What happened to Jerry Lee Lewis' 13-year-old bride? She's been here the whole time (2024)

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, 78, said in 2016 that she’s been “right here” the whole time — but she apparently no longer had a relationship with her notorious ex-husband after 2015.

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.”

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Jerry Lee Lewis’ teenage bride speaks out: ‘I was the adult and Jerry was the child’

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The “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” and “Great Balls of Fire” hitmaker had eloped with Myra Gale Brown in December 1957, the result of a romance that developed when he moved into the Memphis home of Myra’s father, JW Brown, who was Lewis’ cousin and bass player, according to Lewis’ obituary in The Times.

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.

The revelation resulted in the abrupt cancellation of Lewis’ tour; he was blacklisted by radio and his earnings dropped overnight. (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.)

He continued to record music and perform in theater during that time and mounted a comeback about a decade later.

“When Jerry Lee and I went to England there was a whole lotta trouble going on... The press made me out to be a seductive Lolita, which was as far from the truth as it gets. Remember, gossip is not gospel,” Williams wrote on Instagram in 2015.

“It was really the first scandal of rock ’n’ roll,” Williams told Georgia’s Gwinnett Daily Post in 2016. “What was happening back then, rock ’n’ roll was coming on very, very strong. The preachers hated it. The radio stations that didn’t play it hated it. They called it the devil’s music. It was crude and rude and ridiculous what it was doing to the teenagers. Little did they know what it was going to turn into.”

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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. But it didn’t delve deep enough into exploring Lewis’ indomitable character. 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 toon of rock movies, with Jerry Lee Lewis reduced on screen to Roger Rabbit,” Times music critic Robert Hilburn wrote at the time. “Jerry Lee Lewis may be a lot of things, but he’s not a simple cartoon.”

Williams again addressed their scandalous relationship in her 2016 memoir, “The Spark That Survived.” While promoting the book, she took to Instagram to air some of the sordid details. She described the memoir as her story “of how to overcome life’s worst tragedies and your own dumbass decisions.”

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“I’m right here! With a new memoir, The Spark That Survived,” she wrote at the time, sharing an image emblazoned with “Whatever happened to Myra?” over an old photo of her and Lewis.

“If you think you know [my] story of being the 13 year old bride of my second cousin, you’re in for a surprise,” she teased. “My 1988 book and the resulting movie, Great Balls of Fire, were just the beginning. Now I’m older and wiser, and [not] malleable in the hands of others. This time there are no holds barred. I think this book will warm your heart, tickle your funny bone, and touch your soul. I hope my story helps you handle your own ups and downs. If I can survive life’s worst tragedies and my own dumb-ass decisions, you can, too.”

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For her part, Williams said that she wasn’t a fan of her first book and its movie adaptation because they were someone else’s idea about how that part of her life story should be told, the Post said. She also described herself as “the adult in the relationship” with Lewis. (She filed for divorce in 1970, citing allegations of abuse and adultery.)

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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. She also described Lewis’ drug addiction, being the victim of abuse, divorcing and jumping into a rebound marriage, the Gwinnett Daily Post said.

“That’s what this book basically is, this is what happened, this is how I handled it and here I am today,” she said. “I not only survived it, I’m better for it, having gone through it. I’m stronger and appreciate different things in life that a lot of people take for granted. … I guess I went through like a trial by fire. You come out of the fire you make it.

“This is the book I wanted to write then. I’m really glad I didn’t though because it’s gotten better as I’ve gotten older.”

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In a separate Instagram post from 2015, Williams elaborated on her later relationship with the rocker, sharing a photo of them with their daughter, Phoebe.

“Because we have a daughter, Jerry and I remained in contact for many years,” she wrote. “Phoebe worked for him and when I visited her I would still see him, too. However, 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 haven’t seen him since. He’s no longer part of my life. I find living is nice and calm this way.”

As of Friday afternoon, Williams had not released a public statement about Lewis’ death. Her Instagram account has been dormant since early 2016.

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Lewis went on to marry four more times. Two of those unions ended in untimely deaths for the brides, and his fourth and final marriage came in 2012. It was to Judith Brown, who was the ex-wife of his cousin Rusty Brown, Myra’s younger brother.

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What happened to Jerry Lee Lewis' 13-year-old bride? She's been here the whole time (2024)

FAQs

What happened to Jerry Lee Lewis' 13-year-old bride? She's been here the whole time? ›

"I was married at 13 and divorced at 26," said Williams. "Half of my life was spent with Jerry." Williams not only went on to become a successful real estate agent, but she also found love. In 1984, she married her current husband, Richard Williams.

