Music legend Jerry Lee Lewis, the piano virtuoso who electrified audiences with his free-wheeling performances, has died aged 87, his publicist has confirmed.
The “Great Balls of Fire” singer passed away on Friday.
“He pounded the piano with such abandon that it’s a wonder it didn’t come apart,” the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame said when he was inducted in 1986.
“He is a defiant, reckless, indefatigable wild man that can rock you into oblivion.”
Lewis’s passing was announced by his publicist, Zach Farnum of 117 Group.
According to an accompanying obituary written by Rick Bragg, the musician “suffered through the last years of his life from various illnesses and injuries that, his physicians have often said, should have taken him decades ago.”
“He is ready to leave,” his wife Judith was quoted as saying, just before his death in his home in Desoto County, Mississippi, just south of Memphis.
Jerry Lee Lewis, the controversial rock & roll pioneer who embodied rebellion with songs like “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” and “Great Balls of Fire” but drew widespread condemnation by marrying his 13-year-old cousin, has died at age 87. https://t.co/l43ZizuDLa
— Rolling Stone (@RollingStone) October 28, 2022
As Slay News reported, TMZ incorrectly reported that Lewis had died earlier this week.
On Wednesday, reports emerged that the rock n roll pioneer passed away at his home in Memphis.
TMZ incorrectly broke the news that Lewis died on Wednesday.
However, the outlet later scrubbed the report from its website without offering a correction.
“He’s alive,” the singer’s rep told Page Six.
“TMZ reported erroneously off of a bulls**t anonymous tip.”
The music legend had been dealing with health issues recently, which likely lead to the speculation.
However, Lewis’s representatives have now confirmed that he has, in fact, passed away on Friday.
