A lot of ink has been spilled about his close blood relationship with Myra, and the fact that she was only 13 and still believed in Santa Claus when the pair were married. After Lewis' second device was finalized, he tied the knot with Myra Gale Brown. On October 22, 2022, Friday, famous singer Jerry Lee Lewis died at age eighty-seven, and beside the outpouring of tributes to his abilities came reminders of his infamous wedding to his 13-year-old cousin-german in 1957. In the end, she says, Jerry Lee Lewis downfall was a bigger issue than her age. In a separate Instagram post from 2015, Williams elaborated on her later relationship with the rocker, sharing a photo of them with their daughter, Phoebe. There were plenty of ups and downs in her marriage to Lewis. a little baby sittin' in a high chair. The book propelled the 1989 film Great Balls of Fire!, featuring Dennis Quaid as Lewis and Winona Ryder as Brown. He was set to become rock music's biggest star, as the tour was supposed to establish his worldwide fame. Biography, Net Worth, Gossips, Salary, News & Much More. RM 2AGA94W - Rock 'n' roll singer Jerry Lee Lewis, whose British tour was cancelled after he had been jeered on the stage of a London theatre, with his 13-year-old wife, Myra (l) and his sister, Frankie, 15, at London Airport. Myra Gale Brown : Why won't they go away? But it didn't delve deep enough into exploring Lewis' indomitable character. The last survivor of a generation that included fellow performers Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Little Richard, died Friday morning at age 87. Their son passed away in 1962 at age 3 from drowning in a swimming pool. She was 13 at the time. The couple owns a real estate company in Atlanta. Jerry Lee Lewis may be a lot of things, but hes not a simple cartoon., Williams again addressed their scandalous relationship in her 2016 memoir, The Spark That Survived. While promoting the book, she took to Instagram to air some of the sordid details. Stinky! Before Jerry Lee Lewis and Myra Gale Brown divorced in 1970, the couple had two children, one of whom died as a child and the other who manages his career today. And he brought his marriage license home to me for us to get married. She later pursued a career in music and worked on the movie Benji: Off the Leash! They were divorced in 2004, according to Spinner.com. Browns daughter,' she said, looking back on the day it was revealed she was 13 and Jerry Lee Lewis spouse. I took the money to the bank after he came home from his shows.". Myra Brown, his Ex-wife, also showed her grief after his death and said in a recent interview, She never Lost hwePrimery Name 13 years old Child Bride Title.. [21], Last edited on 11 February 2023, at 05:24, "Loganville couple celebrates 75 years of marriage, music and memories", "JERRY LEE LEWIS, ROCK, STOCK AND BARREL", "The Strange and Mysterious Death of Mrs. Jerry Lee Lewis", "Jerry Lee Lewis's short-lived music success", "Jerry Lee Lewis Online Wild One's Clubhouse: The Largest Jerry Lee Lewis Homepage on the Internet! "Theyve lost a great entertainer, a very talented man. She described the memoir as her story of how to overcome lifes worst tragedies and your own dumbass decisions.. You come out of the fire you make it. If anybody had told me anything, I could have prevented this thing. His second marriage in September 1953 had caused quite a stir when people realized it had taken place 23 days before his first divorce was final. Myra Lewis Williams described Jerry Lee Lewis as "a country bumpkin who wore blue jeans and had ears that stuck out" when they first met. He was still playing with squirt bottles with his friends. Two of those unions ended in untimely deaths for the brides, and his fourth and final marriage came in 2012. Vizaca.com participates in many affiliate marketing programs & sponsored content which means we get paid commissions on products purchased through our links to retail websites. Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. ", Jerry Lee Lewis pictured with his daughter Phoebe at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, West London. Phoebe is from his third marriage to Myra Gale Brown. She is best known for her controversial marriage at the age of 13 to rock and roll musician Jerry Lee Lewis, who is her first cousin once removed. [1] They went on to make rock and roll history, recording hit singles on Sun Records. He also toldThe Guardianhow he copes with having lost a few of his kids and ex wives. ", She continued: "If you say to me now, 'Theres a 13-year-old girl over here who wants to get married,'I would say 'God, please do not do that, little girl. (Photo by Tom Baffer/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images). Hes no longer part of my life. He tied the knot with his seventh wife, Judith Brown, on March 9, 2012. From left: Musicians Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash as "The Million Dollar Quartet" on Dec. 4, 1956, in Memphis, Tennessee. I went out and found us a house. 