Now they’re all gone. With Jerry Lee Lewis‘ death at age 87, which was announced on Friday (Oct. 28), the last survivor of the inaugural class of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has passed on. Lewis became the sole survivor upon Don Everly’s death on Aug. 21, 2021.
That inaugural class in 1986 consisted of nine solo artists and a duo, The Everly Brothers.
Three of the first year’s inductions were made posthumously. Buddy Holly had died in a plane crash in 1959 at age 22, Sam Cooke was shot to death in 1964 at 33, and Elvis Presley had died of cardiac arrest in 1977 at 42.
Eight of the inaugural inductees were alive at the time of the first Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Jan. 23, 1986, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York but have since died. Ray Charles died in 2004 at 73, followed by James Brown in 2006 at 73, Phil Everly in 2014 at 74, Chuck Berry in 2017 at 90, Fats Domino in 2017 at 89, Little Richard in 2020 at 87, Don Everly at 84 and now Jerry Lee Lewis at 87.
Here’s a quick look at the inaugural class, showing the artist’s highest-charting hit(s) on the Billboard Hot 100 (or predecessor charts) and the name of the person who inducted them into the Rock Hall. For the five artists whose highest-charting hits occurred before the inception of the Hot 100 on Aug. 4, 1958, we also show their highest charting Hot 100 hit.
Chuck Berry
Top hit: “My Ding-a-Ling,” No. 1 in 1972
Inducted by: Keith Richards
James Brown
Top hit: “I Got You (I Feel Good),” No. 3 in 1965
Inducted by: Steve Winwood
Ray Charles
Top hits: Three No. 1 hits: “Georgia on My Mind” in 1960, “Hit the Road Jack” in 1961 and “I Can’t Stop Loving You” in 1962
Inducted by: Quincy Jones
Sam Cooke
Top hit: “You Send Me,” No. 1 in 1957. Top Hot 100 hit: “Chain Gang,” No. 2 in 1960
Inducted by: Herb Alpert
Fats Domino
Top hit: “Blueberry Hill,” No. 2 in 1957. Top Hot 100 hits: “Whole Lotta Loving,” No. 6 in 1959, “Walkin’ to New Orleans,” No. 6 in 1960.
Inducted by: Billy Joel
The Everly Brothers
Top hits: Four No. 1 hits: “Wake Up Little Susie in 1957, “All I Have to Do Is Dream” in 1958, “Bird Dog” in 1958 and “Cathy’s Clown” in 1960. Only the latter song reached No. 1 on the Hot 100.
Inducted by: Neil Young
Buddy Holly
Top hit: “That’ll Be the Day” (The Crickets),” No. 1 in 1957. Top Hot 100 hit: “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore,” No. 13 in 1959.
Inducted by: John Fogerty
Jerry Lee Lewis
Top hit: “Great Balls of Fire,” No. 2 in 1958. Top Hot 100 hit: “What’d I Say,” No. 30 in 1961.
Inducted by: Hank Williams Jr.
Little Richard
Top hit: “Long Tall Sally,” No. 6 in 1956. Top Hot 100 hit: “Baby Face,” No. 41 in 1958.
Inducted by: Roberta Flack
Elvis Presley
Top hits: 17 No. 1 hits from “Heartbreak Hotel” in 1956 to “Suspicious Minds” in 1969. Seven No. 1 hits on the Hot 100.
Inducted by: Julian and Sean Lennon
