Jerry Lee Lewis has six children. They are Jerry Lee Lewis Jr. (deceased), Ronnie Guy Lewis, Steve Allen Lewis (deceased), Phoebe Allen Lewis, Lori Lee Lewis, and Jerry Lee Lewis III.
The Great Balls of Fire crooner had all six of his children from five of his seven marriages, including one child with then-13-year-old Myra Gale Brown, who was his first cousin once removed.
Jerry Lee Lewis Fathered Six Children
Prior to his death at his home in Nesbit, Mississippi, on October 28, 2022, Jerry Lee Lewis had suffered a minor stroke on February 28, 2019. The health challenge led to the cancellation of several pre-planned appearances, and the singer’s ill health eventually led to his death.
Born on September 29, 1935, Jerry Lee Lewis was a pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music who also diversified into a lot of musical genres, including country, gospel, and honky-tonk. By the end of his career and subsequent death, he had released a lot of albums and left behind a legacy as one of the best, multiple Grammy Award-winning rock and roll singers.
Beyond his musical legacy, Jerry Lee Lewis also left a legacy of having brought six children into this world via his multiple marriages, although he did have to bury two of them at a very young age. Let’s get to know Jerry Lee Lewis’ six children.
The First Two of Jerry Lee Lewis’s Children Were With His Second Wife
Jerry Lee Lewis became a father for the first time as a teenager. The late singer was born in Ferriday, Louisiana, to Elmo Kidd Lewis Sr. and Mary “Mamie” Herron Lewis. Lewis was only 16 years old when he got married for the first time to a preacher’s daughter named Dorothy Barton.
Unfortunately, the marriage only lasted for a year and eight months, from February 1952 to October 1953. Not much is known about their relationship before they got married, but we can confirm that the rock and roll legend did not have any children with his first wife. A then-17-year-old Jerry Lewis tied the knot with his second wife, Sally Jane Mitcham, in September 1953, 23 days before his divorce from Barton was finalized.
Unlike his first marriage, Jerry Lee Lewis welcomed two sons with his second wife. The late singer welcomed his first son Jerry Lee Lewis Jr., when he was 18 years old in 1954. His second son, Ronnie Guy Lewis, was born in 1956 when he was just over 20 years old. Here is what we know about his children with his second wife.
1. Jerry Lee Lewis Jr.
- Date of birth: November 2, 1954
- Date of death: November 13, 1973
- Age: 19 years old
- Mother: Sally Jane Mitcham Wilkinson
- Occupation: Drummer, Musician
Jerry Lee Lewis Jr. was born on November 2, 1954, in Ferriday, Concordia Parish, Louisiana, United States of America. The late celebrity child was born just around a year after his parents Jerry Lee Lewis Sr. and Sally Jane Mitcham, got married in 1953.
Jerry Lee Lewis Jr. spent close to the first four years of his life in a 2-parent household. His living situation changed when his father filed for divorce from his mother in October 1957. The reason for their divorce is not known, but virtually every detail of the late singer’s life indicates that he got custody of his firstborn following his split from Mitcham.
So far, we have yet to uncover the reason why the late drummer’s parents dissolved their marriage, but somewhere along the line, Lewis Jr.’s mother became Sally Jane Mitcham Wilkinson, a name alteration that indicates that she remarried.
Up until the young man’s death almost 20 years after he was born, not much was known about how involved his mother was in his life, but plenty of events and occurrences stand as evidence to suggest that he had a close relationship with his now equally-deceased father.
Jerry Lee Lewis Jr. was a Musician
It’s a fair gamble to assume that Jerry Lee Lewis had a semblance of a formal educational background, but the exact details, including how far he went academically, have yet to be established.
However, the late Lewis Jr. was on his way to earning a living by following steadfastly in his father’s footsteps as a musician. We have been able to uncover the fact that he was predominantly a drummer whose most notable last performance came on a Friday night in November 1973 on a National Broadcasting Company’s TV show Midnight Special.
The Drummer Died in a Car Accident
Many believe that the worst thing a parent could ever deal with is having to bury a child. It is allegedly one of the most traumatic experiences any parent could ever handle, and Jerry Lee Lewis Sr. knew all about that as he told The Guardian in 2015 that it was a very sad time in his life that required all his strength to pull through.
