When Myra Lewis Williams first met Jerry Lee Lewis, she wasn’t exactly bowled over. "His haircut was way too short, and his ears stuck out," she candidly recalls in an exclusive interview with Closer. "He had this red plaid shirt and blue jeans that screamed 'hick' to me." But then, something magical happened. The moment he sat down at the piano, everything changed. "He started playing, and I thought, 'Whoa, this guy’s got talent,'” she says with a laugh. "That’s when I realized there was more to him than met the eye."
There’s no denying Jerry Lee Lewis was a trailblazer in the music world. Known for hits like “Great Balls of Fire” and “Breathless,” he was a powerhouse who won four Grammys and was part of the very first class inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. But his career wasn’t without its controversies, especially when it came to his personal life. His marriage to Myra, who was just a teenager and the daughter of his first cousin, sent shockwaves through the industry and nearly derailed everything he worked for. Despite the scandal, their marriage lasted 13 years, and together they had two children. But it wasn’t all sunshine and roses. Jerry's struggle with pill addiction eventually drove Myra away, leaving a complicated legacy behind.
From Childhood Memories to Wedding Bells
It all started back in 1956 when Myra’s father, J.W. Brown, decided to start a band with his cousin Jerry. At just 13 years old, Myra saw Jerry move into her family home, displacing her from her own bedroom. "He got my room, and I ended up sleeping on the couch," she recalls with a chuckle. At the time, Jerry, who was 22, seemed like a fun uncle figure. He loved teasing her and would often take her out for ice cream. "I thought he was just being nice to a kid," she says. But little did she know, Jerry had bigger plans. One night, he showed up with a marriage license in hand. "He said, 'Myra, I want to marry you. I love you.' And I was like, what? I mean, I’m 13!" she exclaims.
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The next evening, Jerry invited Myra to the movies, but instead, he surprised her by driving her straight to a wedding chapel. "I’m the only person who ever had a surprise wedding," she jokes, adding that she said "I do" in the same red dress she wore to school that day. Talk about spontaneous!
When J.W. discovered the news a few days later, he was furious. He grabbed his gun and stormed off to the recording studio, ready to confront Jerry. "He wanted to kill him, but at the same time, he didn’t," Myra explains. "He just didn’t want Jerry marrying his daughter!" Thankfully, Myra’s mom called ahead to warn Jerry, giving him just enough time to escape the scene.
A Rollercoaster Ride of a Marriage
Life after the wedding wasn’t all smooth sailing, but it wasn’t without its moments of joy either. Jerry bought a house, and Myra, whose marriage forced her to drop out of school, began adapting to her new life. "I tried to learn to cook. I traveled with him," she reflects, adding that the early years were good. "We were happy, like two little bugs in a bush."
Family Drama and Tragedy
As Jerry's career soared, tensions within his family began to rise. Myra faced resentment from Jerry’s relatives, who felt she was standing in the way of their dreams. "Jerry’s sister told me that Jerry was their ticket out of poverty," she explains. "If he got rich, they thought they’d get rich too." Meanwhile, the press bombarded Myra with ugly headlines when her age became public knowledge. Through it all, she stood by Jerry, even grieving alongside him when their eldest child, Steve, tragically drowned at just 3 years old.
Ultimately, it was Jerry’s pill addiction that became too much for Myra to bear. "It was a Jekyll and Hyde routine," she says. "He was one person in the light of day and another at night when the moon came out." By 1970, she had reached her breaking point and filed for divorce.
Life After Jerry
Despite their split, Myra remained friendly with Jerry until his passing in 2022. In 1984, she found the unconditional love she longed for when she married an Atlanta real estate broker named Richard. "We just love each other so much," she says with a smile. "In the end, everything worked out."
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