Judith was married to Brown's brother, Rusty, who was just a small child when Brown and Lewis tied the knot. The Rolls was totaled, so he went out and bought a new white Lincoln Continental. 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. Lewis had been married twice before. She refused and soon grabbed her housecoat and got in her car, but Jerry was right after her, throwing rocks as she drove away. Her second book chronicled her experiences becoming a mother at age 14 and then again at 17 and losing their son Steve by accidental drowning in 1962. Myra is currently in news after Jerry Lewis, her husband, died on 28 Oct 2022 at the age of 87. 1954). My little brother was born because I begged my parents for a baby at ten years old.". After their divorce in 1970, Williams said she had been "subject to every type of physical and mental abuse imaginable," but the two seemingly made peace later. The singer passed away, aged 87, just days after false reports of his death had been made. Go to college, get an education, then figure it out. But it was a different world, things have changed so drastically. That stir was nothing compared to the one his third marriage would cause, however. Brown and his family. The police arrived, found the gun. You scared of me? he once asked her sister. Small world. "I don't think I ever resented it for me, though, I always resented it for what they did to Jerry," Williams said of the marriage, per Medium. It was detailed in a March 1984 Rolling Stone article, The Strange and Mysterious Death of Mrs. Jerry Lee Lewis. Written by Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Ben Cramer, it was a painstaking account of Lewis two-and-a-half-month marriage to his fourth wife, Shawn Michelle Stephens, who died at 25 on Aug. 24, 1983, and the mystifying events surrounding her death: the bruises and blood on her body, the scratch-like wounds on Lewis forearm, the permeation of fresh, small bloodstains around Lewis Mississippi home, and the superficial police investigations and coroners reports that followed. They also discovered she was actually 13. Select from premium Myra Brown of the highest quality. But Lewis had a storied private life, and his career took a nosedive in the late 1950s, when he married Myra Gale Brown. Lewis, who was 22 at the time, had lied about her age in order for the wedding to happen, and hadnt yet been divorced from his second wife at the time of his and Myras wedding. Though Lewis and his team had come up with a story about Brown being 15, Brown reportedly wasn't told about this plan. And they just werent ready for that. Things grew much worse when new information came back from the States: Myra was in fact 13, not 15. Youre fine. But I never felt fine. You see, Myra did not survive that marriage. 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. Later, he pulled the new car up to Gracelands gates and hit the gates head on. And I really, truly wasnt a typical teenager. I got a mean streak. I gotta lay it open sometimes.. After they divorced, Brown worked as a receptionist to support her daughter as a single parent. He said that Elvis called him the next day and invited him to Graceland. Additionally, his latest single was called High School Confidential, which, though unrelated to his relationship, did not help his case. Arriving for a tour of England, a journalist asked her who she was when the couple arrived to London's Heathrow Airport. His version of Ernest Tubbs Walking the Floor Over You didnt match Tubbs definitional drawl and pace; instead it was almost as reckless as his rock & roll. It was Do as I say, not as I doand if you get caught, we dont even know you. Also, a lot of people took good notes when it happened. He came into country music with respect for its verities, but he didnt worry about respecting anybody elses likening. Elvis had been drafted into the military, and Lewis was poised to take his place as rocks biggest name. Its noon, and the lobby of the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel is swarming with the ladies-who-lunch set. The preachers hated it. It was crude and rude and ridiculous what it was doing to the teenagers. When Lewis didnt show for his hearing the next day, a Memphis judge ordered him arrested again, but changed his mind when he learned the piano player was in the hospital with a peptic ulcer. What I wanted was a baby in my arms, a home, a husband, a kitchen to cook in, a yard to raise roses. On December 12, 1958, Myra Brown, 13, married Jerry Lee Lewis, 22, in Hernando, Mississippi (Hulton Archive/Getty Images) What allegedly fueled the fire was the press's discovery, after Lewis returned to Memphis, that Brown was the daughter of Lewis' cousin and bass player, JW Brown. Tweets & replies. The England tour was supposed to establish a British fan base that would, hopefully, lead to a worldwide audience. When Myra Williams looks back on her life her marriage to her cousin, singer Jerry Lee Lewis, in 1957 when she was just 13 years old, their good and bad times together, the two children they. Her Instagram account has been dormant since