On the fateful date of November 13, 1973, 19-year-old Jerry Lee Lewis Jr. was in a car accident where his jeep overturned. The accident that happened in Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee, was fatal for the teenager. He is buried at Herron Family Cemetery, Clayton, Concordia Parish, Louisiana.
Jerry Lee Lewis Jr. was Not Married at The Time of His Death
Recall that Jerry Lee Lewis Jr. was 19 years old when he died. At that age, his father had already been twice married and was on his way to becoming a father for the second time following the late drummer’s birth.
It would not have come as a surprise to learn that Lewis Jr. was married based on his family’s history of marrying at a young age. However, the late celebrity child was not married at the time of his death, and nothing suggests that he was in a romantic relationship at the time.
It’s also important to point out that he never had any children of his own but was instead living with his father in the senior Lewis’ home in Nesbit, Mississippi.
2. Ronnie Guy Lewis
- Date of birth: 1956
- Age: 68 years old
- Mother: Sally Jane Mitcham Wilkinson
- Occupation: Celebrity child
Ronnie Guy Lewis is the late musician’s second son with his second wife, Sally Jane Mitcham. He was born in 1956 in Ferriday, Concordia Parish, Louisiana. He is undoubtedly an American citizen, but there is not enough information to be concrete about exactly when he was born in 1956.
Ronnie was only about a year old when his parents decided that their marriage could not continue. There is no information about who got custody of the then-one-year-old Ronnie, even though common sense dictates that given his age at the time, his best caregiver would have been his mother.
Regardless, the celebrity child has also lived much of his entire life behind the shadows cast by his more illustrious father, and as such, not much is known about his academic background or what he does for a living. It does not, however, look like he followed in his father’s footsteps to become a musician.
Similar to the way he plays details of his career close to his vest, Ronnie Guy Lewis keeps a low profile when it comes to matters regarding his love life and personal relationships. He had a fairly good relationship with his father, but the elements of that relationship have yet to be disclosed to the public and the media.
Jerry Lee Lewis Had Two Children with Myra Brown
Jerry Lee Lewis was at the center of a huge controversy in the late 1950s when he decided to get married to Myra Gale Brown, his first cousin once removed. Several factors contributed to the controversy that surrounded the late singer upon his marriage to Myra.
Firstly, he exchanged marital vows with her on December 12, 1957. However, the fact that his divorce from Jane Mitcham had yet to be finalized before the ceremony cast a lingering shadow of doubt on the validity of the marriage. To dispel these doubts, he initiated another marriage ceremony that reconfirmed Myra’s name change to Myra Gale Lewis on June 4, 1958.
The second, and most likely, the most unsavory factor that led to the controversies was the fact that a then-22-year-old Jerry Lee Lewis had pitched his tent with a 13-year-old teenage Myra. His musical career took a hit for that decision with several boycotts and the British media labeling him a cradle snatcher, among other distasteful names they tagged him.
Myra Gale Brown was born on June 11, 1944, in Vicksburg, Mississippi, United States to Lois Neal and J.W. “Jay” Brown. The marriage between the former couple lasted 12 years, Lewis’ longest as a married man at the time, and produced two children, a son named Steve Allen Lewis (deceased), and a daughter named Phoebe Allen Lewis.
3. Steve Allen Lewis
- Date of birth: February 27, 1959
- Date of death: April 22, 1962
- Age: 3 years old
- Mother’s name: Myra Gale Brown (now Myra Lewis Williams)
- Occupation: Celebrity child
Steve Allen Lewis was born on February 27, 1959, in Ferriday, Concordia Parish, Louisiana. Technically, Steve was Jerry Lee Lewis’ third child in general, but he was the late singer’s first child with his 3rd wife at the time.
Steve Allen Lewis’ Mother was Related To His Father
Even before he was born, Steve Allen’s parents had to deal with a host of controversial issues regarding the nature of their marriage. They dealt with the fact that his mother, Myra Gale Brown, was just 13 when she wed his father, despite his earlier claims that she was 15, and also dealt with the fact that they were somehow related, given that she was his first cousin once removed.
When the dust settled, his parents went on to live together for 12 years until Steve’s mother filed for a divorce in 1970, citing abuse of all kinds, including physical and emotional, as well as adultery.
Steve Allen Lewis Died in Infancy
Long before he dealt with the pain of losing his 19-year-old firstborn son, Jerry Lee Lewis already knew what it was like to lose a son after his first son with Myra drowned in a pool accident on April 22, 1962, in Memphis, Shelby County, Tennessee, United States.
Steve had only celebrated his 3rd birthday almost two months before the tragic accident that took his life and did not live long enough to witness the end of his parent’s marriage, which took place almost nine years after his demise.
His Parents Married Other People After Their Divorce
We have documented the fact that Steve Allen Lewis did not live to the age when he could pursue a romantic relationship, but his parents more than made up for that with their subsequent marriages with other people.
For starters, Steve’s mother was his father’s third wife, and his relationship history shows that he went on to have a marital relationship with four other women before his death in 2022. Steve’s mother, Myra, on the other hand, is currently well into her second marriage since divorcing his father in 1970.
Shortly after the divorce, she moved on to Pete Malito, the detective she had worked with to uncover all of Lewis’ marital indiscretions. She reportedly moved to Atlanta, Georgia, after that, but the marriage ended after a year and six months.
The late celebrity child’s mother became Myra Lewis Williams following her marriage to Richard Williams, a real estate broker, in 1984. They currently make their home in Duluth, Georgia, where she has managed to rearrange the pieces of her life from previous marriages, especially the one to Steve Allen Lewis’ late father.
Steve Allen Lewis was a Celebrity Child
Before his death, Steve Allen Lewis was too young to earn a living, but he was well-taken care of by his parents. His late father does not need too much of an introduction as his musical career cast enough limelight on him to answer any questions about his career.
His mother, Myra, started as a homemaker whose primary responsibility was to cater to the needs of the home she shared with Jerry Lee Lewis. She remained saddled with that role even after her second marriage to Pete Malito.
Since she married her third husband, Myra Lewis Williams has earned a living as a real estate agent and has done so successfully. She got her broker license in 1984 and is a recipient of the 2003 Million Dollar Lifetime Award. Presently, she and her husband, Richard Williams, co-own a real estate company in Georgia.
Aside from being a licensed real estate agent, Steve Allen Lewis’ mother is also a published author with two titles to her name at the moment. Her first book, Great Balls of Fire: The Uncensored Story Of Jerry Lee Lewis, initially meant to be her autobiography, was released in October 1982. It was later adapted into the 1989 movie Great Balls Of Fire. She published her memoir, The Spark That Survived, in 2016.
Before beginning a career in real estate, and just after her marriage to Malito ended, Steve’s mother found a job as a receptionist to provide for herself and his only surviving maternal sibling, Phoebe Allen Lewis.
4. Phoebe Allen Lewis
- Date of birth: 1963
- Age: 61 years old
- Mother: Myra Gale Brown (now Myra Lewis Williams)
- Occupation: Musician, Talent Manager
Phoebe Allen Lewis was born in 1963 in Ferriday, Concordia Parish, Louisiana, United States. She is the late singer’s second child with ex-wife Myra Gale Brown (now Myra Lewis Williams). Phoebe was born around a year after her brother, Steve’s death, in April 1962.
Phoebe’s Parents Divorced When She was 7 Years Old
Phoebe Lewis’ parents ended their marriage in 1970 after her mother, Myra, had filed for divorce following abuse and infidelity on the part of her father. We have yet to confirm if the fact that her mother got custody of her was part of the divorce settlement.
Whichever is the case, Phoebe lived with her mother for most of her formative years and was even with her after her divorce from her second husband less than two years after the marriage had commenced.
On the evidence of her childhood, Phoebe’s mother was actively involved in her upbringing, but the same can barely be said about her father, and it affected the nature of their relationship in later years.
Phoebe Allen Followed In Her Father’s Footsteps For A While
Riding on the wings of the musical legacy already established by her now-late father, Phoebe decided to embark on a musical career that was rather brief. Not much is known about her involvement in the world of music except for the fact that she brought her musical expertise to bear on the 2004 movie Benji: Off The Leash.
In later years, the musician began working as her father’s manager, a position she held for years until her father’s marriage to his last wife, Judith Brown.
She Did Not Have a Great Relationship With Her Father
Growing up with her mother most likely alienated Phoebe from her father for years. One would, however, have thought that working side by side for years would have meant that the broken fences of their relationship would have been mended.
Instead, a TMZ report reveals that the late musician sued his daughter in 2017 for allegedly drugging him for years. The report claims that she had allegedly abused him for years by drugging his cocktails and sequestering him in a moldy house that required him to wear an oxygen mask.
