Jerry Lee Lewis passed away on October 28 at the age of 87. The singer, who kept in the news due to both his professional career and scandalous personal life, had been suffering from various illnesses and injuries for the last few years.
Lewis was the last surviving member of the Million Dollar Quartet, which included Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins. He worked in the music industry for more than six decades and made a huge fortune over the years. Here is everything we know about his net worth and earnings.
Jerry Lee Lewis’ Net Worth
As per the website Celebrity Net Worth, Jerry Lee Lewis had a net worth of $10 million at the time of his death. However, another website, celebworth.net, estimates the wealth to be much higher at $15.45 million.
Lewis had an impoverished childhood. His father was a farmer who mortgaged his farm to buy his son a piano after finding out about his love for music. After his first public performance in 1949, the singer started performing in local bars and restaurants.
In 1955, he traveled to Nashville and cracked a deal with Sun Records after performing Ray Price’s Crazy Arms and his own composition, End of the Road. The record label got him featured with several tracks by other artists, including Carl Perkins’ Matchbox, Your True Love, and Put Your Cat Clothes On and Billy Lee Riley’s Flyin’ Saucers Rock ‘n’ Roll.
Lewis’ Career Took Off with Million Dollar Quartet
A month after being signed by Sun records, Jerry had an impromptu jam session with Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley, who were all visiting the studio. The session was recorded and released a year later in their album, Million Dollar Quartet. Post that, there was no looking back for the singer.
In 1957, he released his solo music under the name Jerry Lee Lewis and his Pumpin’ Piano. He then dropped his track Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On, which was chosen to be preserved in the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress in 2014. Another one of his tracks, Great Balls of Fire, earned him global fame and recognition.
Scandal and Drop in Earnings
Jerry was said to be making $10,000 per night from his live performances initially. However, that changed after his marriage scandal. The singer, who was married seven times in his life, tied the knot with his 13 year old first cousin in December 1957. In 1970, his wife filed for divorce from him, citing physical and mental abuse.
The allegations took a toll on his career and popularity, and his live performance salary dropped to $250 per night. However, the singer soon gained his fandom back and continued to release music.
Some of his acclaimed albums include Jerry Lee Keeps Rockin (1978), Jerry Lee Lewis (1979), Young Blood (1995), Last Man Standing (2006) and Rock and Roll Time (2014).
The singer was inducted into the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. Three years later, a film on his life and career titled Great Balls of Fire! was released, which was based on a book authored by one of his ex-wives.
For more news and updates, keep watching this space.
