On a bright December day a few weeks ago, Carr strolled through the Hank Williams Museum in downtown Montgomery. On Saturday, it was reported that Williams-Dunning, the daughter of country singer Hank Williams Jr., died as a result of a car crash. She was 27 years old. His official cause of death was listed as heart failure, but there are many who say otherwise. Charles Carr, the Auburn University freshman who chauffeured Hank Williams on his final ride, died Monday (July 1) in Montgomery, Ala., after a lengthy illness. Long before there was Janis Joplin or Jimi Hendrix or Kurt Cobain --- self-destructive stars who flamed out at their zenith --- there was Hiram "Hank" Williams, a hard-drinking, rough-around-the-edges Alabama country boy who wrote simple, heart-tugging songs about loneliness and then, still young, died alone in the back seat of his car. "He had his blue overcoat on and had a blanket over him that had fallen off, " Carr said. Country Singer Hank Williams Jr.’s daughter ‘Katherine’ died in a tragic car crash. According to multiple media reports about the subject, Katherine Williams-Dunning died in a car crash on Saturday evening on a highway in Henry County, Tennessee. The Death Car — its back seat off-limits to everyone — is the centerpiece of the Hank Williams Museum in his home town of Montgomery. [18] The investigating officer in Oak Hill declared later that Carr told him that he had pulled over at the Skyline Drive-In restaurant outside Oak Hill, and found Williams dead. When you finally do make it those few steps to the Cadillac, you’re confronted by a large, white plastic box, on which the instructions read, “Push button to hear details about the ’52 Cadillac.” The voice the box emits is male and surprisingly forceful, speaking the words with the lusty delivery of a car salesman. She was 27. The official account of the coroner in Canton, Ohio, was presented 67 years ago but it is still controversial. The daughter of country music legend, Hank Williams Jr., has passed away. . What happened to the car Hank Williams died in? "Dad was a friend of Hank's and tried to look out after him in the tough times, " Carr said. He also lit up his body with alcohol, cocaine, morphine, chloral hydrate, and heroin. The Death Car — its back seat off-limits to everyone — is the centerpiece of the Hank Williams Museum in his home town of Montgomery. He was driving Hank Williams, 29, who died that night. Why did they leave the hotel in Knoxville in the middle of the night? "I remember Hank got out to stretch his legs and I asked him if he wanted a sandwich or something, " Carr said. "He calmed down after that, but looking back, maybe the hiccups or the indigestion could have been the beginning of a coronary, " Carr said. "They rolled him down to the car and Hank got in on his own. The flight took off at 3:30 p.m., but was turned back due to the bad weather, so they found themselves stuck in Knoxville for the night. Sadly, the “Family Tradition” artist recently lost one of his daughters in a tragic car crash on Saturday evening. Katherine Williams-Dunning, the daughter of country star Hank Williams Jr., died in a car accident, according to her sister Holly Audrey Williams. What happened in the hotel in Knoxville? On June 13th of 2020, country music icon Hank Williams Jr. lost his daughter Katherine Williams-Dunning in a car crash at the age of 27.. On the night of the 13th of June, 2020, Hank Williams Jr.'s daughter, Katherine Williams-Dunning was driving on Highway 79 in Henry County, around 100 miles west of Nashville, Tenessee. The daughter of country music icon Hank Williams Jr. has passed away after a one-car roll-over accident in Tennessee on Saturday. What happened in the hotel in Knoxville? Katherine Williams-Dunning, 27, was behind the wheel Saturday night of a 2007 Chevy Tahoe, driving on Highway 79 near Paris, when … It was dark and he was bone-tired in unfamiliar territory. On NYE 1953, Hank Williams Sr. died in the backseat of a car near the VA/WV border. The daughter of country singer Hank Williams Jr. died in a car crash in Tennessee, according to multiple reports. "They came out and looked at Hank and said, 'He's dead. Country Singer Hank Williams Jr.'s Daughter, 27, Killed in Tennessee Car Crash Maria Pasquini 6/14/2020 In California: State lifts stay-at-home orders for all regions But it's the last thing I remember him telling me.". In the back seat lay country music superstar Hank Williams, dead for several hours, probably from an accidental overdose of morphine and whiskey. Hank Williams Jr. Daughters Suffer Devastating Injuries In Car Crash Both