early 2016. Elvis never talked about the incident. The two were married in 2012. In blistering heat, with nine dogs scurrying underfoot, I found that Myra was a bright, funny woman, with a very clear perspective on her notorious past, and she gave new insight into this pivotal moment in rock & roll history. Although there was some controversy surrounding their involvement because Lewis and Mitchum's divorce was not yet finalised, it was mostly scrutinised given Brown's young age. I must be insane. But none of the psychiatrists would tell me I was crazy. She was controversial in the news due to her marriage to Jerry Lewis. The friend wanted to show Jerry Lee a .357 magnum. Myra Gale Brown. "I was in England when they ran him out of the country," Kristofferson said. Owens survived and successfully sued Jerry Lee for $50,000. Lewis and Brown were married for 13 years. What I wanted was a baby in my arms, a home, a husband, a kitchen to cook in, a yard to raise roses. In 1958, when Elvis Presley was drafted into the military . She also described Lewis drug addiction, being the victim of abuse, divorcing and jumping into a rebound marriage, the Gwinnett Daily Post said. ", A post shared by Myra Lewis Williams (@mlwauthor). [10][11] Brown filed for divorce on the grounds of adultery and abuse,[5] stating that she had been "subject to every type of physical and mental abuse imaginable. ), Lewis, though, wasnt planning on leaving rock & roll. He grew distant. Jerry Lee Lewis and Myra Gale Brown shortly after their wedding in December 1957. It's just a name, but there's more to it. They did have one tiff. [5] She married her third husband, Richard Williams, in 1984, and joined his Century 21 Real Estate office. All of Jerrys managers told him, Do not take Myra to England, because the British press was known to rip Americans apartthats where all the tabloid journalism started. Now Im older and wiser, and [not] malleable in the hands of others. (She filed for divorce in 1970, citing allegations of abuse and adultery.). He could be unmerciful and abusive. He also had to live with a terrible 1989 film about his early fame and scandal, Great Balls of Fire, starring Dennis Quaid in a cartoonish performance, based on Myras book. [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. A musician whod worked with the country singer Mickey Gilley asked Jerry Lee if he would consider driving to Nashvillle to record a song. The 'Great BallsOf Fire' singer started performing in the early 1950s, in his late teens. The other chance that came his way was a thoroughly unlikely one. Brown and Lewis had two children together: Steve Allen Lewis and Phoebe Allen Lewis. In my little mind, I couldnt believe that they could not see that I was a grown woman. That's exactly what it was," Williams told Light. It is said that Myra still believed in Santa Claus when they were married. Myra Gale Brown The day before that drive down Elvis Presley Boulevard, Lewis had rolled his Rolls-Royce with his fourth wife, Jaren Pate, in the car. "Since his marriage a few years ago to my ex-sister-in-law, who wasn't an ex yet when they got together (yes, you read that correctly), Phoebe quit working for him and I havent seen him since," Brown said in another Instagram post. As of Friday afternoon, Williams had not released a public statement about Lewis death. [17] Brown was paid $100,000 for her story, but was resentful that she was not consulted for the script or casting of the film despite being promised. She is the co-author of the book Great Balls of Fire: The Uncensored Story of Jerry Lee Lewis. 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. After the press found out in 1958 that Lewis, then 22, married his young cousin, the rock-and-roll star experienced a tremendous backlash that stalled his career for years. You come out of the fire you make it. But friends of Jerry Lee would say that the marriage had existed mostly on paper.. Myra Gale Brown 20:34, 28 OCT 2022. What Happened To Her? Oct. 28, 2022 3:46 PM PT 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. My 1988 book and the resulting movie, Great Balls of Fire, were just the beginning. Things had been turning bad in the marriage. Williams also covered their marriage in the 1982 book Great Balls of Fire, which was adapted into a 1989 film starring Dennis Quaid as Lewis and Winona Ryder as Williams. Myra Brown, first cousin once removed and third wife of American rock and roll star, Jerry Lee Lewis, in London at the beginning of Lewis's planned British tour, 26th May 1958. Light later recounted in a story published in Medium's Cuepoint in 2014 that Lewis and Williams "were playful and affectionate" during the photo shoot for the Rolling Stone story. Myra, who was 13 years old when she got married to Jerry, was Jerry's cousin. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Travis Scott is sought by New York Police after alleged assault and criminal mischief, Travis Barkers finger injury delays Blink-182 tour: One of those freak accidents, The timeless creativity of De La Soul, now (finally) available for the streaming generation, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Dramatic before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, Yet more rain expected to hit California in March. But because he is never fully explained, Iago is a void a void incarnate. "He told her, in his final days, that he welcomed the hereafter,and that he was not afraid.". However, its thought that his rock 'n'roll career was forever marred by his marriage to Brown. His managers had warned him about the British press and their delight in tearing down American superstars, but Lewis hadnt listened. I was serious-minded, I was like, We gotta take care of this and do this, and he was like, Wheres the piano? Thats what he is, thats what hes about. Myra Gale Brown today known as Myra Lewis William, was an American author. 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. That Doesnt Justify What He Did Offstage, Charlie Watts Is a Jazz Drummer: The Lost Rolling Stone Interview. Lewis upended pop music with Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On and Great Balls of Fire, but his personal life was a chronicle of scandal and controversy. The trouble was, it couldnt be heard: It wasnt available in the U.S. until a 1994 release by Rhino. 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 who died Oct. 28 at his home in DeSoto County, Mississippi did terrible things, repeatedly, across the decades. [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. We were like a little camp that had been attacked by the enemy, and we held strong to each other and said, regardless of what they do, were going to keep fighting. Lewis was 22. Today, Myra Williams, 78, reflects on the scandal and her late ex-husband. I plumb married the girl, didnt I? he told one reporter. in 2004.. Anyway - Myra is obviously a woman with a story and I am just sad that it was not told better. Myra Lewis Williams, as she's now known, made those comments to journalist Alan Light when he met up with her and Lewis for a 2010 story for Rolling Stone. You cant go through a life like that and come out and be OK. Thats what this book basically is, this is what happened, this is how I handled it and here I am today, she said. Brown, Lewis' cousin and the bass player in his band. It wasnt easy persuading country writers to write for somebody they considered a hopped-up rock & roll piano man, but eventually Jerry had a song in front of him, Another Place Another Time, and he thought it spoke to him. 2, In Loving Memories: The Jerry Lee Lewis Gospel Album, The SessionRecorded in London with Great Artists, By Request: More of the Greatest Live Show on Earth, She Still Comes Around (To Love What's Left of Me), What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me), When He Walks on You (Like You Have Walked On Me), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Myra_Lewis_Williams&oldid=1138714619, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 11 February 2023, at 05:24. He seemed wounded to the women he met, and sometimes they would go to bed with him because they were sympathetic to the wounded man. He respected his malice. Coming off of Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On and Great Balls of Fire, he embarked on a tour of England that was supposed to establish his fame worldwide. And when Phoebe went on to manage Lewis, Brown would see him when she visited her daughter. After just a few shows in England, the tour was canceled. By the late 1960s, hed been living a punishing life on the road, drinking and taking pills steadily, going without sleep as he did it all. Myra Gale Brown (known today as Myra Lewis William) is an American author. Myra Gale Brown was born on July 11, 1944, in Vicksburg, Mississippi, the daughter of Lois (ne Neal) and J.W. Two of those unions ended in untimely deaths for the brides, and his fourth and final marriage came in 2012. Myra Lewis Williams, as she's now known, made those comments to journalist Alan Light when he met up with her and Lewis for a 2010 story for Rolling Stone. Reviews were good, and Catch My Soul was a hit. We were just kids in love at the time. Lewis went on to marry four more times. A neighbor found Steven facedown in the Lewises swimming pool. And still, the world remains fascinated by the marriagewhen the Wall Street Journal asked him about it recently, he said, I probably would have rearranged my life a little bit different, but I never did hide anything from people The newspapers in England came down heavy but they didnt faze me, really. He followed her in his car and forced her off the road. "It wasn't harming me, it was harming somebody I loved, that was the pain of it.". In the end, she says, Jerry Lee Lewis downfall was a bigger issue than her age. "he press made me out to be a seductive Lolita, which was as far from the truth as it gets. She is a writer, known for Great Balls of Fire! They said Jerry played to a half-empty house, and they booed and that kind of stuff, and that was not true. Jerry Lee Lewis was 22 when he married his third cousin 13-year-old Myra Gale Brown. 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