Jerry Lee Lewis

Rock legend Jerry Lee Lewis has passed away at the age of 87. One of the earliest rock and rollers, Lewis became an icon due to his flamboyant piano playing and timeless hit “Great Balls of Fire.” In a statement to CNN, a representative said Lewis had died of natural causes. Oddly, Lewis’ death was reported earlier this week by TMZ before being retracted the same night.

Lewis arrived alongside Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Elvis Presley and the other pioneers of rock and roll in the 1950s, though scandal in his personal life quickly derailed his career and his reputation.

Lewis began his career as a session player at the legendary Sun Studios in Memphis before his star took off in 1957 with “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.” However, in 1958 it was revealed that Lewis had married his own cousin, Myra Gale Brown, when she was 13 and he was 22. The scandal immediately damaged his career, until he reinvented himself a decade later as a successful Country singer. A biopic of his life, Great Balls of Fire!, was released in 1989 starring Dennis Quaid.

However, Lewis’ personal troubles constantly defined his life, with seven marriages (two of which ended with each woman’s tragic death), a bankruptcy filing in 1988, and problems with drug addiction and alcoholism.

Lewis was inducted into the founding class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.