Jerry Lee Lewis Was Married Seven Times: Inside His Adventurous Life

Jerry Lee Lewis is a rock n’ roll legend who has made history with his music and the number of wives he has married. While one of his marriages was very controversial, and another was bigamous, the legend has undoubtedly lived an adventurous life.

Jerry Lee Lewis was born in Louisiana on September 29, 1935, and he is a singer, songwriter, and pianist. He made his public debut in 1949 and released his self-titled debut album in 1958.

The legend became one of the pioneers of rockabilly and rock and roll music. In the over seven decades of his career, he has released over 40 albums with songs in multiple genres.

Lewis became known as the “Killer” because he used the term as a child, and it soon stuck as a nickname. The legend who has outlived his rivals married seven times and lives with his last wife.

Two of his ex-wives died in tragic circumstances, and some people said they were suspicious deaths. However, the bad boy with a temperamental side is not concerned, as he believes his seventh wife is the love of his life.

Jerry Lee Lewis’ Seven Marriages

Of Lewis’ seven marriages, some were not valid, while some were somewhat troublesome. He first married on February 21, 1952, when he was 14, to Dorothy Barton, an older girl and a preacher’s daughter.

They were together for less than two years and had two children. Before their divorce, he started having an affair with Jane Mitchum, and when she got pregnant, the legend said her brothers forced him to marry her.

Mitchum and Lewis married on September 15, 1953, less than a month before he finalized his October 8, 1953, divorce from Barton. The circumstances of their marriage made the validity of their union questionable.

Photo of Jerry Lee Lewis and Myra Gale Brown in London on May 23, 1958 | Source: Getty Images

However, despite having marital troubles, they were together for four years, shared two children, and divorced in October 1957. On December 12, 1957, he married his third wife.

Lewis’s third marriage was his most controversial one, almost ending his career. He had secretly married Myra Gale Brown, the 13-year-old daughter of his cousin.

They divorced on December 9, 1970, after two children. Less than a year later, he married Jaren Elizabeth Gunn Pate on October 7, 1971, had one child and lived together until 1979.

Jerry Lee Lewis and Shawn Stevens at the 25th annual Pre-GRAMMY Party on February 23, 1983 | Source: Getty Images

Pate claimed he was abusing and threatening her, and a divorce was in the works. Unfortunately, she drowned in a swimming pool accident on June 8, 1982, before they could formalize the divorce.

On June 7, 1983, the legend married his fifth wife, Shawn Michelle Stephens. She was his former secretary, but their marriage lasted less than three months as she died of an accidental overdose of sleeping pills on August 22, 1983.

Lewis moved on in no time and married wife number six, Kerrie McCarver, on April 24, 1984. They had started dating a few months after he was widowed.

Photo of Jerry Lee Lewis and Kerre Lyn McCarver with their son circa 1989 | Source: Getty Images

Their marriage was his longest-lasting marriage as they were together for over two decades and had one child. They divorced on June 15, 2005.

Jerry Lee Lewis remained single for another seven years before he married his seventh wife. He hadn’t been single for this long since his first marriage at the age of 14.

At 76, he married his 62-year-old seventh wife, Judith Brown. She had worked with him for over ten years as his assistant and was the ex-wife of his teen third wife’s younger brother, Rusty Brown.

Photo of Jerry Lee Lewis and Myra Gale Brown in New Brighton on May 17, 1962 | Source: Getty Images

Myra Williams about Marriage with Jerry Lee Lewis

Lewis’s teenage wife, now known as Myra Williams, became a real estate broker in Atlanta. The British tabloids ripped the singer when their union came to light during his supposed triumphant concert tour of England.

His career suffered the consequences of his actions, but Williams revealed that the troubles strengthened their relationship.

The couple thought the tabloids would give the singer a break, but they did not, bringing them closer to each other. While reminiscing on their time together, she said the ten years were incredibly wonderful.

Jerry Lee Lewis’ Seventh Wife

On March 9, 2021, Lewis and his seventh wife, Brown, renewed their wedding vows to celebrate their ninth wedding anniversary. The vow renewal happened weeks after they got vaccinated against COVID-19.

The singer’s cousin, Reverend Donnie Swaggart, the son of the televangelist Jimmy Swaggart, officiated the ceremony in the living room of the legend’s ranch in Nesbit, Mississippi.

The couple who married in Natchez, Mississippi, had about 100 guests attend the private party. Before their guests could join them, they ensured they all had negative COVID-19 results.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “help” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741, or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

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