Get the best of Fox News' entertainment coverage, right in your inbox. According to Williams, her relationship with Lewis also gave criticsof rock 'n' roll more leverage to attack the genre. She said "I do" once more to Richard Williams in 1984, and they have been together ever since. She was a stolid, hard-working black woman who'd taken care of Jerry Lee since before he moved down here from Memphismore than ten years, that made it. Lewis was 23 at the time of his wedding to his 13-year-old cousin. [14], Brown hired writer Murray Silver to co-write a book that was meant to be her autobiography, but after a publisher's editing it became Great Balls of Fire: The Uncensored Story of Jerry Lee Lewis. Lewis was poised to replace Presley as rock n roll's new hit-maker. (Photo by Express Newspapers/Getty Images). Theyve Had an Inappropriate Relationship For Months, How Black Creators Can Expand Their Network with LinkedIn, Jerry Lee Lewis was a recording artist known for his hit song Great Balls of Fire.. [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! See also Other Works | Publicity Listings | Official Sites Brown, Lewis cousin and the bass player in his band. 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. [19], Since 1980, Brown has enjoyed success as a real estate agent in Atlanta. in 2004.. Jerry Lee Lewis marriage to his 13-year-old cousin in 1957 nearly ended his career. Where is Myra Brown now? Jerry Lee Lewis' career derailed after he Myra Lewis Williams told Fox News Digital her father was furious when he learned of the marriage. "Because we have a daughter, Jerry and I remained in contact for many years," she wrote. [20] Now known as Myra Lewis Williams, she resides in Duluth, Georgia with her husband; they own a real estate company. The press made me out to be a seductive Lolita, which was as far from the truth as it gets. ", Jerry Lee Lewis pictured with his daughter Phoebe at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, West London. View all photos from this album. I not only survived it, Im better for it, having gone through it. Sun Records' Jud Phillips (brother of producer Sam) had warned him against taking Myra with him to England on his first European tour. 11 Rock Stars Who Slept With Underage Girls | Phoenix New Times Cousin's ex becomes Jerry Lee Lewis' 7th wife | CNN He was still playing with squirt bottles with his friends. Here is a closer look at his family! This is the book I wanted to write then. I stopped in the middle of my reading to sip my Coca-Cola because I was so thirsty. Dawn Staley thinks so, Why do we have daylight saving time? "I said, OK, sure. So we got in the car and he drove straight to the preacher that married us. Myra Lewis Williams, or Myra Gale Brown has been open about her experience as a child bride to Jerry Lee Lewis. I was like a deer caught in headlights. ", "Its a sad time for the music business and the world," the 78-year-old told Fox News Digital. Everything We Know So Far, Shoppers Say This Nicole Kidman-Approved Brands $4 Lip Balm Is the Best of the Best for Healing Cracked Lips, Did Vanderpump Rules Tom Cheated on Ariana With Raquel? Jerry Lee Lewis plays the piano for his 13-year-old bride at the Cafe de Paree. If I can survive lifes worst tragedies and my own dumb-ass decisions, you can, too.. Rusty Brown is Myra Gale Brown's brother, O'Connor said. Many rememberJerry Lee Lewisfor the prolificmusic career that cemented his status as a rock 'n' roll icon before his death at age 87 Friday. My daddy will kill you. And he said, Oh no, he wont. Lets check, How Rich is C, All You Need To Know About Tamara Hurwitz. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. a little baby sittin' in a high chair. [14] The producers did not want Brown or Lewis involved with the film, but she visited the Memphis set anyway. He continued to record music and perform in theater during that time and mounted a comeback about a decade later. People didn't know it at the time that they wed, but although she was listed as a 20-year-old, legally Brown was actually only 13 (via Biography). Legal Statement. Myra Gale Browns height is unknown & weight Not Available right. The Strange and Mysterious Death of Mrs. Jerry Lee Lewis Today, Myra Williams, 78, reflects on the scandal and her late ex-husband. Jerry Lee Lewis' former teen bride reflects on the star's death, their If anybody had told me anything, I could have prevented this thing. Full body measurements, dress & shoe size will be updated soon. 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. Myra Brown was born on July 11, 1944, in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and She was 78 years old as of 2022. I tried to ignore the reporter, but he kept insisting. The couple had two of Lewis' six children: son Steve Allen Lewis (named after former late-night TV host Steve Allen), who tragically drowned when he was only 3 years old, and a daughter, Phoebe, who now manages the singer's career and lives at his ranch in Nesbit, Mississippi. I took the money to the bank after he came home from his shows.". Everything We Know So Far. The radio stations that didnt play it hated it. Elvis Presley's Friends Were Worried He Would End Up Like Jerry Lee You just stare and wonder, Oh my God, where am I? Twisted Facts About Jerry Lee Lewis, The Wildest Man In Rock - Factinate I dont know. In 2017, the talented musician sued his daughter for allegedly giving him drugs, according toTMZ. Lewis and Brown went on to have two children, Steve and Phoebe, but after all of . How is this happening? And Jerry gave it to themwell, I did, I opened my mouth. His bride, Myra Gale Brown, was also thrust into the spotlight, and years later discussed how she "never lost the first name '13-year-old-child-bride-Myra.'" Myra Lewis Williams, . Myra (given name) - Wikipedia Thats the way it was. She married Lewis on December 12, 1957, at the age of 13. Williams briefly remarried to Pete Malito from 1970 to 1972. "I was reading this book about this baby duck who got lost from its mother. She became a licensed broker in 1984, and is a recipient of the Million Dollar Life Time Award 2003. The couple's controversial marriage comes after the newlyweds arrived in London in May 1958 for Lewis' 37-day tour. In 1971, Lewis tied the knot with Jaren Elizabeth Gunn Pate but the two decided to end their marriage in 1982. