The world lost a rare, true music legend this week.
Jerry Lee Lewis, a man known by many titles but certainly as the pioneer of rock ‘n’ roll, passed away at the age of 87. The news was made public on Friday by a family representative, the Daily Caller reported.
"Judith, his seventh wife, was by his side when he passed away at his home in Desoto County, Mississippi, south of Memphis," representative Zach Farnum said in an interview with Variety.
Farnum added: "He told her, in his final days, that he welcomed the hereafter, and that he was not afraid."
The outpouring of support for the rock legend came from every imaginable corner of Hollywood, the music world, and high politics. Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump were just two of a long list of high-profile people paying their respects.
Sad to hear of the passing of Jerry Lee Lewis. Love his music and I was hugely influenced by his records and live performances which were always full of fire and inspiration! No one could touch him!
God Bless you, Jerry Lee ❤️👼🏼 pic.twitter.com/yp9DQr7z7D— John Fogerty (@John_Fogerty) October 28, 2022
Lewis's team put together a statement on their friend's passing, according to TMZ.
"Lewis, perhaps the last true, great icon of the birth of rock ‘n’ roll, whose marriage of blues, gospel, country, honky-tonk and raw, pounding stage performances so threatened a young Elvis Presley that it made him cry, has died," they wrote.
TMZ added:
Many considered Lewis to be a born-star. He taught himself to play the piano at the age of 9, and his father mortgaged the family’s farm to attain the means to buy Lewis his first piano at the age of 10.He performed live for the first time in public at the age of 14 and spent the rest of his life entertaining the masses, according to TMZ.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame also released a statement on Lewis's passing, noting that he was its last living inaugural inductee.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has lost its last inaugural inductee. Jerry Lee Lewis sang and played the piano with wild abandon, setting the world on fire with his electrifying performances and rebellious persona. pic.twitter.com/DzcX0AVa6Y
— Rock Hall (@rockhall) October 28, 2022
Lewis will be adored and studied for generations to come, and he will clearly be missed by the entire planet.