sisters were horribly injured in the motor vehicle accident. An off-Broadway play, "Hank Williams: Lost Highway" is currently running in New York. By the time Carr helped Williams load his guitars and stage suits into the car trunk, the weather across much of the South was deteriorating. He sat for a few minutes in the driver's seat of the Cadillac he drove that night. "I'm certainly not an authority on Hank Williams, " said Carr. Billie Jean claimed that Williams couldn’t stop tossing and turning and said “I think I see God comin’ down the road.” Less than 48 hours later, Hank Williams was dead. She was 27. Carr remembers Williams being in good spirits as the trip began. Carr was 17, a freshman on break from Auburn. The Strange Death of Country Music Star Hank Williams.On January 1, 1953, Hank Williams, Country Music Star and idol of millions, was found dead in the back seat of a chauffeured car on his way to a gig in West Virginia.Williams, at the tender age of … Wikimedia Commons Williams knew Carr's father, who ran a Montgomery taxi service, and the teenager was asked to drive an obviously ailing Williams to gigs in Charleston, W.Va., and Canton, major concert dates that Williams hoped would be the start of a comeback. The 27-year-old has driven a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe, and she loses control of it on the highway. Manager Beth Petty is as protective of the exhibits as she is of Hank’s legacy. Charles Carr is shown at the graves of Hank and Audrey Williams in Oakwood Cemetery in Montgomery, Ala. in this Monday, January 1, 2007 photo. The daughter of country music singer Hank Williams Jr. died in a car accident in Tennessee, according to a report. Hank Williams, Dead Here. A Web site dedicated to Williams estimates that more than 700 songs have been written about the singer, whose own recording career lasted only five years. "I told him I didn't care for it, that it didn't make a bit of sense to me. She was 27. Recently, in 2009, he gave an interview which is now sold at the Hank Williams Museum in Montgomery AL.. He'll always be young to me.". Why did they leave the hotel in Knoxville in the middle of the night? He died in the back seat of his Cadillac while being driven to a gig on New Year's Day 1953. One of them looked at me and said, 'No, he's just dead.' On June 13th of 2020, country music icon Hank Williams Jr. lost his daughter Katherine Williams-Dunning in a car crash at the age of 27. Its though to reconstruct Hank Williams' last days in 1952. They are old men now, some in their 80s. As main witness he has been questioned during his life up till now. Hank Williams Jr. Nearly Died After Falling 500 Feet Off a Mountain in 1976: Here’s What Happened. He was divorced from his first wife, Audrey. Hank Williams Death Car. And he gave him $50. Some biographies have speculated that Williams died at a Knoxville hotel and that porters unwittingly placed his corpse in his car for the trip north. The Oprah Winfrey Show was the number one talk show for 24 consecutive seasons, winning every sweep since its debut in 1986. Her husband, Tyler Dunning, 29, was in the passenger seat. 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. Katherine Williams-Dunning was driving a … The driver of the car in which Hank Williams died was still in his teens when he was confronted with a dead countrysinger in the backseat. The 27-year-old daughter of country music singer Hank Williams Jr. died in a crash Saturday night in Henry County. Charles Carr, the Auburn University freshman who chauffeured Hank Williams on his final ride, died Monday (July 1) in Montgomery, Ala., after a lengthy illness. Horton, together with his bass player Tillman Franks and manager Tommy Tomlinson, headed to Shreveport, Louisiana. Katherine Williams-Dunning Death / Obituary – We learnt that Hank Williams Jr Daughter, Katherine Williams-Dunning was pronounced dead on June 13, 2020, following a tragic car crash. Was Hank Williams Jr in car accident? He was 79. Katherine Williams-Dunning, 27, was behind the wheel on Saturday night of a 2007 Chevy Tahoe, driving on Highway 79 near Paris when the vehicle crossed the median, the WKRN news station reported. Officials have issued sketchy reports that only increased the mystery. - Hank Williams to wife Billie Jean shortly before he died. Williams-Dunning was driving a 2007 Chevy Tahoe while towing a … "We bought a six-pack of Falstaff [beer] in Montgomery before we left, and there were several cans left when he died.". He was 29. But suspicions about this final journey arose immediately. "And he said, 'No, I just want to get some