He continued to record music and perform in theater during that time and mounted a comeback about a decade later. local news and culture, David Accomazzo Stephanie Nolasco covers entertainment at Foxnews.com. Indeed, it was. Im really glad I didnt though because its gotten better as Ive gotten older.. After several tour dates were canceled, Jerry and his new bride left the country. The proud dad welcomed his first son,Jerry Lee Lewis Jr., in 1953. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER, "He said, Now look, we cant see the future," she said. She is most popular for her union with rock n move performer Jerry Lee Lewis who is her subsequent cousin. [4] Lewis asserted that Brown was 15 years old and was his wife of two months. To Jerry Lee, the uproar was hard to understand: "I plumb married the girl, didn't I?" [6][7] In addition, Lewis had not yet divorced his previous wife, Jane Mitcham. More than one paper went so far as to suggest his deportation. Jerry Lee Lewis and Myra Gale Brown in 1958 | Bettmann via Getty Images Lewis was a rising star in rock and roll. (Special. Steven Allen Lewiswas born in 1959, when his then-wife was 14 years old. 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. (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.). Copyright 2023 by Vizaca. (Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images), Fox News Flash Top Entertainment Headlines 10/31, Emma Stones 'And' co-star Willem Dafoe had her slap him 20 times to get scene right, Prince Harry's 'attacks' on 'villain' Camilla led to Frogmore Cottage eviction: expert, Film industry reacts to death of 'Saving Private Ryan' star Tom Sizemore: 'You're a legend', Matthew McConaughey and Camila Alves take bumpy second flight after 'CHAOS' on Lufthansa plane: 'Wish me luck', Kelsey Grammer wont apologize for the 'difference' that Jesus has made in his life. (Photo by Tom Baffer/NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images). Sun Records' Jud Phillips (brother of producer Sam) had warned him against taking Myra with him to England on his first European tour. Thank you everyone for never giving up!! All you could hear was Jerry going, Well?! Is Sex/Life Season 3 Happening? She also described Lewis drug addiction, being the victim of abuse, divorcing and jumping into a rebound marriage, the Gwinnett Daily Post said. I get down sometimes, the rock star shared. Franklin D. Roosevelt. The American press proved just as harsh as their English counterparts, and Jerry Lee's fee for personal appearances soon dropped from $10,000 a night to $250. myra gale brown Photos. If I can survive life's worst tragedies and my own dumb-ass decisions, you can, too. She became a licensed broker in 1984, and is a recipient of the Million Dollar Life Time Award 2003. February 24, 2021 Myra Gale Brown today known as Myra Lewis William, was an American author. He just took off. In America, he told them, it was quite all right to marry at age 15, even at 10, provided you could find a husband. [4] After Lewis finalized his divorce from Mitcham, he remarried Brown on June 4, 1958. Before he knew it, his ticket prices had dropped astronomically, from $10,000 a night to a mere $250. [4] By the time they returned to Memphis, it had been discovered that Brown was not only Lewis' wife, she was also his first cousin once removed. If anybody had told me anything, I could have prevented this thing. While promoting the book, she took to Instagram to air some of the sordid details. Myra Brown was born on July 11, 1944, in Vicksburg, Mississippi, and She was 78 years old as of 2022. Though his rock career was forever marred by his marriage to Myra Gale Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis eventually found success in country music. Legal Statement. There was no getting around it. In 2014, Brown, then 70 and known as Myra Williams,gave an interview to music journalist Alan Light published inCuepoint, in which she reflected onher shocking relationship with Lewis. Brown played electric bass, and Lewis played piano and sang. 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. Lewis was poised to replace Presley as rock n roll's new hit-maker. Pate died in 1982 due. She was a stolid, hard-working black woman who'd taken care of Jerry Lee since before he moved down here from Memphismore than ten years, that made it. The name may be derived from Miranda as it can be the shortened version the name Mira. RM 2AGA94W - Rock 'n' roll singer Jerry Lee Lewis, whose British tour was cancelled after he had been jeered on the stage of a London theatre, with his 13-year-old wife, Myra (l) and his sister, Frankie, 15, at London Airport. This was a one-night jam session at Sun Studios. The backlash was swift. Jerry Lee Lewis plays the piano for his 13-year-old bride at the Cafe de Paree. 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. However, since his marriage a few years ago to my ex-sister-in-law, who wasnt an ex yet when they got together (yes, you read that correctly), Phoebe quit working for him and I havent seen him since. Lewis reinvented himself as a country performer. I find living is nice and calm this way.". You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Life and career Earthy colored was brought into the world on July 11, 1944, in Winnsboro, Louisiana, the girl of Lois and Jay "J.W." Brown. 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. 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. Myra Lewis was born on July 11, 1944 in the USA as Myra Gale Brown. He convinced disc jockeys to give him a second chance, and the music industry eventually forgave him. Lewis married once more to Jaren Elizabeth Gunn Pate the following year. And when I said what I said, it was like his hair caught on fire. 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.". Earthy colored was brought into the world on July 11, 1944, in Winnsboro, Louisiana, the girl of Lois and Jay J.W. Brown. 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. It was adapted into the 1989 film Great Balls of Fire!, starring Dennis Quaid as Lewis and Winona Ryder as Brown. And Jerry gave it to themwell, I did, I opened my mouth. American rock musician Jerry Lee Lewis holds his second cousin and third wife Myra Brown in his lap at a press conference in the Westbury Hotel,. Lewis was poised to replace Presley as rocks prime hit-maker after the "Jailhouse Rock" singer was drafted into the Army. The exes remained cordial over the years because of the bond they shared with their daughter. Since 1980, Brown has enjoyed success as a real estate agent in Atlanta. (Photo by Keith Hamshere/Getty Images), "He had gone to Louisiana and came back," she recalled. But Lewis had a storied private life, and his career took a nosedive in the late 1950s, when he married Myra Gale Brown. Become a member to support the independent voice of Phoenix Post continues below. Prior to their divorce, the former couple welcomed two children, Phoebe and Steve. [5] The scandal over the marriage destroyed Lewis' promising rock and roll career,[8] although he subsequently found success in country music. "Phoebe worked for him and when I visited her I would still see him, too. Myra Gale Brown (born on July 11, 1944) is an American creator. ", 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. When they stepped off the plane on May 22, 1958, Lewis obligingly told the British press that Myra was his wife (although he gave her age as 15 and moved up the date of their actual wedding). [1] They went on to make rock and roll history, recording hit singles on Sun Records. Jerry was quoted as saying to one reporter. It was a marriage license. [20] Now known as Myra Lewis Williams, she resides in Duluth, Georgia with her husband; they own a real estate company. The radio stations that didnt play it hated it. (Photo by Express Newspapers/Getty Images), Williams said it was "ridiculous" to be referred to as a "child bride" because she "did not feel like one. Jane is also the mother to Jerrys second-born son,Ronnie Guy Lewis, 66. "[4][10] Their divorce was finalized on December 9, 1970. I looked at him and I said, Jerry, are you crazy? 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. 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. "But I didnt know. Myra and Jerry Lewiss marriage was considered the most controversial marriage in history. When Jerry marriedJaren Elizabeth Gunn Pate in 1971, the two later welcomed his second daughter, Lori Lee Lewis, in 1972. The teenager tragically overturned his Jeep and died in the car accident. She is as of now a realtor in Atlanta, Georgia. He married a 13-year-old, Myra Gale Brown, who later said she was "subject to every type of physical and mental abuse imaginable." He shot his bass player, was a serial adulterer, abused drugs. This is the book I wanted to write then. I took the money to the bank after he came home from his shows.". She was known as the wife of Lewisrock n roll star Jerry Lewis. All Rights Reserved. over an old photo of her and Lewis. Myra Brown, his Ex-wife, also showed her grief after his death and said in a recent interview, She never Lost hwePrimery Name 13 years old Child Bride Title.. "I was more of the adult than Jerry was. 1954). The marriage lasted a year and a half. Myra Gale Brown is an American author. Jerry Lee Lewis and Myra Gale Brown shortly after their wedding in December 1957. 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. Brown, Lewis cousin and the bass player in his band. So whatever happened to her? On October 22, 2022, Friday, famous singer 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.