What happened to Jerry Lee Lewis ? Stroke and health condition explored as Rock & Roll icon dies aged 87, days after death hoax

Just days after falling victim to an online death hoax, Rock & Roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis passed away at the age of 87. The news was confirmed by his representative Zach Farnum, who stated:

“Judith, his seventh wife, was by his side when he passed away at his home in Desoto County, Mississippi, south of Memphis. He told her, in his final days, that he welcomed the hereafter, and that he was not afraid.”

Donations in his name can be made to the Arthritis Foundation or MusiCares, a non-profit foundation of the Grammys/National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

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Jerry Lee Lewis’ cause of death explored

Jerry Lee Lewis built a huge fanbase for himself all these years as a singer and songwriter, and his death is a huge loss for the entire music industry.

However, his cause of death has not been revealed until now. He suffered from the flu a few days ago and thus, was unable to attend the induction ceremony of the Country Music Hall of Fame on October 16, 2022. However, his wife accepted the honor and revealed that Lewis was fine.

Later, a picture was shared on Lewis' Instagram page that showed Kris Kristofferson presenting him with the medallion. The post, which featured a picture of Lewis in bed, also had a note from Lewis. He said that he was saddened and disappointed at not being able to attend the induction ceremony.

Jerry also suffered a minor stroke in March 2019 with a post on his Facebook page stating that he was with his family in Memphis. However, it remains unknown if the flu and stroke played any role in his death.

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Jerry Lee Lewis' journey in all these years

Jerry Lee Lewis was a singer, songwriter and pianist (Image via Rick Diamond/Getty Images)

Born on September 29, 1935, Jerry created his first recordings in 1956 under Sun Records. He gained recognition for his singles like Great Balls of Fire, Breathless, High School Confidential, and more.

However, he was unable to deliver hits during the 60s and the only song that received some decent response was the cover of Ray Charles’s What’d I Say. He made a comeback with the album Live at the Star Club, Hamburg in 1964.

He continued to deliver more hits and became popular for his song, Another Place, Another Time. He managed to be on top of the Billboard Country and Western Chart during the late 1960s and 1970s with hits like To Make Love Sweeter for You, Would You Take Another Chance on Me, Me and Bobby McGee, and more.

He toured various countries and his 2006 album Last Man Stranding sold around a million copies. His next album, Mean Old Man, was also a hit and it was released in 2010.

Jerry was a recipient of four Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. He was then inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Jerry’s survivors include his wife Judith Coghlan Lewis, children Jerry Lee Lewis III, Ronnie Lewis, Phoebe Lewis, and Lori Lancaster. He is also survived by his sister Linda Gail Lewis, cousin Jimmy Swaggart, and several grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.

Just a few days before Jerry Lee Lewis passed away, on October 26, 2022, TMZ had erroneously reported that the singer had died. A spokesperson for the singer gave a statement saying that TMZ had reported the death after receiving an anonymous tip.

Meanwhile, TMZ deleted their original post and published a retraction. It stated that they published the news after they were told by someone "claiming to be Lewis' rep that he had passed."