It’s not often that a musician earns the distinction of living in infamy without a touch of hyperbole, but Jerry Lee Lewis is a notable and disconcerting exception. He was, for all intents and purposes, a rock ‘n’ roll legend, influencing countless artists (and the genre as a whole) with his raucous, aggressive, and exciting boogie-woogie piano playing. Tracks like “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” came to define this particular late 1950s era of early rock music. In the following decade, he would score numerous country hits.
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As a musician, his ability to cross genres and still maintain his popularity was impressive. It becomes less so when one considers why he made that switch. While touring the U.K. in 1958, Lewis revealed he married his 13-year-old first cousin to the astonishment of the press. U.K. venues began canceling Jerry Lee Lewis’ shows, and across the pond, Americans had the same reaction. His transition to country music, although successful, was more of a necessity than a want. Surprisingly, marrying his child cousin wasn’t the last of the alarming actions that would define his legacy.
He was often physically and verbally abusive to his many wives, his cousin included. Some speculated that he had a hand in the death of his fourth and fifth wives, Jaren Elizabeth Gunn Pate and Shawn Stephens. (He was never convicted of these crimes, to be clear.) Outside of the romantic realm, he also accidentally shot his bassist with a ricochet bullet and attempted to scale the Graceland gate to kill—later, he would say only speak to—Elvis Presley.
And somehow, through it all, Jerry Lee Lewis’ musical influence remained.
Controversial and Influential Rock Icon, Jerry Lee Lewis, Died on This Day in 2022
On October 28, 2022, the equally controversial and influential rock icon, Jerry Lee Lewis, died in his Mississippi home at the age of 87. He left behind a musical legacy that was as troubling as it was integral to the evolution of rock ‘n’ roll. And indeed, if one were to look at his accolades alone, they might assume he had no controversy at all. Lewis was the recipient of a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall, Rockabilly, Country, and Memphis Halls of Fame. He remains in countless “best-of” lists, and he received a star on both the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a music note on the Beale Street WOF.
From his contentious (and incestuous) marriages to his nickname as “the Killer” (which he got after he attempted to strangle an adult man with his own necktie when he was a child), Lewis seems to epitomize the concept of infamy. His mark on rock ‘n’ roll is undeniable. Without Jerry Lee Lewis, the landscape of the genre and subsequent artists, like Elton John, might have looked completely different. Still, it’s hard not to associate him with the less savory parts of his life. Such is the way for infamous people.
Lewis continued to perform for decades, well into his old age, during which he became a gentler version of the piano-jumping, Graceland-scaling deviant from the 1960s. During a 2017 interview with People, Lewis seemed downright harmless. “My favorite thing to do nowadays is stay at home with my puppies and my wife and my son, Jerry Lee Lewis III.” Time has a way of softening the most raucous, brash artists, even one named The Killer.
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