Jerry Lee Lewis NOT Dead, Despite ‘TMZ,’ ‘New York Post’ Reports
Rock and roll legend and recently-inducted Country Music Hall of Famer Jerry Lee Lewis is NOT dead, Saving Country Music can confirm. Despite multiple reports of Jerry Lee’s passing on Wednesday (10-26), including from TMZ, the New York Post, and UK’s Independent, Jerry Lee Lewis publicist Zach Farnum has confirmed the music titan is still alive in Memphis.
TMZ appears to have been the originator of the false report, and has since offered a retraction to their story, saying in part, “We’re told the rock ‘n’ roll legend is alive, living in Memphis. Earlier today we were told by someone claiming to be Lewis’ rep that he had passed. That turned out not to be the case. TMZ regrets the error.”
Jerry Lee Lewis was formally inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on October 16th, but due to health concerns, could not be at the Medallion Ceremony at the Hall of Fame in Nashville in person. Instead, Hank Williams Jr. and Kris Kristoffferson received the medallion in Jerry Lee’s honor, and then Kris Kristofferson drove to Memphis to deliver the medallion to Jerry Lee Lewis personally.
Jerry Lee Lewis experienced a stroke in 2019, which has mostly put him out of the spotlight in recent years, but he did appear at the press conference announcing his Hall of Fame induction on May 17th.
After becoming frustrated at his inability to land a hit in rock and roll after his heyday, Lewis decided to become a country music artist in 1968. He released his first country single, “Another Place, Another Time” by Jerry Chestnut in March of 1968, and would later release many albums of country material. Jerry Lee eventually had 17 Top 10 hit singles on the Billboard country chart, and four #1’s as a country artist.
Jerry Lee Lewis is said to have been working on a Gospel album recently, with a release date TBA.
October 26, 2022 @ 3:29 pm
Unfortunately, from my experience, this means he’ll be dead soon.
October 27, 2022 @ 8:26 am
Yes. A similar situation developed not that long ago concerning Tony Dow, Wally of “Leave It to Beaver.” In that case, Dow’s publicist somehow got his wires crossed and put out info that Dow, who was on life support, had died. Several media outlets relayed that erroneous statement, only to have to retract it hours later. That didn’t change Dow’s condition, of course. He died the next day.
It would be nice if the news media would wait and triple-check all their sources before making a story public, but that’s not possible in today’s largely online media world, where it’s better for the bottom line to be first and fastest with a story than to get the story right. TMZ and the Post got a lot of hits yesterday, all of which helped them receive more money from their advertisers. Sure, the people who read the erroneous stories may have gone elsewhere to read that what they’d seen earlier was wrong, but a click is a click, and TMZ and the Post got thousands of them while other websites were sitting on the story and waiting for confirmation.
October 26, 2022 @ 4:46 pm
Great close call of fire
October 27, 2022 @ 4:41 am
I woke up still not dead again today
The internet said I had passed away,,,
October 27, 2022 @ 5:18 am
The rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens
Aka Mark Twain
October 27, 2022 @ 5:22 am
My father in law is not dead. You people
Scared the fans and some family
Members who were not there with Jerry. He is very ill but you people need to research and stop
getting your news from outsiders. I
Am sure it got you a lot of attention and was likely
Reposted to non news sites or those who don’t
Go by reliable wire services.
October 27, 2022 @ 7:52 am
haha, shouldn’t your comment be directed at TMZ and New York Post who falsely reported? and by “you people” do you mean the regular fans of SCM who were relieved to know he had not passed away? SCM did it’s research and cleared up the confusion. while we’re on the topic of clearing up confusion, how bout you clear up the confusion about the defamation lawsuits.
October 27, 2022 @ 11:43 am
This is not a news outlet that reported Jerry Lee Lewis as having passed away. That was TMZ and the New York Post. This is a blog about country music run by an individual, not a news service. And the only story this site ran about Jerry Lee recently is this very story you’re commenting on, which debunks the rumors of his demise. Either read the whole article before commenting or get someone else to do it and give you the gist. You’re complaining at someone who is trying to help by correcting misinformation.
October 27, 2022 @ 6:57 am
Phew. But when the time does arrive, Don’t Put No Headstone on His Grave…..he wants (and deserves) a damn monument!
October 27, 2022 @ 7:42 am
I like Jerry Lee, he is a great singer loved his music, just waiting for another right wing homophobic troll to say something stupid again, I can’t post any thing with out some dumb ass making a stupid comment, I am not bothering any one, get a life and leave me the hell alone. Why is the right wing trolls so obsessed with me? Do any of you not have a life? I don’t know why don’t you just comment on the story, but go ahead stupid hillbilly trolls leave your stupid comments or you know concentrate on the story and besides I am not going back and forth with you, when coming into a battle of stupidity, I am never armed the right wing hillbillies win all the time, last time I am bringing it up, gonna ignore you, you hillbilly right wing rednecks waste my time, and you are not worth the waste, SO PISS OFF.
October 27, 2022 @ 8:24 am
Countryfan68,
You’re literally poking the bear here man. You’re calling other commenters “stupid hillbilly trolls,” and then wonder why they respond to you with angry comments. I’m not going to say that at times, commenters on this site can’t be rude and veer off the subject matter and attack other commenters. But a comment like this is not going to help.
October 27, 2022 @ 11:10 am
@trig, It looks like you’re responding to a parody.
October 27, 2022 @ 11:48 am
I’m pretty liberal myself, on some subjects at least, and I cannot decide if that commenter is doing a bit of if they’re for real.
October 27, 2022 @ 12:14 pm
Countryfan86 is a regular commenter here. This is not a parody.
October 27, 2022 @ 8:40 am
Sounds like you’re the one who needs to get a life
October 27, 2022 @ 10:49 am
I think you’re probably referring to me (though I’m not “right wing” – and you managed to reply to the wrong person on that post). All I can say is that this comment speaks for itself. It’s perfect really.
October 27, 2022 @ 11:33 am
@CountryFan68 It’s 2022, if you want to slip into your bunk with a bottle of shea butter lotion and slide your hand to ecstasy at the thought of Fetterman winning, you are 100% free to do so. No judgement here.
October 27, 2022 @ 11:52 am
No more comments on this thread. I ask commenters once again to understand this is a country MUSIC website. People come here to get away from contentious talk. If we all cannot maintain a level of decency here with each other, the ability to comment on these articles is only going to be more restricted or eliminated entirely.
October 27, 2022 @ 10:12 am
Did Zeke Loftin just create another account???
October 27, 2022 @ 12:18 pm
Did you really just delete my comment call you out for being one-sided for coddling the crazy dude?
October 27, 2022 @ 12:25 pm
Yes, because I said expressly that your comment was the final comment on the thread. You got the last word, and you’re still complaining. And I don’t understand how I am being “one-sided” or “coddling” anyone. As soon as Countryfan68 left his original comment, I directly called it out.
Next off-topic comment not about Jerry Lee Lewis and the false reporting of his death, and this comments section gets shut down.
October 27, 2022 @ 12:40 pm
Off-topic comment being made not about Jerry Lee Lewis right here.
Why don’t you make it completely obvious how the right-leaning commentators are more mentally stable and more creative while being assholes? I will proudly wear that hat.
Trigger should watch Keith Whitley on Austin City Limits to cleanse his pallet from thinking Hardy is country
October 27, 2022 @ 12:46 pm
Comments closed.