1954). Sadly, Jerry II died in 1973 when he was only 19 years old, perThe Guardian. and I say, 'Wait a second, youre talking to the little girl nowbe careful what you say.' She became a licensed broker in 1984, and is a recipient of the Million Dollar Life Time Award 2003. Lewis was 22. In 2016, when William was 78 years old, shes been right here the whole time but she no longer had a relationship with her notorious ex-husband since 2015. The "Great Balls of Fire" rocker's career took a hit following his marriage to Myra Gale Brown, his first cousin once removed and the daughter of Lewis' bassist. She is incredibly refreshing to read.. If I can survive lifes worst tragedies and my own dumb-ass decisions, you can, too.. However, it was discovered that she was only 13, and that they had been married for five months. When Jaren was suing Jerry for divorce she tragically died in a friends swimming pool in 1982. Over the course of his life, he was married to seven different women, including Myra Gale Brown, 78, who was also Jerrys first cousin once removed. And Jerry gave it to themwell, I did, I opened my mouth. "We kept thinking every year, every six months, that it was going to go away, theyre going to stop talking about it, and it just didnt happen. Lewis upended pop music with Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On and Great Balls of Fire, but his personal life was a chronicle of scandal and controversy. Williams briefly remarried to Pete Malito from 1970 to 1972. I mean, he was ready to kill. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. I think this book will warm your heart, tickle your funny bone, and touch your soul. Shortly after his marriage to Judith Brown in 2012, Lewis fired his daughter Phoebe as his manager and took . Post continues below. The marriage eventually came to an end in 1970, when Williams divorced Lewis. Myra se cas el 12 de diciembre de 1957, a la edad de 13, mientras que Lewis an estaba casado legalmente con su anterior esposa.La edad de Myra y su relacin de sangre con Lewis caus una conmocin en su primera gira por Inglaterra y ms tarde fue la causa de su fracaso en . In America, he told them, it was quite all right to marry at age 15, even at 10, provided you could find a husband. In 2014, Brown, then 70 and known as Myra Williams,gave an interview to music journalist Alan Light published inCuepoint, in which she reflected onher shocking relationship with Lewis. (Special. When they stepped off the plane on May 22, 1958, Lewis obligingly told the British press that Myra was his wife (although he gave her age as 15 and moved up the date of their actual wedding). ", Jerry Lee Lewis, rock 'n' roll pioneer and perpetual ball of fire, dies at 87, "It was something that marked Jerry for life," she said. If I can survive life's worst tragedies and my own dumb-ass decisions, you can, too. Go to college, get an education, then figure it out.' Would Williams do it all over again if she could? Well, I dont know if it made me stronger or not, sir, but it got my attention real good, I know. Jerry Lee Lewis, 23, married Myra Gale Brown in 1957. Lewis and Brown went on to have two children, Steve and Phoebe, but after all of . Earthy colored remarried in 1984 and is presently known as Myra Williams. or redistributed. ", "Myra Williams, Jerry Lee Lewis' 13-year-old bride, speaks out", "Jerry Lee Lewis Married His 13-Year-Old Cousin And Ruined His Career", "Jerry Lee Lewis' teenage bride speaks out: 'I was the adult and Jerry was the child', "Jerry Lee Lewis' Lawsuit Against Daughter Dismissed by Judge", "Cousin's ex becomes Jerry Lee Lewis' 7th wife", "The Tiny Spark That Survived: The Rock 'n' Roll Life of Star's Child Bride", "Jerry Lee Lewis' former teenage wife releases new book", "Cannes Review: Ethan Coen's 'Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble In Mind', https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Myra_Lewis_Williams&oldid=1138714619, This page was last edited on 11 February 2023, at 05:24. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images), "We got married in December and we went to England in May," said Williams. Lewis married Myra before his divorce from his second wife was final. The challenges, however, brought them closer together, with Williams describing their following years together as"the happiest years of our marriage. Depending on how you view the fact that Jerry Lee Lewis has been married seven times, he's either extremely lucky in love, or "the Killer" is a real killer with the ladies, convincing that many women to marry him. I just dont know which ones theyd be.". Thats what this book basically is, this is what happened, this is how I handled it and here I am today, she said. I dont think he wouldve done it by any means, but he was really angry. My little brother was born because I begged my parents for a baby at ten years old.. She co-wrote the book Great Balls of Fire: The Uncensored Story of Jerry Lee Lewis (1982), which was adapted into the film Great Balls of Fire! Siblings . Though his rock career was forever marred by his marriage to Myra Gale Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis eventually found success in country music. Before Lewis and Myra Gale Browns marriage, Lewis was known as a Rock n Roll star, but his career went south after he married his 13 old year cousin, and Myra Brown introduced herself as Jerrys wife after marriage. (She filed for divorce in 1970, citing allegations of abuse and adultery.). Did Jerry Lee Lewis marry his niece? Jerry Lee Lewis plays the piano for his 13-year-old bride at the Cafe de Paree. Hollywood Life How long was Jerry Lee Lewis married to his cousin, in this case? I dropped the bomb. I not only survived it, Im better for it, having gone through it. Hollywood Life, Latest Hollywood Celebrity & Entertainment News. .Once Mary Gale Brown and Lew divorced in 1970, Williams same she had been subject to each sort of physical and mental abuse possible,. To Jerry