I dealt with [the controversy] a lot better than anybody else did I had not thought like a child in a long time. 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. Myra Lewis Williams, the former teenage bride of Jerry Lee Lewis, is mourning the loss of the rock n roll pioneer. 9+ Famous Cousin Marriages (that Shocked Everyone) | OptimistMinds Get the latest updates in news, food, music and culture, and receive special offers direct to your inbox. Robert Fontenot Jr. is an entertainment critic and journalist focusing on classic rock and roll and published nationally for more than 25 years. With five of his ex-wives, the Great Balls of Fire singer fathered six children. 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.. At the time, Jerry was married toJane Mitchum, which was his second marriage after he split from his first wife,Dorothy Barton. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images), Lewis and Williams, his second cousin, married in 1957 when he was 22, and she was 13. It was with his sixth wife,Kerrie McCarver, that the Grammy-winner welcomed his final child with. Sam got Jerry to the airport and put him on a plane. That was a very hard time, a very sad time for me. "'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. Options, mindsetsthis world has gone so fast the last fifty years that you cant keep up with it. Jane is also the mother to Jerrys second-born son,Ronnie Guy Lewis, 66. Lewis had been married twice before. In 1971, the rock 'n'. The preachers hated it. Lewis was poised to replace Presley as rock n roll's new hit-maker. Myra (given name) - Wikipedia Im really glad I didnt though because its gotten better as Ive gotten older.. However, it was discovered that she was only 13, and that they had been married for five months. Market data provided by Factset. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Many fans gave tribute to him and his talent after his death and remembered his and Marry notorious brown marriage. I get down sometimes, the rock star shared. Brown and his family. American actor Dennis Quaid as Jerry Lee Lewis and Winona Ryder as his underage wife Myra Gale Brown in the film 'Great Balls of Fire!', a biopic of. Lewis shocked Hollywood when news broke that he wed his second cousin Myra Gale Brown in 1958. Myra gale brown Stock Photos and Images. What was happening back then, rock n roll was coming on very, very strong. She was also his third wife.. It was crude and rude and ridiculous what it was doing to the teenagers. More than one paper went so far as to suggest his deportation. Myra Lewis Williams, also known as Myra Gale Brown, was the third wife of late rock n roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis and more infamously his 13-year-old cousin at the time they got married. Jerry and everybody else was being interviewed and I just stood in the lobby where they were going to play. Jerry Lee Lewis could have been a transcendent pop superstar, but his momentum was derailed by an incestuous marriage. 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. Siblings . Shortly after his marriage to Judith Brown in 2012, Lewis fired his daughter Phoebe as his manager and took . Katie Serena is a New York City-based writer and a staff writer at All That's Interesting. The press in both London and Memphis soon discovered the truth about Myra's age and the date of their wedding, and the response was immediate. It was crude and rude and ridiculous what it was doing to the teenagers. "Jay" Brown. A year later, the late singer found love again and married Myra Gale Brown and they stayed married until 1970. This time there are no holds barred. The England tour was supposed to establish a British fan base that would, hopefully, lead to a worldwide audience. Jerry Lee Lewis, 23, married Myra Gale Brown in 1957. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. I guess I went through like a trial by fire. ADVERTISEMENT I mean, he was ready to kill. She said "I do" once more to Richard Williams in 1984, and they have been together ever since. Williams, 78, said in 2016 that shes been right here the whole time but she apparently no longer had a relationship with her notorious ex-husband after 2015. Myra Gale Brown was the daughter of J.W. 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Lewis was 22 and Williams was 13, and the press came down hard on him when it was revealed that she was also his second cousin and that Lewis was still married to his second wife, Jane Mitchum, when they wed. Who are you? And I said, Oh, Im Jerrys wife. I may as well drop the bomb in the middle of London Town.". Copyright 2023 by Vizaca. It was during that year that the pianist embarked on a tour in England. Listen to Mamamia's daily entertainment podcast, The Spill. Lewis went on to marry four more times. "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. Myra Lewis Williams, also known as Myra Gale Brown, was the third wife of late rock n' roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis and more infamously his 13-year-old cousin at the time they got married. So whatever happened to her? Williams alsorecalled how she "let the big ol cat out of the bag" about their marriage to the pressin Londonwithout realizing the backlash it would spark. 11 Rock Stars Who Slept With Underage Girls | Phoenix New Times He had taken a friend of his to the courthouse. Jerry Lee Lewis Was a Rock & Roll Titan. That Doesn't Justify What He While promoting the book, she took to Instagram to air some of the sordid details. [5] This caused an uproar and after a few dates the tour was cancelled. Brown's age and blood relationship to Lewis caused an uproar on his first tour of England and was later criticized by anti-rock and roll preachers. She has a career in real estate in Georgia since 1980 (under the name Myra Williams or Myra Lewis Williams). Though they were no longer together, they remained amicable throughout the rest of Lewis marriages and still keep up with each other. The couple had two kids, Steve Allen Lewis (19591962) who suffocated at age three, and girl Phoebe Allen Lewis (b. (7) See myra gale brown stock video clips. What was happening back then, rock n roll was coming on very, very strong. Its noon, and the lobby of the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel is swarming with the ladies-who-lunch set. or redistributed. [15][19][11], She is shown being interviewed in the Ethan Coen directed 2022 documentary film Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind. The name may be derived from Miranda as it can be the shortened version the name Mira. I pull myself out of it. His fourth marriage was to his 13-year-old cousin, Myra Gale Brown, which lasted from 1958 to 1970. What I wanted was a baby in my arms, a home, a husband, a kitchen to cook in, a yard to raise roses. Thats what this book basically is, this is what happened, this is how I handled it and here I am today, she said. However, upon landing in the country with his child-bride, it became clear that the Brits were not on board with Jerry Lee Lewis. I not only survived it, Im better for it, having gone through it. I was happy to think I would have a home and a husband and children. He got the scoop and I let the cat out of the bag. The embarrassment over the marriage annihilated Lewiss promising stone profession, however, reinforced their marriage. and help keep the future of New Times, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our. [13], Shortly after her divorce, Brown married Pete Malito,[14] the detective she had hired to trail Lewis and document his infidelities,[15] and moved to Atlanta, Georgia. Myra Lewis Williams, seen here with Jerry Lee Lewis during their marriage, has led a quiet life in Atlanta Georgia where she worked as a real estate agent. She is incredibly refreshing to read.. Hollywood Life, Latest Hollywood Celebrity & Entertainment News. 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. Lets check, How Rich is C, All You Need To Know About Tamara Hurwitz. Jerry Lee Lewis had already gone through two marriages by 1957; he'd married Jane Mitcham, his second wife, 23 days before his divorce from his first wife, Dorothy Barton, was final. Stinky! Dawn Staley thinks so, Why do we have daylight saving time? 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. The 1989 biopic Great Balls of Fire, which starred Dennis Quaid as Lewis and a 17-year-old Winona Ryder as Myra, was based on Williams first book of the same name. . Lewis Fired, Then Sued His Daughter. Jerry Lee Lewis: 'I worry about whether I'm going to heaven or hell' [4] After Lewis finalized his divorce from Mitcham, he remarried Brown on June 4, 1958. 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! Lewis and his sixth wife, Kerrie McCarver, were married for 20 years and had a child. In 1970, Myra Gale Brown filed for divorce from Jerry Lee Lewis on the grounds of adultery and abuse. The 1989 biopic "Great Balls of Fire," which starred Dennis Quaid as Lewis and a 17-year-old Winona Ryder as Myra, was based on Williams' first book of the same name. She described the memoir as her story of how to overcome lifes worst tragedies and your own dumbass decisions.. Now I'm older and wiser, and [not] malleable in the hands of others. It was also controversial because she was 13 years old at the time, while Lewis was 22. She was a stolid, hard-working black woman who'd taken care of Jerry Lee since before he moved down here from Memphis more than ten years, that made it. Let's check, How Rich is Utz Ch, Charlotte Awbery estimated Net Worth, Biography, Age, Height, Dating, Relationship Records, Salary, Income, Cars, Lifestyles & many more details have been updated below. Jerry Lee Lewis, who passed away on Oct. 28, 2022, was known as a rock n roll legend. The Troubling History Of Jerry Lee Lewis - Grunge.com And now, via Cuepoint, comes fascinating insight into the relationship that pretty much destroyed Lewis . On December 12, 1958, Myra, 13, married Lewis, 22, in Hernando, Mississippi. Jerry Lee Lewis eventually got his career back in the late 1960s as a country performer, where his personal life was not viewed with such outrage. "They were looking for a place to stick the knife into rock & roll," she said. His bride, for her part, told the gathering that 15 wasn't too young to marry back home: "You can marry at 10 if you can find a husband.". [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! Jerry Lee Lewis' Kids: Everything To Know About The Late Star's Six Rock n roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis passed away on Friday at age 87. ELVIS PRESLEY'S FINAL MONTHS WERE PLAGUED WITH PHYSICAL PAIN AS HE EMBARKED ON GRUELING TOUR, AUTHOR CLAIMS, "I let the cat out of the bag," said Williams. How long was Jerry Lee Lewis married to Myra Gale Brown? Jerry Lee Lewis : They just want to see the new king of rock 'n 'roll. Elvis Presley's Friends Were Worried He Would End Up Like Jerry Lee I looked at him and I said, Jerry, are you crazy? Brown allegedly told a reporter she was Lewis' wife, and Lewis claimed Brown was 15 years old and had been his wife for two months. Thats exactly what it was.. Dad, youre the greatest and I love you!, he captioned the snapshot. I guess if I had to do it all over again, Id have to do some things differently. 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 "Jerry's wife.".