Jerry Lee Lewis and Myra Gale Brown in 1958 | Bettmann via Getty Images Lewis was a rising star in rock and roll. My little brother was born because I begged my parents for a baby at ten years old.. from $6.99 1 New from $6.99 Details the love affair between singer Jerry Lee Lewis and his thirteen-year-old cousin, Myra Brown, and the scandal that resulted from their marriage in 1957 Print length 373 pages Language English Publisher St Martins Pr Publication date January 1, 1989 ISBN-10 0312916418 ISBN-13 978-0312916411 See all details Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Brown's family in the Coro Lake neighborhood in south Memphis. After 30 years of rock n roll movies, is it too much to ask Hollywood to make a biography that reaches for insight rather than nostalgia; a film with enough imagination and heart to add to a performers artistic legacy rather than belittle it? Steve Allen Lewis (1959-1962) - Find a Grave Memorial Myra Lewis Williams was approached by a reporter in London during the middle of her husband's tour. 'Great Balls of Fire' Movie: Dennis Quaid as Jerry Lee Lewis [16][14] The book was originally released in October 1982 by William Morrow and Company. Myra Gale Brown today known as Myra Lewis William, was an American author. She joined The Times in 2010 as a MetPro trainee and has reported from homicide scenes, flooded canyons, red carpet premieres and award shows. The teenager tragically overturned his Jeep and died in the car accident. [1] The Browns later had a son, Rusty Brown (b. Myra and Jerry's daughter, Phoebe Lewis, 59, was born in 1963, about four years after Steven was born. During his life, he was married 7 times & welcomed 6 children into the world. How Jerry Lee Lewis' career was ruined by his shocking marriage We did it fam!! I could so easily have said, Im J.W. Though his rock career was forever marred by his marriage to Myra Gale Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis eventually found success in country music. Cousin's ex becomes Jerry Lee Lewis' 7th wife | CNN In 1956, Lewis moved in with J.W. Who are you? I said, Im not anybody. But he insisted. I went out and found us a house. Williams briefly remarried to Pete Malito from 1970 to 1972. Its noon, and the lobby of the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel is swarming with the ladies-who-lunch set. 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. Lewis stated that Brown was 15 years of age and was his better half of two months; in any case, it was found that she was just 13, and that they had been hitched for almost five months. She said "I do" once more to Richard Williams in 1984, and they have been together ever since. Is Jerry Lee Lewis' Controversial Wife And Cousin Myra Gale Brown Still Myra Gale Brown Today What Happened To Her. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images), "We got married in December and we went to England in May," said Williams. 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. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. 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. 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.. On December 12, 1958, Myra, 13, married Lewis, 22, in Hernando, Mississippi. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Lewis practiced an incredible backlash that stalled his career for years. Did Arkansas women's basketball do enough to make March Madness? 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 reading about the third wife of Jerry Lee Lewis, Myra Gale Brown, check out Lori Maddox and Sable Starr, two teenage groupies who made a career out of chasing after rock stars. 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. Myra Gale Brown - americanstarlife Get the best of Fox News' entertainment coverage, right in your inbox. His managers had warned him about the British press and their delight in tearing down American superstars, but Lewis hadnt listened. Robert Fontenot Jr. is an entertainment critic and journalist focusing on classic rock and roll and published nationally for more than 25 years. All Rights Reserved. There was no getting around it. ", For her part, Williams said that she wasn't a fan of her first book and its movie adaptation because they were someone elses idea about how that part of her life story should be told, the Post said. Myra Gale Brown estimated Net Worth, Salary, Income, Cars, Lifestyles & many more details have been updated below. Myra Lewis Williams, the former teenage bride of Jerry Lee Lewis, is mourning the loss of the rock n roll pioneer. Because we have a daughter, Jerry and I remained in contact for many years, she wrote. Rusty Brown is Myra Gale Brown's brother, O'Connor said. "Jay" Brown. . After his divorce in 1983, he went on to marry Shawn Stephens but their relationship ended the same year. The marriage lasted a year and a half. Because that was the truth! She had wanted to tell the story of a woman surviving difficult circumstances and inspire women to understand their own strengths,[18] so she published her memoir, The Spark That Survived, in 2016. 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. The Troubling History Of Jerry Lee Lewis - Grunge.com Lewis and his sixth wife, Kerrie McCarver, were married for 20 years and had a child. I guess he had it all set up. Loganville couple celebrates 75 years of marriage, music and memories He just took off. "Because we have a daughter, Jerry and I remained in contact for many years," she wrote. That was a very hard time, a very sad time for me. 2023 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Satellite Information Network, LLC. After several tour dates were canceled, Jerry and his new bride left the country. Earthy colored wedded Lewis in Hernando, Mississippi on December 12, 1957, at 13 years old. However, while Lewis toured in England, the press not only learned of the controversial marriage to Williams, but that the star was still married to his previous wife. