Jerry Lee Lewis wrongly pronounced dead

taketonews

Jerry Lee Lewis is Not dead — contrary to a different report by US celebrity site TMZ, which circulated on October 26, 2022. On Tuesday evening (European local time) “TMZ” reported in an article that the American rock ‘n’ roll legend had died at the age of 87 in Memphis, Tennessee.

Jerry Lee Lewis is alive

“TMZ” took the death notice a few minutes after publication, other US media and briefly the English-language Wikipedia jumped on the bandwagon, offline again – and later made it clear in an article: “Jerry Lee Lewis is not dead … as we had reported . The rock ‘n’ roll legend is said to be still alive and residing in Memphis. Earlier this morning we were told that he had died by someone claiming to be Lewis’ spokesman. That turned out to be wrong. TMZ regrets the error.” So TMZ was caught up in a hoax — other media outlets like the New York Post and the British Independent also published the death notice. It is unclear who posed as Lewis’ spokesman.

The first obituaries were already hailing

Apparently, some of Lewis’ prominent musicians and colleagues also believed the news. British actor and singer Michael Des Barres, for example, released a statement on Twitter that read: “‘The Killer’ is gone… A life of magic and chaos. Jerry Lee Lewis is THE villain of rock ‘n’ roll. His energy and control over his piano keys made him the key to brilliance and eccentricity. An outlaw with big balls on fire. RIP Jerry Lee.”

The well-known Canadian music correspondent, radio presenter and blogger Eric Alper was apparently caught up in the error. He paid tribute to Lewis in several tweets, such as: I did PR for a couple of Jerry Lee Lewis albums and he was the only musician I was afraid to meet. He was the sweetest guy, polite, and then he took the stage.”

Of course, there was also malice for the US intelligence service. “TMZ runs the normal program,” writes a Twitter user.

Jerry Lee Lewis: Message from the bedside

The rumors may have been fueled by a photo published on October 20, 2022 on the musician’s official Facebook page. This shows Jerry Lee Lewis in the hospital bed. In the post, he apologizes for not being able to attend his induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame due to an infection with the flu: “

Dear friends and fans in Nashville, It is with deep sadness and disappointment that I am writing to you today from my sickbed rather than being able to share my thoughts with you in person. I’ve tried everything to find the strength to come today – I’ve been so looking forward to it since I found out about it earlier this year. I would like to sincerely apologize to all of you for missing this beautiful event, but I hope to see you all again soon”.



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