According to Lewis's caregiver:
"He gave me a ring for Christmas but didn't tell me it was an engagement ring until a few months later. He just said, 'I want to let you know that the ring I gave you for Christmas was a promise that I would marry you.'"
Jerry Lee Lewis, Ringo Starr and Judith Brown attend the 30th Annual Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony at Public Hall on April 18, 2015, in Cleveland, Ohio. | Source: Getty Images
Following the engagement, Lewis suggested that he and his girlfriend tie the knot in Ferriday, Mississippi, in March 2012, to which she agreed. On that day, the couple exchanged wedding vows in a small ceremony surrounded by close family and friends.
Brown noted that everything felt like it was meant to be as soon as they sat down in front of the preacher. According to her, neither she nor Lewis felt like they had been previously married, as it seemed like their first time exchanging wedding vows.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame musician Jerry Lee Lewis performs onstage at Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts on November 17, 2018, in Cerritos, California. | Source: Getty Images
Brown confessed that when they first met and Lewis told Rusty he would marry her, she didn't take his words seriously. However, decades later, it was almost unbelievable that they eventually ended up together.
Undoubtedly, Lewis and Brown were thrilled to spend forever with each other. However, the pair's union caused a rift between the singer and his family, especially his ex-wife, Myra Gale. Gale was not only Lewis's ex-wife but also his cousin.
Jerry Lee Lewis holds Myra Brown in his lap at a press conference in the Westbury Hotel, London, May 23, 1958. | Source: Getty Images
Gale was 13 years old when she and the singer tied the knot. After welcoming two children, the pair's union crumbled in 1970, when news that Lewis married his 13-year-old cousin made the headlines and proved detrimental to his career.
Following their divorce, everything seemed to be going on well until Lewis decided to marry Brown. It is important to note that Rusty, Brown's ex-husband, was also Myra's brother. So, the complications that surrounded their relationship made matters worse between Lewis and Myra.
Jerry Lee Lewis hugs Myra Brown as they arrive in the airport from London after his tour of England was canceled, New York, May 28, 1958. | Source: Getty Images
In a 2015 Instagram post, the latter confessed that after she and the singer parted ways, they still stayed in touch because of their daughter, Phoebe.
According to Myra, Phoebe worked for the entertainment icon, and whenever she visited her daughter, she would also see Lewis. However, everything changed when the singer married Brown, who had not yet ended things with Rusty when she and Lewis began dating.
Myra noted that after they married, Phoebe quit working for her father. As a result, Myra stopped seeing Lewis and eventually cut him off from her life. Afterward, she noted that she found peace and calmness living without Lewis in her life.
Jerry Lee Lewis with his wife at the airport as they prepare to leave the United Kingdom after the cancellation of his tour in the wake of the uproar caused by the revelation of his marriage to his 13-year-old cousin, London, May 27, 1958. | Source: Getty Images
The following year, Myra released her memoir "The Spark That Survived," detailing her difficult experiences during her marriage to Lewis and how she handled everything. Speaking about the challenges detailed in her book, Myra noted (via LA Times):
"I not only survived it. I'm better for it, having gone through it. I'm stronger and appreciate different things in life that many people take for granted. I guess I went through like a trial of fire. You come out of the fire; you make it."
In 2015, Lewis chatted with the Guardian, opening up about his fears regarding life after death. The singer noted that for the longest time, not knowing whether he would go to heaven or hell troubled him.
Jerry Lee Lewis closes out the final day of the Texas Revival Festival at the Nutty Brown Amphitheater on May 8, 2010, in Austin, Texas. | Source: Getty Images
Lewis confessed that he had done his best to live godly. However, the thought would go through his mind whenever he was about to sleep.
But while Lewis was troubled about his destination after death, Brown was assured that her husband would go to heaven. She told Lewis that his ungodly lifestyle had been forgiven and there was nothing to worry about.
A few years after his interview with the outlet, Lewis finally passed away at 87 on October 28, 2022, at his home in Desoto County, Mississippi.
Jerry Lee Lewis arrives at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center on February 13, 2005, in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
In a press release confirming the singer's death, Brown, who was by her husband's side when he died, revealed that Lewis was not afraid to die in his final days.
According to Brown, the pianist said he was ready to be with Jesus. His final days seemed filled with many happy moments, as Lewis still had his smile and Rock 'N' Roll spirit. The icon will be greatly missed by his family, friends, and fans, whom he inspired. May his soul rest in peace.
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