Jerry Lee Lewis

The IRS repeatedly seized Lewis's vehicles, instruments and other property for unpaid taxes. He was acquitted of tax evasion in 1984 but continued to owe very large sums, still exceeding 1.6 million dollars according to later seizures.

Attribution

Personally implicated

Course of the proceedings

1. Formally charged — Formal charge before the current outcome

Lewis filed for personal bankruptcy, reporting debts of more than 3 million dollars owed to 22 creditors, including approximately 2 million owed to the IRS.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Shawn Stephens, Lewis's fifth wife, died of a methadone overdose less than three months after their marriage. Media outlets and relatives raised questions about the circumstances and investigation.

At Dr George Nichopoulos's trial, medical witnesses described hundreds of amphetamine tablets prescribed to Lewis, including before the doctor formally saw him as a patient. Nichopoulos acknowledged continuing to prescribe amid dependence.

During a birthday party involving alcohol, Lewis fired at a bottle; the bullet ricocheted and wounded his bassist Norman Owens in the chest.

State of the evidence

Well documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Lewis was arrested outside Graceland after crashing or driving his car into the gate while intoxicated and carrying a loaded firearm, having joked about shooting Elvis Presley.

Attribution

Personally implicated

In 1975, an aircraft associated with Lewis was seized with cocaine and eleven types of amphetamines on board, an episode emblematic of the drug use surrounding his professional and private life at the time.

State of the evidence

Documented

Lewis was arrested in 1975 after firing several shots in his Nashville office, an episode often cited among his dangerous behaviour involving alcohol and firearms.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Myra Williams described a relationship that became violent and unstable, particularly amid drug use, and sought a divorce in 1970, citing adultery and violence among other grounds.

State of the evidence

Documented

At 22, Lewis married Myra Gale Brown, his 13-year-old second cousin. The British press discovered the marriage during his 1958 tour, together with the fact that his previous divorce had not yet been finalised, causing the immediate collapse of his pop career.

State of the evidence

Admitted by the person

Attribution

Personally implicated

Lewis married for the first time at 16. His subsequent marriage to Jane Mitchum took place before his first divorce had been legally finalised, marking the beginning of a marital history characterised by overlaps and disputes over validity.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated