams, 78, reflects on the scandal and her late ex-husband. The rep informed EW on Friday that the singer has since died. The one where EW follows up with the cast. Age discrimination, The Ultimate L.A. Bookshelf: 110 essential Los Angeles books, Hes back? "But it was Jerry Lee that put 'em to dancing," Bragg continues. He told USA Today that Lewis is "one of the best American voices ever.". Thinking back to the 50s, we can catch a glimpse of where rock n roll truly began. Rock legend Jerry Lee Lewis is still alive. It was the real thing. Shortly afterward, however, the outlet corrected its story and said, "Earlier today we were told by someone claiming to be Lewis' rep that he had passed. Lewis did, however, briefly attend a Bible college in Texas. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Jerry Lee Lewis, the end of a line of early rock greats, is no longer the last man standing, How Jerry Lee Lewis ruined his career when he married 13-year-old cousin, Jerry Lee Lewis, rock n roll legend, dead at 87 days after false reports of his death, Jerry Lee Lewis, Keith Whitley join the Country Hall of Fame. Mr. Lewis was 21 in November 1956 when he walked into Sun Studio in Memphis and, presenting himself as a country singer who could play a mean piano, demanded an audition. The mistake was discovered when Lewis' rep started telling everyone the musician was alive and in Memphis. Lewis replied. Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. After a touching performance of a song from Cinderfella (the film he had to quickly run up 64 steps for it put him in the hospital! The tape was rolling during a whiskey-infused exchange between Lewis and Sam Phillips, who believed Lewis could do good with rock 'n' roll. A new generation music listeners got introduced to Lewis through the 1989 biopic Great Balls of Fire. "You look every day of it!" Recently, he even spent two days laying down tracks with Kenny Lovelace and James Burton, along with Lee Ann Womack and the McCrary Sisters. Lewis was born on Sept. 29, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana. Rock 'n' roll musician Jerry Lee Lewis is alive, his rep has said, after the "Great Balls of Fire" singer became the victim of a false death report. An hour earlier, an enormous bus filled with members of the Greatest Generation had rolled up; a woman pushing a walker was the first out, followed by others of similar mobility. 21. Making a splash: A deep dive into the live-action, Led Zep, Jerry Lee Lewis win lifetime Grammys, See new book from The Doors drummer John Densmore about working with Janis Joplin, Bob Marley, and more, Rihanna teases 'Lift Me Up,' new single from. Jerry Lee Lewis is not dead. I was asked to leave for playing My God Is Real boogie-woogie style, rock n roll style. He signed with Sun Records and became a rockabilly star. he asked. According to recent biographies, for the last ten years or so Jerry Lee Lewis has been among the walking dead. He soon became a regular at clubs in Natchez, just across the Mississippi River, and on the radio station KWKH in Shreveport, La. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Joan Baez Sings with Tennessee Rep. Justin Jones, 8 Facts About Son of a Sinner Singer Jelly Roll, Selena Gomez Shares"Transformative" Lip Tint, 16 Musicians and Singers Named Knights or Dames, How Rina Sawayama Landed in John Wick: Chapter 4, Dolly Partons New Book: Inside Her Iconic Style, Niall Horan's Under-$30 Eye Care Must-Haves, Taylor Swift Has (Kind Of) Reunited The Civil Wars, 7 Musicians Who Are Connected to Bobby Caldwell, 10 Things You Might Not Know About Morgan Wallen. After a chuckle, he sarcastically told her, "I hope we can get together again sometime, because this was very meaningful." Rihanna returns to music with powerful 'Black Panther' bal Woman fatally shot by upstate NY homeowner after pulling into wrong driveway: sheriff, Haribo fans shocked to learn green gummy bear flavor: 'Calling the police', Yuengling takes apparent jab at Bud Light with conspicuous tweet, MLB pitcher slams United Airlines for making pregnant wife clean up kid's mess on 'hands and knees', Pump Rules alum Billie Lee exits Tom Sandovals home in same clothes from night prior, Robert Kraft, Meek Mill to march in Poland to fight anti-Semitism, Janet Jackson chokes up talking about son Eissa with Today, Viewers pan Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos' 'brutal' first 'Live' show together. I remember it very well, he told Colin Escott and Martin Hawkins, the authors of Sun Records: The Brief History of the Legendary Record Label (1980). . Instead, Hank Williams Jr. and Kris Kristoffersonaccepted and celebrated the honor on Lewis' behalf. Mr. Lewis performing in 1989 at a party for the opening of the movie Great Balls of Fire!, which starred Dennis Quaid as Mr. Lewis. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Jerry Lee Lewis, the end of a line of early rock greats, is no longer the last man standing, How Jerry Lee Lewis ruined his career when he married 13-year-old cousin, Jerry Lee Lewis wrongly reported dead still alive, rep confirms, Jerry Lee Lewis, Keith Whitley join the Country Hall of Fame. Not Hollywood, not L.A., not the country, At 19, he won a local school board seat. A rabbi and a priest werewait for iton a plane. PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED: Jerry Lee Lewis remains alive, despite a report from TMZ that the rock 'n' roll pioneer had died. He has been married a total of seven times and fathered six children, including the two that he and Myra had, Steve Allen Lewis and a daughter named Phoebe. With little formal education, he basically gave up on school around this time to focus on music. 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