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Jerry Lee Lewis’ ex-wife said she was the adult in their relationship, despite the recently deceased rocker marrying her when she was just 13 years old.
Myra Williams, 78, recalled “taking care of everything” during her 13-year marriage to Lewis, who was also her first cousin when removed and was nine years her senior.
Lewis, one of the earliest rock and roll pioneers, died Friday at the age of 87. He rose to fame alongside stars such as Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash with hits such as Great Balls of Fire and Live at the Star Club, Hamburg.
But his rise on the charts came to a halt when news of his marriage to Williams broke a year after their marriage in 1957. While Lewis was criticized in the press, his label – the famous Sun Records – stopped promoting him and tour dates dried up for a while.
“I was the bad thing in his life,” Williams said in an interview with the… Los Angeles Timesrecalling how she and Lewis were harshly judged by the public.
The couple divorced in 1970 for “adultery and abuse” when Lewis became entangled in drug addiction.
Myra Williams, 78, recalled “taking care of everything” during her 13-year marriage to Jerry Lee Lewis. The rock star was also her first cousin after she was removed and nine years her senior
Lewis and Myra Williams on their wedding day in 1957. Lewis was 22 at the time and Williams was 13
“I was the bad one in his life,” Williams said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, recalling how she and Lewis were harshly judged by the public. The couple divorced in 1970
Myra Williams, now 78, recalled in a recent interview how, despite only being 13 when she married Lewis, she felt like the grown-up in their marriage
Williams said that although she was characterized as a “child bride” when news of her marriage to Lewis broke out, things were quite the opposite within their relationship.
“I was called the child bride, but I was the adult and Jerry was the child,” she told the LA Times. “Looking back, how can you defend yourself when you’re 13 years old? I mean, there’s no excuse good enough to be okay with that.’
She said that from the moment she became a woman, she took on all the responsibilities in the marriage.
‘I didn’t miss a beat. I arranged everything,” she said.
Williams bought a house for the family while Lewis was on tour, and also bought a red Cadillac convertible that he asked to pick up.
“I mean, I didn’t even have a driver’s license,” Williams said, remembering how she managed the family’s finances.
“I did all the work and made all the decisions and did all the arranging and arranging things and things like that.”
“Once I went to the bank with a big bag of money to deposit it…and the cashier said to me, ‘Myra, there’s a police officer sitting outside in his car and he followed you here. So when you’re ready to leave, I’ll take you home.’
Williams said that although she was characterized as a “child bride” when news of her marriage to Lewis broke out, within their relationship things were quite the opposite.
Williams bought a house for the family while Lewis was on tour, and also bought a red Cadillac convertible that he asked to pick up
Williams recalled to the LA Times how her father invited Lewis – his cousin – to stay at their home in Memphis, Tennessee so that he could record with Sun Records.
Although Lewis was still married to his second wife at the time, Williams said the two fell in love and ran away.
She said that when her father heard about the marriage, “he got his gun.”
‘That was not a happy moment. Papa felt very betrayed by this. I was his 13-year-old little girl.”
Williams told how her father chased Lewis to Sun Records, but producer Sam Phillips had already told Lewis to flee. She said Phillips had calmed her father down, and that when Lewis came back to town, he said to him, “You’d better be good to my girl.”
“There was just no choice. I mean, killing Jerry wasn’t an option. It was his first thought, but it wasn’t an option,” Williams said.
Myra Williams in a photo posted in 2015. She is 78 years old today. She and Lewis divorced in 1970
Jerry Lee Lewis pictured in the last photo taken of him before his death along with fellow music legend Kris Kristofferson
A year after their marriage, Williams had their first child at age 14. The boy died three years later in a drowning accident when Williams was just 17. By 19 she had a second child.
She said it was great in the early years of their marriage and that she and Lewis often played together in their house.
But when Lewis started using drugs and alcohol on a regular basis, his personality began to change.
“His personality just got mean. And filthy. It was like a completely different man. Just bad, you know?’ she told the LA Times.
Despite the burdens she faced at such a young age, Williams said her time with Lewis gave her a “strength” that she carried with her throughout her life.
“Yes, it was turbulent as a teenager to be a wife and mother,” she said. “But in going through it, I have found my strength. And there’s almost nothing that can knock me off my feet right now.’