Even after their working relationship ended in 2012, nothing suggests that father and daughter made up before the singer’s death in 2022.
Phoebe Lewis is Reportedly Married
One particular source refers to Lewis’ daughter as Phoebe Lewis-Loftin. The significant name change could only really ever indicate one thing, and that is the fact that the talent manager is married.
However, she has yet to reveal any intimate details about her marriage, including the first name of the man she is allegedly married to, as well as answer any questions regarding children of her own.
Jerry Lee Lewis Had One Daughter With His Late Fourth Wife
Jerry Lee Lewis kept his membership card at the institution of marriage when he tied the knot with Jaren Elizabeth Gunn Pate in October 1971. Their marriage ultimately ended with the death of the celebrity wife on June 8, 1982, after drowning at the home of a friend she had been staying at while waiting for her divorce from the now-equally late musician to become a done deal.
They had technically been married for 11 years and had only one child together at the time of Pate’s death. The child in question is Lori Lee Lewis.
5. Lori Lee Lewis
- Date of birth: 1972
- Age: 52 years old
- Mother: Jaren Elizabeth Gunn Pate (deceased, June 8, 1982)
- Occupation: Celebrity child
Jerry Lee Lewis welcomed his fifth child, Lori Lee Lewis, in 1972. She is the late musician’s only child with his late ex-wife, Jaren Elizabeth Gunn Pate. Aside from the aforementioned particulars, not much is known about Lori Lee Lewis.
She was 10 Years Old When Her Mother Died
Taking into account the fact that she is 52 years old at the moment, the celebrity child did not spend enough time with her mother to establish a long-lasting relationship.
Lori Lee Lewis was only 10 years old when her mother drowned in the swimming pool at a friend’s house, where she had been staying after filing for divorce from her father.
That pill, though not a strange one to the Lewis household, was a tough and bitter pill to swallow. Nevertheless, it is challenging to describe the nature of the relationship Lori had with her mother when she was alive, even though we can guess that it was loving.
Lori Lee Lewis Has Kept Her Personal Life Private
In addition to very little information being available regarding her career path, Lori Lee Lewis, it appears, has kept details of her personal life away from the media and the public. Hence the challenge is determining whether she is single or married today.
Jerry Lee Lewis Had His Sixth Child With His Sixth Wife
Following the death of Gunn Pate, Lewis proceeded to take a fifth wife named Shawn Stephens. The marriage ended after 77 days, from June 1983 to August 1983. The primary reason for this was Stephens’ death from an overdose of methadone. The late singer was accused of killing his wife by journalist Richard Ben Cramer, but none of his theories made sense.
Just before we get to Lewis’ sixth marriage, let’s point out the fact that his last wife, Judith Brown, remained with him from when they got married in 2012 until his death at the age of 87 in 2022.
However, before he said “I do” to Judith, the late country music legend was married to Kerrie McCarver for 21 years, from April 1984 to June 2005. Their marriage produced a son named Jerry Lee Lewis III.
6. Jerry Lee Lewis III
- Date of birth: 1987
- Age: 37 years old
- Mother: Kerrie McCarver
- Occupation: Instagram Influencer
Jerry Lee Lewis III was born in 1987. He is Jerry Lee Lewis’ youngest child, whom he had with his fourth wife, Kerrie McCarver. The Instagram influencer is 15 years younger than his immediate older half-sibling, Lori.
Lewis III Was 18 Years Old When His Parents Divorced
Lewis III’s parents got married in 1984 and had him three years later. He got to experience what some of his siblings did not get to experience, including what living in a 2-parent household for more than a few years entails.
He was around 18 years old when his parents called time on their 21-year-old marriage. He has maintained a good relationship with both parents, including his mother.
What Does Jerry Lee Lewis III Do For A Living?
At the moment, we appear to have no answer regarding what Jerry Lee Lewis III does for a living. He is quite active on social media as an Instagram influencer, but there is no way to tell how much that actively contributes to his income.
His Instagram bio also claims that he is a 3D printing nerd in training.
Jerry Lee Lewis III Is Married To Debbie Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is happily married. His wife’s name is Debbie, and they have two sons together. Their first son’s name is Jerry Lee Lewis IV, and their second son is Mason Lee Lewis.
We have yet to uncover exactly when, how, or where the couple met. So far too, the information regarding when they got married or how long they have been married has yet to become public knowledge. We can only assume that they have been a married couple for more than five years, at the very least.
