After it was incorrectly claimed that Jerry Lee Lewis had passed away, there was a lot of head shaking.
On Oct. 26, TMZ published a post claiming the music legend had passed away, sending the Internet into a frenzy. However, it came out that everything was a lie.
Despite a TMZ article claiming that the father of rock and roll had passed away, Jerry Lee Lewis is still alive. Before the site recanted it on Wednesday, the story caused a wave of grief.
Jerry had a stroke in 2019, yet a year later he announced the release of a gospel record, seemingly optimistic about his recovery. On the recommendation of his doctors, he declined to go to his Country Music Hall of Fame induction earlier this year.
Jerry was declared dead ten days after receiving a bogus induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. His physician had recommended he not go to the Nashville event.
Two other notable figures in country music, Hank Williams Jr. and Kris Kristofferson, showed up to accept the honour in his stead.
Photo by: Jason Kempin
In reaction to the false report, a Lewis’ management organization representative assured NBC News that “He’s alive.” TMZ incorrectly reported based on an anonymous tip.
After the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, a picture of Kris Kristofferson personally delivering Lewis’ medallion while he was sick with the illness was released online.
After Lewis’ Instagram account stated that he was “too sick with the illness to attend” festivities of his recent induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, a correction was made a few days later. The report claims that Lewis instead asked his close friend Kris Kristofferson to receive the award on his behalf.
Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind, a documentary A24 published earlier this year, also included Lewis. Ethan Coen was the film’s director.
Lewis, a pioneering pianist and vocalist is the last surviving member of the Million Dollar Quartet recording sessions for Sun Records, which also featured Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley.
In the 1950s, Jerry Lee Lewis contributed to essentially establishing the sound of popular rock music
Lewis had such groundbreaking singles as “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” on the charts in the 1950s that he essentially helped create the sound of mainstream rock music. However, his career was severely set back in the later half of the decade when it came to light that he had wed Myra Gale Brown, a 13-year-old first cousin, twice removed.
The “Great Balls of Fire” singer ended, reflecting on his long career, “I am honoured to be going into that Hall of Fame rotunda with some of my heroes—Hank Williams Sr., Jimmie Rodgers, and the like, not to mention so many amazing friends who have been so good to me throughout the years.”
Lewis experienced a dry spell in the 1960s, primarily due to the surrounding scandal. Still, he finally made a comeback as a country artist, consistently charting with singles like “Would You Take Another Chance On Me.” Despite the aforementioned personal controversies, he has since received multiple Grammy Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award, and entry into the Academy’s Hall Of Fame.
Beyond the Hall of Fame induction, Lewis will soon be the subject of the rocker documentary “Trouble in Mind,” produced by Ethan Coen. The documentary hasn’t been given a distribution date yet, but it received high reviews when it made its Cannes debut in May; you can read Variety writer Owen Gleiberman’s assessment here.
