Jerry Lee Lewis's youngest son is evicted from Lewis Ranch where family has ... trends now
The son of late rock 'n' roller Jerry Lee Lewis has been evicted from the musician's sprawling Mississippi mega-ranch, after a judge ruled he illegally occupied the property with his two kids following his father's death in October.
The decision marks the of a bitter legal battle for the ranch between Jerry Lee Lewis III, the youngest son of the rock icon, and the children of Lewis' longtime manager, the actual owners of the estate.
The saga started in January, when the younger Lewis, 36, was served a lawsuit ordering him and his school-aged children off the property, after they moved in last year when the ailing musician moved to a more accessible home.
Lewis was given a deadline of March 5 to vacate the property on 1595 Malone Road in the northern town of Nesbit when it was listed for sale at the beginning of January, which came and went Sunday after the scion fell short of crowdfunding the $80,000 he said was necessary for a down-payment.
The suit, filed by the family of the late Lewis' longtime manager and brother-in-law Cecil Harrelson, revealed to many that while Lewis's legendary father bought and lived on the ranch for nearly a half-century, it was never legally his.
The son of late rock 'n' roller Jerry Lee Lewis, Jerry Lee III (seen at left with his dad), was evicted from the musician's Mississippi ranch Sunday after a judge ruled he illegally occupied the property following his father's death in October
The decision marks the of a bitter legal battle for the ranch - which comes complete with a main house, pool, a separate apartment, piano-shaped swimming pool - between Jerry Lee III and the children of Lewis' longtime manager and brother-in-law, the actual owners
In actuality, the manse belonged to Harrelson, Jerry's road manager and lifelong best friend who twice married and divorced the artist's younger sister Linda Gail Lewis before dying in 2013.
After Harrelson's death, the deed technically passed to his children - not Lewis' - though the controversial rock pioneer, often referred to by his nickname The Killer, would remain at the residence for the better part of a decade before passing himself late last year at age 87.
Two months after Lewis’ death, Harrelson’s three children - Cecil Harrelson, Jr., Mary Jean Harrelson, and Edona Marie Roundtree - announced the property would hit the market for an undisclosed sum by the year's end.
The younger Lewis, who also has a home on nearby Pleasant Hill Road gifted by his father, was promptly ordered by a judge to vacate the property after it was put up for sale by Harrelson's adult children, who called the Great Balls of Fire singer 'Uncle.'
Lewis was given a deadline of March 5 to vacate the property on 1595 Malone Road in the northern town of Nesbit when it was listed for sale at the beginning of January, which came and went Sunday after he fell short of crowdfunding $80,000 he said was for a downpayment
The Great Balls of Fire singer - pictured at a Rock N'Roll revival concert in New York's Madison Square Garden in 1975 - signed over the home to his manager in the form of a life estate trust following its purchase in the early 70s, to protect it from his own embattled finances
They argue that their father, who Lewis looked to like a blood brother, advised against the purchase of the home - which comes complete with a main house, pool, a separate apartment, piano-shaped swimming pool - was too expensive, with the famously flippant musician already owning a mansion in Memphis and 2 in Ferriday.
Reportedly against the advice of his manager, the singer purchased the property with the assistance of the law firm JLL Enterprises.
In actuality, the manse belonged to Cecil Harrelson, Jerry's road manager and lifelong best friend who twice married and divorced the artist's younger sister before dying in 2013
However, in an attempt to protect the property from his own embattled finances, the singer placed it in a life trust in name of Harrelson in the event it would ever be repossessed.
Harrelson's descendants say that their father had no prior knowledge of this arrangement until he was approached by his and Lewis' attorneys at JLL Enterprises, Lewis' estate, to sign the paperwork necessary to go through with the sale.
At the time, Lewis allegedly told his then-brother-in-law that he was fine with the arrangement, so that - in his own words, according to the Harrelsons and sister Roundtree - 'the government or no f*****g whores' could ever take it from him.
The singer's life would go on to consist of several failed marriages, tragedies, and scandals - including his shortlived marriage to his 13-year-old cousin that nearly derailed his career - that Harrelson's children would have seen the property lost.
In a statement, they said that had it not been for the life trust, the IRS would have seized the property - which Lee Lewis III values at over $7million but