Lee, the uproar was hard to understand: "I plumb married the girl, didn't I?" . "Its the path not taken. She has a career in real estate in Georgia since 1980 (under the name Myra Williams or Myra Lewis Williams). On December 12, 1958, Myra, 13, married Lewis, 22, in Hernando, Mississippi. Tragically, Steve drowned in a pool in 1962 when he was three years old. (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.). Let's, Utz Chwalla estimated Net Worth, Biography, Age, Height, Dating, Relationship Records, Salary, Income, Cars, Lifestyles & many more details have been updated below. Myra Gale Brown estimated Net Worth, Salary, Income, Cars, Lifestyles & many more details have been updated below. But that career hit a sharp nosedive in 1958,whenthe 22-year-old musician'smarriage to Myra Gale Brown, his 13-year-old cousin,became public. When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. A year later, the late singer found love again and married Myra Gale Brown and they stayed married until 1970. She is most popular for her union with rock n move performer Jerry Lee Lewis who is her subsequent cousin. (Photo by Tom Baffer/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images). With a new memoir, The Spark That Survived," she wrote at the time, sharing an image emblazoned with "Whatever happened to Myra?" She also described Lewis drug addiction, being the victim of abuse, divorcing and jumping into a rebound marriage, the Gwinnett Daily Post said. The radio stations that didnt play it hated it. He later played electric bass and piano in a band with his cousin Jerry Lee Lewis. Make a one-time donation today for as little as $1. [14] The producers did not want Brown or Lewis involved with the film, but she visited the Memphis set anyway. Famous People Who Married Their Cousins. That memory will never not be funny to me.". 1954). I took care of everything, the late music star told the outlet in 2015. But that career hit a sharp nosedive in 1958, when. I buried my own. Great Balls of Fire is the toon of rock movies, with Jerry Lee Lewis reduced on screen to Roger Rabbit, Times music critic Robert Hilburn wrote at the time. JOHNNY CASHS SON, JOHN CARTER CASH, RECALLS LATE SINGERS DEEP DEVOTION TO FAITH: HIS GREATEST LEGACY, Jerry Lee Lewis and Myra Lewis Williams with their newborn son Steve Allen Lewis on Feb. 28, 1959, in Ferriday, Louisiana. In 1971, Lewis tied the knot with Jaren Elizabeth Gunn Pate but the two decided to end their marriage in 1982. That was a very hard time, a very sad time for me. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! [4] Lewis asserted that Brown was 15 years old and was his wife of two months. Little did they know what it was going to turn into.". [9], By 1970, Lewis' drug addiction, alcoholism, and infidelity took a toll on their marriage. "He told him my parents found [his] marriage license," she said. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Jerry Lee Lewis teenage bride speaks out: I was the adult and Jerry was the child, Jerry Lee Lewis, original wild man of rock n roll, dies at 87, The Tiny Spark That Survived : The Rock n Roll Life of Stars Child Bride, Review: Jerry Lee Lewis remains a musical firebrand at 83 during dynamic performance in Cerritos, A Knock on Rock Movies : How Great Balls of Fire, the latest failed rock bio, reduces Jerry Lee Lewis to Roger Rabbit, Daisy Jones & the Six becomes the first fictional band to hit No. After Lewis concluded his separation from Mitcham, he remarried Brown on June 4, 1958. She is a writer, known for Great Balls of Fire! He knew I was with them. But when he and his entourage landed in London, the press was eager to . Jane is also the mother to Jerrys second-born son,Ronnie Guy Lewis, 66. After reading about the third wife of Jerry Lee Lewis, Myra Gale Brown, check out Lori Maddox and Sable Starr, two teenage groupies who made a career out of chasing after rock stars. She also described herself as the adult in the relationship with Lewis. Despite re-marrying Brown, this time in a legal ceremony during which he was not already married, and moving in with her parents afterward, the public remained firmly anti-Lewis. Lewis was poised to replace Presley as rocks prime hit-maker after the "Jailhouse Rock" singer was drafted into the Army. We did it fam!! J.W. The marriage lasted a year and a half. Myra Gale Brown Today What Happened To Her. Myra Gale Brown, however, hadnt been told of the story and failed to follow along with the fib. Get the best of Fox News' entertainment coverage, right in your inbox. Along with Murray Silver, Brown composed an account of Lewis, Great Balls of Fire: The Uncensored Story of Jerry Lee Lewis. In 1970, Myra Gale Brown filed for divorce from Jerry Lee Lewis on the grounds of adultery and abuse. Lewis didn't seem to realize that this was offensive to most urban markets (and to other countries). Thirteen year old Myra Gale Brown sitting on Jerry Lee Lewis lap. After the two were married on December 12, 1957, Lewis planned to take Brown along on a tour of England. Their daughter, Lori, was their only child that they had together. After they divorced, Brown worked as a receptionist to support her daughter as a single parent. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. The revelation resulted in the abrupt cancellation of Lewis' tour; he was blacklisted by radio and his earnings dropped overnight. (The situation was not helped by the fact that his latest single was called "High School Confidential.").