sleep. The “Hillbilly Shakespeare,” as the media sometimes called Hank Williams, lit up those old tube radios like no one before or since. The vehicle crossed the northbound lanes and came to a final rest on the east shoulder of the roadway. Katherine Williams-Dunning, the daughter of country star Hank Williams Jr., died in a car accident, according to her sister Holly Audrey Williams. "When we left the room, they sent a wheelchair, " Carr said. Katherine Williams-Dunning, daughter of country music icon Hank Williams, Jr., died Saturday night after losing control of her SUV.. The Charleston show was a bust, but they still hoped to make Canton. The daughter of country music star Hank Williams Jr. was killed in a single-vehicle automobile accident over the weekend in Tennessee. Why did… Was there another driver involved? Katherine Williams-Dunning, the daughter of country music star Hank Williams Jr., died in a car crash Saturday night in Tennessee. It was sensational enough as it was.". At 17, Charles Carr was the only witness when a legend died, and myths were born. At the cab stand, Carr picked up a relief driver who helped him drive for a few hours before getting out somewhere in rural West Virginia. They told jokes, sang songs and traded tales as they navigated the two-lane highways of the pre-interstate South. 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. Some biographies have speculated that Williams died at a Knoxville hotel and that porters unwittingly placed his corpse in his car for the trip north. He now has a home in Montgomery and a weekend lake house. Carr got a ticket about an hour later in Blaine, Tenn., when he almost ran into a patrolman while trying to pass another car. But Hank Williams never had to worry about that. With him was a notebook of unfinished lyrics. Katherine Williams-Dunning, 27, was behind the wheel Saturday night of a 2007 Chevy Tahoe, driving on Highway 79 near Paris, when the … The driver of the car in which Hank Williams died was still in his teens when he was confronted with a dead countrysinger in the backseat. Was there another driver involved? Williams -Dunning was driving a 2007 Chevy Tahoe while towing a boat Saturday night in Henry County, Tennessee, when it crashed, according to Wesley Moster, a spokesman for the state’s Department of Safety & Homeland Security. "As I remember, Hank didn't eat much of anything. "We talked a while and ordered dinner up in the room, " Carr said. Here’s a look at the children of the music legend. Hank Williams, the 29-year-old King of Country Music, was to have flown to Charleston, West Virginia for a New Year’s Eve concert but an ice storm near Nashville kept him away. "There was some kind of penalty clause in his contract . "He was there talking with dad and Hank asked me if I'd be interested in making the trip.". Carr laughs at the suggestion. Money didn't mean anything to Hank.". What happened in the hotel in Knoxville? In 1975, Hank Williams Jr. found his voice but almost lost his life. E! Hank Williams was country music's first megastar. He had the hiccups real bad.". He died in the back seat of his Cadillac while being driven to a gig on New Year’s Day 1953. Long plagued by alcoholism, Williams fell ill at the Andrew Johnson Hotel in Knoxville on the last night of 1952. He was only 29. Was there another driver involved? "He had a very low tolerance for alcohol at that point, " Carr said. by Keeli Parkey February 7, 2021. written by Keeli Parkey February 7, 2021. Hank was 29. Despite his answers there is still room for speculations. All bunk, retorts Carr, who maintains Williams was very much alive and wearing white cowboy boots, a stylish blue overcoat and a white fedora when he left Knoxville at 10:45 p.m. New Year's Eve en route to a concert 500 snowy miles north. Jean was Hank Williams ’ widow whom Horton married a year after Williams’ death in 1952. Just before dawn on New Year's Day, 1953, a baby blue Cadillac pulled into the Pure Oil gas station on the south end of Oak Hill. Hank Williams Museum: saw the car that Hank Williams died in - See 267 traveler reviews, 65 candid photos, and great deals for Montgomery, AL, at Tripadvisor. During an interview about her new album, “Lucky Stars,” Hilary said she ultimately had over 30 surgeries to repair her broken collar bone, back, pelvis, right femur, as well as some ribs and both of her hips. "What traffic you did see was moving at a slow pace because the roads were so bad, " Carr said. In light of the sad news, her brother and county music star, Williams, is now expressing his pain over the loss of his sister. He was scheduled