Jerry Lee Lewis, a scandal-producing kingpin of American rock and roll in the 1950s who was instrumental in creating the sound of the genre, passed away on Friday. Age-wise, he was 87.
The musician best known for his classic “Great Balls of Fire” died of natural causes, his publicist informed AFP. He was noted for his flowing blond hair, wild piano beats, and theatrical stage demeanor.
“He is ready to leave,” an accompanying statement quoted the artist’s wife Judith as saying.
The statement said Lewis suffered years of illnesses and injuries: “He had abused his body so thoroughly as a young man he was given little chance of lasting through middle age, let alone old age,” it read.
A friend and rival of Elvis Presley, Lewis’s career spanned more than half a century and produced a wealth of eyebrow-raising stories about his numerous wives including a teenage cousin drunken rampages and run-ins with the government over back taxes.
It also produced a string of indelible hits.
Born on September 29, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana, Lewis took to the keys at age nine. The following year, his parents Elmo and Mamie mortgaged the family farm to buy him an upright piano.
Along with his cousins Mickey Gilley and Jimmy Swaggart — who would respectively go on to become an award-winning country musician and a scandal-tainted evangelist — Lewis spent hours perfecting his craft.