What happened to Jerry Lee Lewis' 13 year old bride? ›

Williams found happiness again with Richard Williams, who she married in 1984, and owned a real estate company in Atlanta. She wrote a second book about her marriage to Lewis in 2016 called “The Spark That Survived,” which she said is the real story of how she survived her marriage to Jerry Lee.

What happened to Jerry Lee Lewis' children? ›

The couple had one child, Jerry Lee III. Another son by a previous marriage, Steve Allen Lewis, 3, drowned in a swimming pool in 1962, and son Jerry Lee Jr. died in a traffic accident at 19 in 1973.

Was it legal for Jerry Lee Lewis to marry a 13 year old? ›

But instead he drove them across the state line to Hernando, Mississippi - her hometown straddled the Tennessee-Mississippi border - and they were married. At the time, marriage was legal in Mississippi for anyone over the age of 12. Lewis had obtained a marriage certificate under false pretenses.

How much was Jerry Lee Lewis worth when he died? ›

Jerry Lee Lewis was an American singer and pianist who had a net worth of $10 million at the time of his death.

What happened to Jerry Lee Lewis last wife? ›

His third wife, his cousin Myra Gale Brown, won divorce with horrific tales of how Jerry Lee beat her up in view of their little daughter. His fourth wife, Jaren Gunn, also won divorce, but she ended up dead, mysteriously drowned in a Memphis swimming pool, just before her settlement came through.

How many marriages has Jerry Lee Lewis had? ›

Lewis was married seven times, including bigamous marriages and a marriage with his underage cousin. He had six children during his marriages. When Jerry Lee Lewis was 16, he married Dorothy Barton, the daughter of a preacher. The union lasted from February 1952 to October 1953.

What happened to Jerry Lewis illegitimate daughter? ›

Jerry Lewis' Illegitimate Daughter, Now Homeless, Reveals How She Learned About Her Dad's Death. Behind every person is a story and this woman can spin quite the tale as she is the daughter of late comedy legend Jerry Lewis. Suzan Lewis lives on the streets and carries her belongings around in shopping bags.

Did Jerry Lewis marry his cousin? ›

Myra Gale Lewis Williams (née Brown; born July 11, 1944) is an American author, best known for her controversial marriage at the age of 13 to rock and roll musician Jerry Lee Lewis, who was her first cousin once removed and was 22 at the time.

What happened to Jerry Lee Lewis' money? ›

Lewis filed for bankruptcy in 1988. His petition listed over $3 million in debts, including $2 million in Internal Revenue Service debt, tens of thousands in attorney fees, and medical bills. At the time of his death, his net worth was estimated to be between $10 million and $15.4 million.

Who married his first cousin when she was 13? ›

Jerry Lee Lewis:

The rocker best known for his hit song “Great Balls of Fire” married his first cousin Myra Williams when she was only 13 years old. The union, which was his third marriage and her first, caused a lot of fan backlash for Lewis, and the pairing lasted only four years.

Did Jerry Lewis have any daughters? ›

How old was Myra Lewis when she had her first child? ›

Everything “gigantic,” she said, occurred in her teenage years, cataloguing the milestones: married at 13; a mother at 14; losing her firstborn child when she was 17; giving birth to her second child at 19. “Yes, it was turbulent as a teenager to be a wife and mother,” Williams said.

Why is Jerry so rich? ›

For a show famously about nothing, “Seinfeld” created a whole lot of something for its star. The enduring sitcom has helped propel comedian Jerry Seinfeld's net worth to more than $1 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which is valuing his wealth for the first time.

What was Dean Martin's net worth when he died? ›

What Was Dean Martin's Net Worth? Dean Martin was an American singer, actor, and comedian who had a net worth of $30 million at the time of his death in 1995.

What did Jerry Lewis do with his money when he died? ›

According to the will, his wife, SanDee Pitnick, actually got everything when he died. He only specifically left out his sons, though, so his other children might be able to benefit from his death. After all, the second line for his fortune was the daughter he adopted alongside SanDee, Danielle.

Was Myra Lewis ever found? ›

She was not found after law enforcement spent days searching for her. Madison County Supervisor Paul Griffin lives in the area. He said Myra's disappearance has forever changed the community.

Did Myra Lewis attend Jerry Lee Lewis' funeral? ›

Williams said she did not go to Lewis' funeral in part because she did not want to cross paths with Judith. 'I just don't want to be around her,' she said.

Why didn't Jerry Lewis leave anything to his sons? ›

According to the will, his wife, SanDee Pitnick, actually got everything when he died. He only specifically left out his sons, though, so his other children might be able to benefit from his death. After all, the second line for his fortune was the daughter he adopted alongside SanDee, Danielle.

What does Jerry Lewis's daughter do? ›

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