to perform a few gigs on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day to see in 1953. "No, no, " he said. He has a framed poster for the concert that he and Williams never got to, and he keeps a pair of cowhide gloves the singer gave him on that final trip. But only Carr knows the truth about those final hours. News has learned that Katherine Williams-Dunning died in a car crash on Saturday night in Henry County, Tennessee. The daughter of country singer Hank Williams Jr. died in a car crash in Tennessee, according to multiple reports. . Katherine Williams-Dunning, 27, was driving an SUV, a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe, southbound on Highway 79 when the crash happened. Horton gave his goodbye kiss to Jean in the same place on the same cheek where Hank had kissed her after his last gig at the Skyline. Montgomery, Alabama. Still others have him dying on the road with an unfinished song in his hands, bedroom slippers on his feet and a pint of vodka in his coat pocket. (CNN) The daughter of country music star Hank Williams Jr. has died in a car crash. ". Hank Williams died of heart failure sometime that night with varying accounts of exactly where and when, though a gas station in Oak Hill, WV is given credit as Hank’s final destination. Katherine Williams-Dunning, the daughter of country music superstar Hank Williams Jr., died in a car crash Saturday night in Tennessee. Hank Williams died of heart failure sometime that night with varying accounts of exactly where and when, though a gas station in Oak Hill, WV is given credit as Hank’s final destination. Carr said it could have been Bristol, Tenn., about 120 miles northeast of Knoxville, or it could have been Bluefield, a town in West Virginia. At the wheel was Charles Carr, a college freshman on Christmas break from Auburn. The daughter of country music singer Hank Williams Jr. was killed in a single-vehicle crash in Tennessee, according to a report. She was 27 yrs . The fact that Hank Williams Jr. is alive today is a miracle. That was the day Hank Williams died. As main witness he has been questioned during his life up till now. Carr remembers Williams buying a pint of bonded bourbon in Fort Payne, Ala. The SUV, which […] "We were trying to push it but we didn't have much luck.". "Hank's song 'Jambalaya' was just out on the radio and he asked me what I thought of it, " Carr recalled. It's three blocks west of city hall, or seven blocks east of I-65 exit 172. She was 27 years old. Hank Williams' death car is located in downtown Montgomery on the east side of Commerce St. just north of Bibb St. On Saturday, it was reported that Williams-Dunning, the daughter of country singer Hank Williams Jr., died as a result of a car crash. Hank Williams was just 29-years-old when he died, but had lived quite a life in his short years. On the night of the 13th of June, 2020, Hank Williams Jr.'s daughter, Katherine Williams-Dunning was driving on Highway 79 in Henry County, around 100 miles west of Nashville, Tenessee. The man in the back seat was singer-songwriter Hank Williams. "I ran in and explained my situation to the two interns who were in the hospital, " said Carr, now a 67-year-old Montgomery businessman. Hank Williams was just 29-years-old when he died, but had lived quite a life in his short years. ', "I don't know if that's the last thing he said. A rudimentary autopsy found Williams had traces of alcohol in his blood when he died, but it found no drugs, although it's unclear if pathologists tested for them. The driver of the car in which Hank Williams died was still in his teens when he was confronted with a dead countrysinger in the backseat. Manager Beth Petty is as protective of the exhibits as she is of Hank’s legacy. Hank Williams: The Man Who Died. Rain was turning to ice and snow. "But I'm not going to make a day of it, " Carr said. The single-vehicle car crash happened on Saturday night in Henry County, reported by WKRN. The accident happened on Saturday, June 13, around 8 p.m in Tennessee. Her brother is singer Sam Williams … Country singer Hank Williams’ Jr.’s daughter Katherine Williams-Dunning has died at the age of 27. Katherine Williams-Dunning, the daughter of singer-songwriter Hank Williams Jr. and granddaughter of country music icon Hank Williams Sr., died Saturday in a Tennessee car crash. Katherine is one of two children born to Hank Jr. and his third wife, Mary Jane Thomas. The daughter of country music singer Hank Williams Jr. was killed in a single-vehicle crash in Tennessee, according to a report. The last hours of his troubled life long ago passed from reality