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images), "We got married in December and we went to England in May," said Williams. Lewis had previously married twice. It was in 1958 when British journalists learned of the tender young age of Myra Gale Brown, and the ensuing uproar caused Lewis to cancel his tour and spoiled his chance to dethrone Elvis as the. BANNER ELK, N.C. Few are left to tell the tale of the Million Dollar Quartet phenomena, but the woman formerly known as Myra Gale Brown knew them all-Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and . However, it was discovered that she was only 13, and that they had been married for five months. All rights reserved. Myra Gale Brown was the daughter of J.W. Earthy colored has a more youthful sibling, Rusty Brown (b. Brown is a basketball player, and she used to be married to the brother of Lewis's third wife, Myra Gale Brown. Lois (left) and J.W. American actor Dennis Quaid as Jerry Lee Lewis and Winona Ryder as Myra Gale Brown in the film "Great Balls of Fire!", a 1989 biopic of the famous rock 'n' roll musician. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. At the time, Jerry was married toJane Mitchum, which was his second marriage after he split from his first wife,Dorothy Barton. Many fans grieved after knowing their rock n roll star died, and they sent their prayers and condolence toward him. In this blog post, we will present to you 9+ cases of famous cousin marriages that shocked everyone, in some cases, even the partners themselves did not know about their family origins. Jerry Lee Lewis Homes - The City's Best Kept Secrets Lewis was on his way to international rock and roll stardom when he married Brown . Lewis was 22. 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. He got the scoop and I let the cat out of the bag. ", a 1989 biopic of the famous rock 'n' roll musician. The Ferriday, LA native moved in with his cousin J.W. We did it fam!! I could so easily have said, Im J.W. 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. 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. Former Mrs. Jerry Lee Lewis, now Myra Lewis Williams, to Host Book Inside The Short And Tumultuous Life Of Gia Carangi, "The World's First Supermodel", 44 Grim Photos That Show The Brutal Reality Of Mid-Century America's Polio Epidemics, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Brown's family in the Coro Lake neighborhood in south Memphis. Brown took a job with Memphis Gas, Light and Water, where he worked as a lineman. Whats going on? (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.). Sadly, Steven tragically died in 1962 when he suffered from a drowning accident. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. I not only survived it, Im better for it, having gone through it. That Time Jerry Lee Lewis Married Myra Gale Brown, His 13-Year-Old Cousin. The radio stations that didnt play it hated it. But it didn't delve deep enough into exploring Lewis' indomitable character. Lewis and Myra were divorced in 1970. Before Kurt and Courtney, Sid and Nancy, or John and Yoko, there was Jerry Lee Lewis and his thirteen-year-old bride, Myra Gale Brown. Instead director Jim McBride, who co-wrote the script with Jack Baran, "ends up simply satirizing the argyle innocence and daffy exuberance of the 50s," according to The Times' review. "'Great Balls of Fire' is the toonof rock movies, with Jerry Lee Lewis reduced on screen to Roger Rabbit," Times music critic Robert Hilburn wrote at the time. I dont think he wouldve done it by any means, but he was really angry. Jerry Lee Lewis' seven wives - from his 13-year-old cousin to tragic In his lifetime, Lewis married seven times. 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. But that career hit a sharp nosedive in 1958, when. Phoebe is from his third marriage to Myra Gale Brown. Jerry Lee Lewis death updates Rock n roll icon died of 'natural Many remember Jerry Lee Lewis for the prolific music career that cemented his status as a rock 'n' roll icon before his death at age 87 Friday. Williams and Lewis divorced in 1970. Jerry Lee Lewis 1935 - 2022. 6:00AM. 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. 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. After further digging, the newspapers revealed that Myra Gale Brown was actually 13, his cousin, and that for the second time, Lewis had failed to get divorced before remarrying. What happened to Jerry Lee Lewis' 13-year-old bride? She's been here (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.). Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. If you think you know [my] story of being the 13 year old bride of my second cousin, youre in for a surprise, she teased. Market data provided by Factset. Getty Images. I hope my story helps you handle your own ups and downs. Earlier in London, Myra, who was 13 years old and Lewis's third cousin, revealed their secret marriage. Jerry Lee Lewis could have been a transcendent pop superstar, but his momentum was derailed by an incestuous marriage. However, since his marriage a few years ago to my ex-sister-in-law, who wasnt an ex yet when they got together (yes, you read that correctly), Phoebe quit working for him and I havent seen him since. Phoebe worked for him and when I visited her I would still see him, too. [19] The book details her tumultuous marriage to Lewis and how she built a new life for herself after their divorce. Jerry Lee Lewis dies at 87: What Myra Williams, his 13-year-old wife His death had previously been erroneously reported by TMZ and other outlets on October 26th. J.W. She co-wrote many books, such as Great Book Of Fire and The Spark That Survived, and earned peoples love and popularity through her book. 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. Im stronger and appreciate different things in life that a lot of people take for granted. Whether the innocence of the 13 year old girl who married Jerry Lee Lewis, the heartbreak of the young woman struggling with life's events, or the tenacity and spark of the woman speaking now, Myra's voice is alive, humorous, heartfelt, and totally without pretense.