Hank's mother, Lillie, and father, Lon, had briefly settled in a rural area of Alabama called Mount Olive, to start their family. Mary Jane Thomas the wife of Hank Williams Jr. reportedlydied after undergoing plastic surgery in Jupiter, Fla. An autopsy rules that her cause of death was accidental, and she died due to a collapsed lung that was punctured the day before. She entered a legal battle to prove Williams was indeed her birth father. HeWilliams Jr. has threechildren from previous marriages: Hank Williams III, Holly Williams and Hilary Williams. Sign up to get unlimited songs and podcasts with occasional ads. Hank Williams was born in September 1923 in a small Alabama farming community about 70 miles south of Montgomery. The first concert was scheduled to be performed in Charleston, West Virginia, but his plans were disrupted by an ice storm that delayed his travel. People reported the autopsy findingson Monday afternoon (July 25), four months after Mary Jane's death at age 58. Hank Williams was undeniably a talented young musician. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Wynette's daughters obtained a court order last year to have Wynette's body exhumed for an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Hank Williams performing "Hey Good Lookin' "#HankWilliams #HeyGoodLookin #Vevo Days after Sam made the claims,TMZconfirmed through court records that Hank filed a petition for an emergency conservatorship in August 2020 for Sam. All rights reserved. When Hank turned 10, in the fall of 1933, his mother sent him to live with his aunt and uncle in a lumber camp 50 miles west in Monroe County, Alabama. 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved. TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) A Florida medical examiner has released information on what exactly caused the death of Mary Jane Thomas, the late wife of country music singer Hank Williams Jr. A report . Whiskey Riff. The autopsy proved that traces of the drugs Versed and Phenergan were still in her body, although no exact cause of death could be determined, other than the expected finding of heart failure. For his part, Hank was always picking up odd jobs, selling peanuts or shining shoes on the corner to make extra cash. A representative for Bafitis Plastic Surgery did not immediately respond to The Posts request for comment. Most accounts have Williams looking and sounding groggy, and hotel porters allegedly had to carry him to the car. The singer's wife was released from the hospital March 21 and was transported to a resort for recovery. Thomas, pictured with Williams in 1989, traveled from her home in Nashville, Tennessee, for liposuction and breast implant removal procedures. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Officials listed his cause of death as heart failure but noted that body contusions meant he had recently been in a fight. When she was just a senior in high school she married her first husband, James Erskine Guy, but . It is unclear if the arrangement is still in effect. Lon made his living as a logger, so they didn't stay in Mount Olive for long. Tracy Wright is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. He married Becky White from 1977-83, and they had two children together, daughters Holly and Hilary Williams. Thomas, 58, traveled from Tennessee to Florida for liposuction and a procedure to remove previous breast implants witha breast lift at Bafitis Plastic Surgery, locatedin Jupiter, investigators say in the documentsobtained by USA TODAY. Prior to confirmation of his sister's passing, Williams asked followers on Facebook . "My dear Mama Mary Jane was a beautiful soul who forever affected everyone who knew her. He made ends meet performing in small medicine shows, pitching cure-alls to crowds from a flatbed trailer. Mary Jane Thomas, the wife of country singer Hank Williams Jr., died from a collapsed lung just one day after having liposuction surgery, officials said. Billie Jean claimed that Williams couldnt stop tossing and turning and said I think I see God comin down the road. Less than 48 hours later, Hank Williams was dead. The cause of death for Mary Jane Thomas, the wife of country singer Hank Williams Jr., has been revealed. Mary Jane was released from Bafitis Plastic Surgery at around 7pm on March 21 where she was reportedly "sitting up in bed, speaking normally.". Among those were a Ford dealer named Fred Thigpen and a store owner, Jim Warren, who supposedly recognized his talent and gave him his first instrument, according toSing a Sad Song. While heart failure was reported as the official cause of death, officials observed that the man's body . She is survived by my father, her two parents Ramona and Bill, her brother Andy, her sister Angela, myself and her three grandchildren: Beau Weston, Tennyson Hiram and Audrey Jane. 1:44. The couple spent over 30 years . However, he discovered shortly before his wedding to Jones that Jett was pregnant. She was private, compared to her country star husband, and although they separated in 2007, they reconciled in 2011. He would have custody until the child turned five, when they would then assume joint custody, per Lovesick Blues. Lemon, Marshall wrote Williams a series of fraudulent prescriptions for drugs including morphine, barbiturates, amphetamines, and