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images). At the time, she hadnt realized that there was anything wrong with her relationship with Lewis. [2], On December 12, 1957, at the age of 13, Myra Brown married Jerry Lee Lewis, then 22, in Hernando, Mississippi. She posed as me and signed the marriage license application. While promoting the book, she took to Instagram to air some of the sordid details. She became a licensed broker in 1984, and is a recipient of the Million Dollar Life Time Award 2003. [9], By 1970, Lewis' drug addiction, alcoholism, and infidelity took a toll on their marriage. In 2017, the talented musician sued his daughter for allegedly giving him drugs, according toTMZ. ", a 1989 biopic of the famous rock 'n' roll musician. Myra se cas el 12 de diciembre de 1957, a la edad de 13, mientras que Lewis an estaba casado legalmente con su anterior esposa.La edad de Myra y su relacin de sangre con Lewis caus una conmocin en su primera gira por Inglaterra y ms tarde fue la causa de su fracaso en . About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . What does it mean? (Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images), "Thats the toughest question to answer because it would change everybodys life mine, his, our children," she said. Copyright 2023 by Vizaca. His earnings dropped overnight to virtually nothing. 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. Jerry Lee Lewis and Myra Gale Brown shortly after their wedding in December 1957. But I pulled through it. [3][2] When Lewis arrived in London for a 37-date tour in May 1958, Brown revealed to a reporter at the airport that she was his wife. Fox News Flash top entertainment and celebrity headlines are here. (Indeed, Lewis had moved in with Myra's parents when he married her.) Related: Getty Images. Jerry Lee Lewis: "Great Balls of Fire," Myra Gale Brown, and His Great Balls of Fire is the toon of rock movies, with Jerry Lee Lewis reduced on screen to Roger Rabbit, Times music critic Robert Hilburn wrote at the time. Williams has also written two books about her life, including 2016s "The Sparked That Survived. The press made me out to be a seductive Lolita, which was as far from the truth as it gets. [14] The producers did not want Brown or Lewis involved with the film, but she visited the Memphis set anyway. Hulton Arcive/Getty ImagesJerry Lee Lewis and Myra Gale Brown shortly after their wedding in December 1957. Now I'm older and wiser, and [not] malleable in the hands of others. She was known as the wife of Lewisrock n roll star Jerry Lewis. Their son passed away in 1962 at age 3 from drowning in a swimming pool. Jerry Lee Lewis, left, poses with Myra Gale Brown at a London press conference on May 24, 1958. 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. Go to college, get an education, then figure it out.' Getty Images. [6][7] In addition, Lewis had not yet divorced his previous wife, Jane Mitcham. Despite re-marrying Brown, this time in a legal ceremony during which he was not already married, and moving in with her parents afterward, the public remained firmly anti-Lewis. We were going to visit a bunch of places in Europe. (1989). Rusty Brown is Myra Gale Brown's brother, O'Connor said. Jerry Lee Lewis - Spouse, Songs & Age - Biography Jerry Lee Lewis 1935 - 2022. She has been in news due to the death of her husband, on October 28, 2022. . [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. In 1971, the rock 'n'. This is the book I wanted to write then. Jerry Lee Lewis dies at 87: What Myra Williams, his 13-year-old wife She is incredibly refreshing to read.. When fans learned of this while Lewis was on tour overseas in 1958, it exploded into a . Lewis and Myra were divorced in 1970. Last updated on Feb 15, 2015, 12.09. 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. Lewis went on to marry four more times. The couple owns a real estate company in Atlanta. That Time Jerry Lee Lewis Married Myra Gale Brown, His 13-Year-Old Cousin. Jerry Lee Lewis was a rock n' roll pioneer & died at the age of 87 years old. ", Myra Lewis Williams was approached by a reporter in London during the middle of her husband's tour. and help keep the future of New Times, Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our. If Myra doesnt go, he told them, Im not going.. The revelation resulted in the abrupt cancellation of Lewis' tour; he was blacklisted by radio and his earnings dropped overnight. 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. 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. "[4][10] Their divorce was finalized on December 9, 1970. What I wanted was a baby in my arms, a home, a husband, a kitchen to cook in, a yard to raise roses. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Earthy colored has a more youthful sibling, Rusty Brown (b. The couple welcomed two children, a son named Steve Allen Lewis in 1959 and a daughter named Phoebe Lewis in 1963. Lewis was shunned . That Time Jerry Lee Lewis Married Myra Gale Brown His 13-Year-Old Cousin She is most popular for her union with rock n move performer Jerry Lee Lewis who is her subsequent cousin. She described the memoir as her story "of how to overcome life's worst tragedies and your own dumbass decisions.". As shes currently familiar, Myra Lewis Williams created those comments to journalist Alan light-weight once he met up with her and Lewis for a 2010 story for Rolling Stone. After just a few shows in England, the tour was canceled. Lewis went on to marry four more times. I not only survived it, Im better for it, having gone through it. Post continues below. But it brought me and Jerry very close, and we had ten incredible, wonderful years together after that.