Entertainment Awards Shows and Events Elle King and The Black Keys Pay Tribute to Jerry Lee Lewis at the 2022 CMAs with Fiery Performance The "Great Balls of Fire" singer died on Oct. 28 By Daniela Avila Daniela Avila Daniela Avila is an editorial assistant at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since 2021. Her work previously appeared on The Poly Post. People Editorial Guidelines Published on November 9, 2022 11:14PM EST Elle King and The Black Keys are honoring the late Jerry Lee Lewis, who died on Oct. 28. At Wednesday's CMA Awards, hosted by Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, King and The Black Keys joined forces to perform a cover of Lewis' "Great Balls of Fire." For their performance, King, 33, passionately mimed playing the piano as she sang along to the iconic lyrics, while The Black Keys rocked out on their instruments. At one point, the piano burst into flames and King — being the icon that she is — stood up and slammed the keys even harder. When she stood up, she also showed the crowd that Lewis' nickname, "The Killer," was embroidered on her pants. Elle King. Mark Humphrey/Invision/AP/Shutterstock The rock n' roll legend and controversial musician died at his home in Desoto Country, Mississippi, with his wife, Judith Brown Lewis by his side. According to a press release confirming his death, he told her in his final days that he was not afraid to die. Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning Gear Up to Host the CMAs with 'CMA Awards Boot Camp': 'We Got This' "He is ready to leave," Brown Lewis had said just before his death. "He said he was ready to be with Jesus." Elle King and The Black Keys. Mark Humphrey/Invision/AP/Shutterstock Lewis was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame last month, but he was unable to make the ceremony due to a bout with the flu. Instead, Kris Kristofferson presented him with the award at his bedside. Check out PEOPLE's full CMA Awards coverage to get the latest news on country's biggest night The rock star suffered a minor stroke in March 2019, but despite his health scare, he was still eager to make music. Jerry Lee Lewis. Douglas Mason/Getty "I feel the crowd out on the first song. I want to look into their eyes and see the emotion," he told PEOPLE in 2017. "Sometimes [it's] the commotion too! It always works out good either way. I give them what they want. I just love music. I'm a musical person. I live for my music." "When I cut sessions, I go home to my little small studio, I put my records on and I play them day in and day out," added the star. "I listen to my music because it's soothing and I love it. It's good … You just can't beat rock and roll." Following his death, several musicians like Kid Rock, Dennis Quaid and Elton John paid tribute. Meanwhile, other performances at the award show include: Luke Combs, Thomas Rhett and Katy Perry, