Photo by Arnie Goodman

Seven wives, seven lives, Jerry Lee Lewis was the Bad Boy of Rock ‘n’ Roll when most of RnR was bad boys. An original inductee into the Rock Hall, Lewis richly deserved it, breaking ground for generations to come. He died peacefully at 87.

A Sun Records superstar, Lewis performed regularly through his career, with slight slowdown while under investigation for underage marriage and tax issues, but that only fueled his passion. Never one to take the road most traveled, in music or in life, Lewis transformed his childhood home into the Jerry Lee Lewis Family Museum and Liquor Store. The liquor store is a drive-thru, of course.

Lewis’ nickname, the Killer, could have come from his  electric performance style—ball-to-the-wall boogie, feet-off-the-floor and  kick-the-bench-over piano, tonsils-to-heaven vocals—but instead it came from his relationships. Lewis racked up seven wives, plus one two-year live-in. Two of his six children died in accidents. One early wife was a 13-year-old cousin, his last was his former sister-in-law; two others died under unusual circumstances, another was a bigamous union; the other two wives and the live-in, well, let’s just say,  are not coming for Thanksgiving.

A dozen gold records, 30 Top Ten records, four Grammys and countless Halls of Fame inductions, Lewis’ music successes, like the man himself (for better or for worse) seem larger than a “normal” life. Great Balls of Fire, maybe that’s the case.