to myth. Carr recalls the 6'2" Williams was sick and frail at the time, weighing perhaps 130 pounds, but disputes reports that the singer, long a heavy drinker, was guzzling booze most of the trip. He also made one waiter very happy. Carr said there was little traffic as they pulled out of Knoxville. Hank was 29. Williams dozed off fully clothed, but about 10:30 p.m., Carr got a call from the concert promoter telling him they had to leave right away and drive through the night to make the Canton show. "But Hank's life doesn't need to have anything added to it. In July 2020, his granddaughter Katherine (Hank Jr.'s daughter) died in a car … Hank Williams Death Car. It was a journey that seemed doomed from the start. He was scheduled to perform a few gigs on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day to see in 1953. ', "I asked 'em, 'Can't you do something to revive him?' He died in the back seat of his Cadillac while being driven to a gig on New Year’s Day 1953. The overcoat that Williams was wearing is in a glass case nearby, as is one of his pearl-handled pistols and the shoeshine kit he used as a boy to help support his family. Hank Williams formed the original Drifting Cowboys band between 1937 and 1938 in Montgomery, Alabama.The name was derived from Williams' love of Western films, with him and the band wearing cowboy hats and boots. I clearly remember that.". From the beginning, Franks noted that Horton was drivi Charles Carr told the AJC in 2002 he was the only witness when Hank Williams died. Heart failure and hard living did him in. Instead, Williams died 67 years ago, on Jan. 1, 1953. Katherine Williams-Dunning, 27, was driving an SUV, a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe, southbound on Highway 79 when the crash happened. Several members of Williams' descendants became musicians: Hank Williams Jr., daughter Jett Williams, grandson Hank Williams III, and granddaughters Hilary Williams and Holly Williams are also country musicians. Carr drove on, but became increasingly concerned about the eerie silence in the back seat. For years, he avoided most requests for interviews. He was 79. The single-vehicle car crash happened on Saturday night in Henry County, reported by WKRN. According to Wes Moster, the state’s Department of Safety and Homeland Security Communications Director, Katherine Williams-Dunning was driving a 2007 Chevy Tahoe. During an interview about her new album, “Lucky Stars,” Hilary said she ultimately had over 30 surgeries to repair her broken collar bone, back, pelvis, right femur, as well as some ribs and both of her hips. The prolific musician and performer wrote songs such as "Your Cheatin' Heart," drank too much whiskey, had family problems. The daughter of country music icon Hank Williams Jr. has passed on after a one-car roll-over accident in Tennessee on Saturday. Hank Williams Jr. Daughters Suffer Devastating Injuries In Car Crash Both sisters were horribly injured in the motor vehicle accident. 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. ** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE--FILE **This is an undated file photo of Country and Western singer and guitarist Hank Williams. Many journalists asked these questions and he answered them politely. so we had to be there for the New Year's Day concert or else, " Carr said. "The story seems to get better as every year goes by, " said Carr. The controversy is mostly a matter of semantics; the coroner said heart attack, Williams’s biographer said heart failure due to alcohol and drugs. old. "I just want to honor Hank.". Editor's Note: This article first appeared in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Dec. 30, 2002. Katherine Williams-Dunning died at the age of 27, after she was involved in a car crash in Tennessee. Carr pulled into the next service station he saw and told the owner he needed to get to a hospital fast. The strange circumstances surrounding Hank Williams’ death quickly became apparent in the News Sentinel’s coverage back in 1953. ', "We were just a couple of young guys on a car trip having fun.". He paid a fine and got back behind the wheel with Williams asleep in the back. It was a last ride that would help define American music and pop culture for decades to come. The man pointed the way, and Carr remembers seeing a road sign for Oak Hill, six miles away. "I reached back to put the blanket back over him and I felt a little unnatural resistance from his arm.". Hank died at the age of twenty-nine, just a few days after Christmas in 1952. As main witness he has been questioned during his life up till now.