'Great Balls of Fire' singer Jerry Lee Lewis dies at 87

Jerry Lee Lewis died on Friday at the age of 87.

Known for his talent, boundless energy — and ego — Lewis performed hits including "Great Balls of Fire" and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On."

The last survivor of a generation of groundbreaking performers that included Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Johnny Cash, and Little Richard, Lewis died on Friday morning with his wife, Judith, by his side, representative Zach Farnum said in a statement.

The announcement came two days after the publication of an erroneous report from celebrity and entertainment news outlet TMZ, saying that Lewis had died, which was later retracted.

Lewis was known for his long blond hair, rowdy piano performances, and stage presence. At a 1957 taping of "The Steve Allen Show," chairs were thrown around the stage. He also often would kick away his piano bench and bang on the keys with his foot — to the raucous applause of his younger fans and the chagrin of their parents. At at least one performance he set fire to his piano before leaving the stage. 

"I'm a rompin', stompin', piano-playing son of a bitch," Lewis once told Time magazine in his Louisiana drawl. "A mean son of a bitch. But a great son of a bitch."

After years outside the spotlight, Lewis restarted his career as a country performer in the 1960s and later worked with other music celebrities, including Mick Jagger, Jimmy Page, Bruce Springsteen, B.B. King, Keith Richards and Sheryl Crow. 

During his career, Lewis won three Grammys and was among the first artists inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. Outside of the United States, he remained popular in Europe and a 1964 album, "Live at the Star Club, Hamburg," is widely seen as one of the best concert records.

Turbulent personal life

Before the age of 20, Lewis already had a son and was on his second marriage, even though he had still not divorced his first wife.

His third marriage only added to what was becoming a turbulent personal life 

It was during a tour in England in 1958 when news emerged of his marriage to a 13-year-old girl, Myra Gale Brown, who was also his cousin, that his career took a dramatic turn. Following the news, the tour was canceled, and he was blacklisted from radio stations. 

"I probably would have rearranged my life a little bit different, but I never did hide anything from people,'' Lewis told the Wall Street Journal when asked about the marriage in a 2014 interview. "I just went on with my life as usual."

While Lewis struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, the girl he married would later divorce him alleging physical and mental abuse that nearly led her to suicide. 

"If I was still married to Jerry, I'd probably be dead by now,'' she told People magazine in 1989.

Myra divorced Lewis in 1970 and he went on to marry Jaren Pate but she drowned in 1982. They had been separated for eight years but not divorced.

His next wife, Shawn Michelle Stevens, was found dead of a drug overdose in their home in 1983, just months after they married. Eight months later he started another stormy marriage with sixth wife Kerrie McCarver that lasted 20 years before they divorced and he married his seventh wife, Judith Brown, in 2012. 

He had six children in total, but two died. At the age of three, his son Steve Allen Lewis drowned in a swimming pool accident, while another son, Jerry Lee Lewis Jr., died at the age of 19 when he overturned his car.

In addition to Judith, Lewis is survived by four children, a sister and many grandchildren.

jsi, sms/rm (AP, AFP, Reuters)