The singer was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame earlier this month.
Jerry Lee Lewis has died. The rock 'n' roll singer, who was best known for his 1957 track, "Great Balls of Fire," died in Memphis, Tennessee, Lewis' publicist confirms to ET. He was 87.
No other details about his death were immediately available.
Born in Louisiana in 1935, Lewis began playing the piano at age nine. He signed with Sun Records in 1956. "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" was Lewis' first hit, followed by "Great Balls of Fire" later that year.
Lewis soon became known as "The Killer" for how he captivated crowds with his on-stage antics, some of which included lighting a piano on fire.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's first class in 1986. Three years later, a biopic about Lewis' life, Great Balls of Fire, was released with Dennis Quaid in the starring role.
In April 2013, Lewis opened Jerry Lee Lewis' Café & Honky Tonk on historic Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee, which features food, live music and memorabilia. His most recent album and tour came the next year, when he released Rock & Roll Time.
Lewis was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame earlier this month, but was sick with the flu and too ill to attend the ceremony. Kris Kristofferson accepted the award on Lewis' behalf and drove to Memphis to present the singer with the trophy in person.
On his Facebook page, Lewis shared his acceptance speech, which read in part, "Thank you all for your support and love and for electing me into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and most of all, thanks to God for allowing me to experience this honor while I am still here."
Lewis is survived by his wife, Judith Coghlan Lewis, his children, Jerry Lee Lewis III, Ronnie Lewis, Phoebe Lewis and Lori Lancaster, sister Linda Gail Lewis, cousin Jimmy Swaggart and many grandchildren, nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Elmo and Mamie Lewis, sons Steve Allen Lewis and Jerry Lee Lewis Jr., his siblings, Elmo Lewis Jr. and Frankie Jean Lewis, and his cousin, Mickey Gilley.
In lieu of flowers, the Lewis family requests donations be made in Jerry Lee Lewis' honor to the Arthritis Foundation or MusiCares.
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