chloral hydrate that no doubt contributed to his failing health. . Where Did Hank Williams Die. Richey recently sold the luxurious Nashville mansion where they lived for $1.2 million. MTV, EMA and all related titles, logos and characters are trademarks of Viacom International Inc. Star hooked on painkillers, Jackie Daly writes. He says Williams was conscious and joking when he left. Hank Williams Jr. drove it when he was in high school. His shtick as the "Singing Kid" was so popular that he became a regular feature, hosting his own show twice a week. (Ron Galella). Carr stopped at the Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville, Tennessee, where Williams began to feel ill, hiccuping and convulsing, according to Lovesick Blues. On the evening of Dec. 30, 1952, the restless, rail-thin 29-year-old tossed and turned in bed at his home in Montgomery, Ala. ", Hank Williams Jr.'s youngest son, Sam, said he was under a conservatorship put in place by the family following the death of his sister Katherine in 2020. Thomas was released from the facility at 7 p.m. on March 21 and was "sitting up in bed, speaking normally" the next day, the reports said, only to "suddenly" become unresponsive. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. But inclement weather meant they couldnt get to Charleston, so the concert was canceled and they instead made a pit stop at the Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville, Tenn. Williams had already been drinking when he was given a shot of B12 and morphine by the hotel doctor. In addition to sharing the video, Sam made the same claims in a series of tweets. His official cause of death was listed as heart failure, but there are many who say otherwise. The body was then embalmed. Williams and Thomas also share a son, Samuel Williams. Mary Jane Thomas' cause of death has reportedly been confirmed. The Accepted Story of Hank Williams' Death. She died from a collapsed lung after surgery. Audrey Mae Sheppard was born in Banks, Alabama in 1923. Initial reports suggest that Mary Jane may have passed away due to complications from . All rights reserved. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Only George Jones, Daly says, truly loved Wynette, but she writes that his own addiction to alcohol doomed their marriage from the start. Multiple news outlets confirmed that Thomas, 58 (others stated she was 61), was rushed to a local hospital from the . The official language on the autopsy (per People) is "pneumothorax due to perforated parietal pleura during liposuction with autologous fat reinjection procedure." According to station advertising head Irving Waugh, "It got to a point where he'd disappear for weeks at a time. Now she gets to radiate from above with my sister Katherine Diana right by her side," he shared. The next day, Williams was still unwell, curling up in the backseat and saying all he wanted was to sleep. Daly writes that she herself had been to the house earlier that day and had found Wynette asleep or at least totally unresponsive on the couch, with Richey sitting in a bathrobe, uncommunicative. In his first statement since the death of his wife, Mary Jane, Hank Williams Jr. thanks fans and friends for their prayers. Over the years, the Skyline Drive-In has changed hands many times, but it has always borne the sign "Hank's Last Stop." (You can still see the baby blue "Death Cadillac" at the Hank . She wasdriving an SUV that was towing a boat when it crossed the median and rolled over. I love you forever. She moved the family first to Garland and then to Georgiana, Alabama, where she successfully ran a series of boarding houses. The $50 million lawsuit, filed by the singer's daughters on April 5, 1999, alleges that the doctor maintained Wynette "on a regimen of narcotic and other addictive prescription medicine.". The "All My Rowdy Friends" singer and ex-"Monday Night Football" crooner met Thomas in 1985 at one of his concerts in Washington state. The daughters then filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the doctor and Wynette's widower, Richey. She was cleared for the procedures by a physician at home, according to the Medical Examiner's report. Thomas traveled from her home in Nashville, Tennessee, for liposuction and breast implant removal procedures performed at Bafitis Plastic Surgery, according to the reports, and was then cleared by physicians to recover at home, where she traveled to the nearby Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa in Palm Beach County. Her mother told her, Daly writes, that she pretended to have been kidnapped from the Green Hills Mall and forced to drive out of town, and then claimed to have been beaten and dumped by the side of the road. In 1937, Williams moved with his mother and sister to Montgomery. The autopsy lists the cause of death as "pneumothorax due to perforated parietal pleura during liposuction with autologous fat reinjection procedure.". The Tragic Real-Life Story Of Hank Williams. Williams. Most accounts have Williams looking and sounding groggy, and hotel porters allegedly had to carry him to the car. I think he had a profound sadness in him, says Marc Abraham, writer and director of I Saw The Light. Mary Jane Thomas, the wife of Hank Williams Jr., died suddenly on Tuesday at the age of 58 following a "medical procedure." Country music legend Hank Williams Jr. is in mourning today after the sudden death of his wife Mary Jane Thomas "following a medical procedure" that was carried out in Florida. A lonely and troubled man, Williams struggled with chronic pain and substance abuse issues that would hinder his success and ultimately lead to his untimely death at just 29-years-old. According to Hank Williams, So Lonesome, Marshall was actually a high school dropout, who had simply paid $35 to obtain a degree from the Chicago School of Applied Sciences that claimed he was a "Doctor of Science and Psychology." (They later dropped Richey from the suit.). Hank Jr has forged his own path in the country world and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame last November. Most accounts have Williams looking and sounding groggy, and hotel porters allegedly had to carry him to the car. Well, I need protection from them.. Receive daily updates with the best country music videos, news, and more! . The specifics of Williams' demise are unknown. Thomas, 58, traveled from . In recent years, a Knoxvillian . When the singers death was announced to the waiting crowd at the Palace Theatre in Canton, they sang Williams I Saw the Light in unison. The autopsy listed seven other findings including mild brain swelling, mild coronary artery disease, and fatty metamorphosis of the liver, according to the outlet. The late Mary and Hank Jr. welcomed two children; Katie and Sam - daughters Hillary and Holly are Hank Jr.'s other children with his ex-wife Becky White. or redistributed. 1.4M monthly listeners. But, according to a new story from the New York Post, one of the biggestissues of debate about Williams life remained untouched by the movie: His mysterious death, something that the singer predicted less than 48 hours before he died. (Carr died in 2013 and, for much of his life, kept silent on his journey with Williams.). "She grew up competing in baton and cheerleading and was one of Hawaiian Tropic's top models. Daly hints that Wynette would deliberately hurt herself in order to gain access to drugs and once hurled herself offstage during a concert to earn a trip to the emergency room. "I'm certainly not an . This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, Suspendisse condimentum eu arcu vitae hendrerit. . But one big thing is left out of the movie: the singers mysterious death. His spina bifida, never properly treated in childhood, was a chronic source of agony. Mary Jane's cause of death. By the age of 14, he was making $15 a week performing on WSFA, via the Montgomery Advertiser. Send story tips to tracy.wright@fox.com. When new wife Billie Jean asked what was the matter, she claimed his reply was, I think I see God comin down the road.. According to Jones, he told her, "If you ain't married, Ol' Hank's gonna marry you. Some have suggested that Williams may have even died at the Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville, and that Carr had unknowinglydriven several hundred miles with a deceased Williams in the back seat. In Georgiana, Lillie landed a coveted job at a cannery, according toSing a Sad Song. To have a kid [Carr] turn around, feel his pulse and realize [Williams] was dead, it felt anticlimactic., Besides, Neely adds, No matter which account you pick, there are going to be people who say, Thats not how it happened. . Williams had already been drinking when he was given a shot of B12 and morphine by the hotel doctor. On July 1, 1990, the couple tied the knot in Missoula, Montana, per the . That'll just always be a big part of my story.". Unfortunately, his fast living also contributed to his downfall. He thinks Williams died --- the official cause was heart failure --- somewhere between Bristol, Tenn., and Oak Hill on the way to a New Year's Day 1953 show in Canton, Ohio. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Country music icon Hank Williams Jr. 's late wife, Mary Jane Thomas, died from a collapsed lung -- and it happened just one day after she'd gone under the knife . The Darkness of Hank Williams. Market data provided by Factset. I want out of this, and I don't mind people knowing. Thomas, who was married to Williams for more than 30 years, passed back in March. The book recounts Wynette's tumultuous life, career and five marriages, including a stormy six-year union with country legend George Jones. Music was a big part of life in the lumber camps, and Williams received his first exposure to true Southern country music. Regarded as one of the most significant and influential American singers and songwriters of the 20th century, he recorded 55 singles (five released posthumously) that reached the top 10 of the Billboard Country & Western Best Sellers chart, including 12 that reached No. She had a smile and presence that lit up every room and she never met a stranger she didn't befriend. "My dear Mama Mary Jane was a beautiful soul who forever affected everyone who knew her. By 1930, Lillie was for all practical purposes a single mother, and the Great Depression was hitting the country. Published on July 25, 2022 04:52 PM. Daughters Hillary and Holly are Hank Jr's other children with his ex-wife Becky White, who he was married to from 1977 to 1983. The autopsy indicates that Thomas' lung collapsed after her surgeon punctured the membrane while completing the fat transfer as part of a breast lift following a breast implant removal. Charles Carr, who was just 18 and a college freshman when he drove country music legend Hank Williams on his final journey more than 60 years ago, died July 1 after a brief . Once called the King of Country Music, he died in 1953. Discover Hank Williams Death Monument in Oak Hill, West Virginia: A humble plaque marks the site where the country music legend was found dead in his Cadillac. Mary Jane was Williams' third wife. Quisque turpis dui, rhoncus quis metus a, scelerisque vestibulum turpis. Miss Spruce Creek High School, Miss Hawaiian Tropic, Miss Mary Jane Williams, my mama forever my everything. Katherine Williams-Dunning, daughter of country music icon Hank Williams, Jr., died Saturday night after losing control of her SUV. His long term substance abuse also began to put a strain on his body, and at the end of 1951, he suffered a minor heart attack, according to Biography. For that reason, the new biopic I Saw The Lightopted to avoid the subject of Williams death. On June 11, 1949, Williams made his live Grand Ole Opry debut. Despite his volatile first marriage, Hank Williams wasn't scared away from the institution entirely. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Unfortunately, she died in 1955, just three years after her son's death, so little Jett went into foster care, becoming a ward of the state before she was eventually adopted. But when they finally got hitched in 1944, it wasn't officially legal. She did not discover she was Williams' daughter until her adoptive father disclosed the information when she was 21. July 7, 2013 12 AM PT. But clearly Williams' tragic death got in the way of that plan. <p>Her cause of death was ruled accidental.</p> Her . All of these occasions, Daly writes, triggered prescriptions for major pain-killing drugs. But their marriage was tumultuous, and provided much of the raw fodder for Williams' more lonesome melodies, most famously "Cold, Cold Heart." Mary Jane's cause of death was announced on Tuesday, July 26, 2022. The death of Hank Williams, country music's first huge superstar, is still a bit of a mystery. Wynette (born Virginia Wynette Pugh) moved herself and her daughters to Nashville from a life of poverty in rural Mississippi, where the former hair stylist became a country music superstar with such hits as "D-I-V-O-R-C-E" and "Stand by Your Man"(RealAudio excerpt). The parietal pleura is a membrane that's bound by connective tissue to the inner surface of the chest wall, and plays a major role in the formation and removal of pleural fluid, according to Science Direct. Booze was freely available at most of their gigs, and Williams took full advantage, which caused tension in the band. Sam later spoke about how Katie's passing impacted him during an interview withPeoplein August 2021. Just before midnight, Carr set about getting Williams to a planned New Years Day show in Canton, Ohio. Hiram King "Hank" Williams was an American singer-songwriter and musician regarded as one of the most significant country music artists of all time. On her third birthday, custody would go to Williams. I think he had a profound sadness in him, says Marc Abraham, writer and director of the new biopic. There, Thomas became unresponsive while sitting upright in bed, according to the outlet. Williams was an American singer-songwriter and musician regarded as one of the most significant country music artists of all time. In recent years, a Knoxvillian . However, when Hank was only six, Lon suffered facial paralysis as a result of what was most likely a brain aneurysm. Other findings from the medical examiner include thatThomas a former model who stayed out of the spotlight while married to the singer had mild brain swelling, mild coronary disease and some fatty metamorphosis of the liver that one would associate with alcoholism. According to the Guardian, her identity was undisclosed for years. The car in which Hank Williams passed his last few hours and died on New Year's Day, 1953 is exhibited at the Hank Williams Museum in Montgomery, Alabama. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Thomas and Williams were married for over 20 years and shared two kids, son Sam and the late Katherine, who died in 2020. I think he had a profound sadness in him, says Marc Abraham, writer and director of the new biopic. When he was sober, Williams was a great performer, but as Williams' drinking problem worsened, Opry executives began to lose patience. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. In 1941, he briefly joined a rodeo in Texas, where his condition worsened after he suffered a bad fall. She had a smile and presence that lit up every room and she never met a stranger she didn't befriend. Her bloodline was not legally recognized until 1987, and she was not granted rights to her birth father's estate until 1989. (Carr died in 2013 and, for much of his life, kept silent on his journey with Williams.). On February 8, 1999, the Death Car returned to Montgomery with the opening of the Hank . NASHVILLE Country superstar Tammy Wynette, who died at home under tangled circumstances on April 6, 1998, had become hopelessly addicted to powerful painkillers, primarily Demerol, Dilaudid and Versed, according to a controversial new book by one of Wynette's daughters. But one big thing is left out of the movie: the singers mysterious death. According to TMZ, country musician Hank Williams Jr's wife, Mary Jane, died on Tuesday at the age of 61. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Get the best of Fox News' entertainment coverage, right in your inbox. May she rest in heaven and may God give power to his loved ones to deal with the great loss. The time of death Wynette was 55 was never established, and no autopsy was performed. A representative for Bafitis Plastic Surgery did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment, nor did a spokesperson for Williams. Hank felt there was something bad around the corner.. You're about the purtiest thing I ever saw," via Sing a Sad Song. Now she gets to radiate from above with my sister Katherine Diana right by her side," he wrote, referencing his late sister. A Justice of the Peace married the couple outside of a Texaco Station in Andalusia, Alabama, before Sheppard completed the required 60-day waiting period following her divorce from her first husband, per Sing a Sad Song. In one sensational passage, Daly writes that Wynette's infamous 1978 kidnapping from a Nashville shopping mall had been staged by Wynette herself possibly in league with Richey. She received a $30,000 settlement, but gave up all rights to his estate and name. Following his death, Williams' family received a bill for $736.39 from Marshall for his services, per Hank Williams, So Lonesome. Less than 48 hours later, Hank Williams was dead. I Saw the Light, Hank Williams . Hank Williams death remains somewhat of a mystery to this day. College student Charles Carr had been hired to drive the Im So Lonesome I Could Cry Singerto West Virginia, but winter weather made it impossible to reach the venue. . The cause of death for Mary Jane Thomas, the wife of country singer Hank Williams Jr., has been revealed.. Thomas, 58, died on March 22 of a collapsed lung that was punctured during elective surgery the day before, according to a report from the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner as well as an autopsy report, which were obtained by PEOPLE. Unable to fly, and now unable to make it to Charleston on time, Williams hired a driver named Charles Carr to drive him to Canton, Ohio for the New Year's Day show. Williams picked up a drinking habit as an early teen that he would never be able to beat. Alongside the video, he wrote: I've been quiet a long time now. Regardless, they began touring together. She and Williams, the 73-year-old son of late country legend Hank Williams, met in 1985 at one of his concerts and were married in 1990. Jupiter's police department got "a medical call to the Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa" around 5pm the following day. The exact cause of death, and what happened in the last 48 hours of his life will perhaps never really be known. Sam, 24, claimed in a February YouTube video that he was under a conservatorship filed by his father and half-sister, Holly, in August 2020 following Katie's death. The famous Hank Williams was dead at 29 from whiskey, hard living, and heart failure. She could take down a ten-point buck and fix dinner for her grandchildren at the same time! The Medical Examiner's report corrects that and specifies the procedure, statingshe had gone from Nashville to Jupiter, Fla. to undergo liposuction and to remove previous breast implants. On Jan. 22, 2021, Aaron died in his sleep, according to the Atlanta Braves, his long-time team. Check out what clicked this week in entertainment. Hank Jr.'s wife of more than 30 years, she was just 58 at the time of her death (other reports cited her age at 61). . Katie Williams and Tyler Dunning.". Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Katherine died in a vehicle collision in Tennessee in 2020 when she lost control of the SUV she was driving. Musician Hank Williams Jr's wife who died on March 22 is reported to have suffered a collapsed lung that was punctured during elective surgery the day before, states a report from the Palm Beach . They began to tour around Alabama, charging 25 cents a show. But in the short amount of time he had, Williams gave the world a series of hits, from "Cold, Cold Heart" to "Hey Good Lookin"' to "I Saw the Light," that delighted fans and influenced music for decades to come. (AP Photo/FILE). Get the best of Fox News' entertainment coverage, right in your inbox. Hank Williams, the country legend and Hillbilly Shakespeare, didn't have the opportunity to live in the world long. This was the scene in Montgomery's Municipal Auditorium Jan. 4, 1953 as thousands filed past the open casket of singer-composer Hank Williams who died Jan. 1 . The WSFA radio station was also fed up with his behavior, and in August 1942, Williams was let go from his job at the WSFA for "habitual drunkenness," according to I Saw the Light. Rest in peace Mama, I will always be the son of Mary Jane.". Mary Jane Thomas and Hank Williams Jr. attend his 2021 Medallion Ceremony, celebrating the Induction of the Class of 2020 at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee. Somewhere around Oak Hill, West Virginia, Carr looked into the backseat and realized Williams seemed rigid and unresponsive.