Rock star Jerry Lee Lewis, best known for his 1957 hit Big Fireball, has died at the age of 87.
Lewis died at his home in Memphis, Tennessee, his representatives said.
The rock pioneer who called himself The Killer was also known for the song Whole Lotta Shakin ‘ Goin’ On and was the last survivor of a generation of seminal performers including Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Little Richard.
He was once described as a “single stomper”. A chair was thrown at him while performing Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On for the TV show in 1957.
“There was rock. There was Elvis. But there was no pure rock until Jerry Lee Lewis kicked the door,” he said of himself after the show.
He is known for his famous stage antics, such as standing and playing the piano, and even occasionally lighting a fire.
However, his private life was marred by scandal.
Jerry Lee Lewis performing in New York in 2005
For a brief period in 1958, he was a serious contender to replace Presley as the number one rock man, following the Elvis was drafted into the army.
But when Lewis was touring England, the media discovered he was married to 13-year-old (maybe even 12) Myra Gail Brown. She is his cousin and he also married his ex-wife.
His tours were canceled, he was blacklisted on radio, and his earnings dropped to almost nothing overnight.
“I might rearrange my life a little differently, but I never hide anything from people,” Lewis told The Wall Street Journal in 2014 when asked about the marriage. “I just went on with my life as usual.”
“mental abuse”
Lewis, who was married seven times, battled drug and alcohol abuse, legal troubles and physical ailments in the decades that followed.
Brown divorced him in the early 1970s and later claimed the physical and mental abuse nearly drove her to suicide.
“If I were still married to Jerry, I’d probably be dead by now,” she told PEOPLE in 1989.
Lewis reinvented himself as a country performer in the 1960s, and the music industry eventually forgave him.
He has won three Grammys and has recorded with some of the industry’s greatest stars, including Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Sheryl Crow and Tim McGraw.
Lewis has six children. Three-year-old son Steve Allen Lewis drowned in a swimming pool in 1962 and another son, Jerry Lee Jr, died in a traffic accident in 1973 at age 19 age.
A tribute to the musician is Elton John, who he remembers as a “pioneering inspiration”.
The veteran musician, who has previously credited Lewis as an influence from his love of the piano, shared a photo of them together on his Instagram.
He wrote: “Without Jerry Lee Lewis, I wouldn’t be who I am today.
“He was groundbreaking and exciting, he smashed the piano.
“Also a fantastic singer. Thank you for the groundbreaking inspiration and all the rock ‘n’ roll memories.”
“It is with great sadness that we learn of the passing of Jerry Lee Lewis, who was just inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame this month,” the Country Music Association tweeted.