In Memoriam: Fallen Stars of 2022

There's a full lotta caput shakin' goin' connected aft it was falsely reported that Jerry Lee Lewis had died.

On Oct. 26, the Internet was whipped up successful a frenzy aft TMZ published an nonfiction purporting the decease of the euphony legend. But, arsenic it turned out, it was all a hoax.

"He's alive," a spokesperson for Lewis' absorption institution told NBC News in response to the bogus report. "TMZ reported erroneously disconnected of a bulls--t anonymous tip."

Since the online gaffe, TMZ deleted its archetypal study and published a retraction. "Jerry Lee Lewis is not dormant ... arsenic we antecedently reported," the outlet's caller nonfiction read. "Earlier contiguous we were told by idiosyncratic claiming to beryllium Lewis' rep that helium had passed. That turned retired not to beryllium the case. TMZ regrets the error."

The correction comes days aft an update posted to Lewis' Instagram said that the instrumentalist was "too sick with the flu to attend" celebrations of his caller induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Instead, according to the post, Lewis chose adjacent friend Kris Kristofferson to judge the grant connected his behalf. 

Reflecting on his decades-long career, the "Great Balls of Fire" vocalist continued, "I americium honored to beryllium going into that Hall of Fame rotunda with immoderate of my heroes—Hank Williams Sr., Jimmie Rodgers and the like—not to notation truthful galore astonishing friends who person been truthful bully to maine done the years."

He added, "Thank you each for your enactment and emotion and for electing maine into the Country Music Hall of Fame, and astir of all, acknowledgment to God for allowing maine to acquisition this grant portion I americium inactive here."