The Killer, Jerry Lee Lewis, was born in Louisiana 80 years ago today. Lewis’ talent was outshined by his wild lifestyle but he remains the original rock star. His life is a rock and roll Greek tragedy, complete with a meteoric rise to fame followed by a series of unfathomable, Spinal Tap-esque misfortunes.

From the beginning, Lewis was the rocker that other rockers wanted to be like and no one wanted to follow onstage. Lewis toured the country with Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash as part of the Million Dollar Quartet. Elvis was once quoted as saying, “If I could play piano like him I’d quit singing.” Lewis had a long friendship with Elvis until The King’s death in 1977 (despite being arrested in 1976 for threatening to shoot Elvis at Graceland).

Lewis’ star tarnished after the British press discovered that he married his 13 year old cousin when Lewis was 22. He never again reached the same level of success in the United States but did see some success internationally.

Lewis’ wild ways continued throughout his adult life and he developed a serious drug and alcohol habit that was compounded by the calamities that struck him. In the 1960s his son Steve drowned. In 1973 his son Jerry died in an auto accident. His fourth wife drowned in a swimming pool and his fifth wife overdosed on methadone.

On his birthday in 1976 Lewis shot his bass player, Butch Owens, in the chest with .357 Magnum while drunk and playing with a gun. In 2012 his “new” bass player, 70-year old BB Cummings, was shot and killed in Memphis.

Through all of this Jerry Lee is still with us today and his biggest hits – “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” and “Great Balls of Fire” – are known the world over. His flamboyant style of playing has influenced showmen for the past 60 years. He was inducted in the inaugural class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

Here is The Killer with one of his lesser known hits, “Breathless”:

The Million Dollar Quartet: left to right - Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash.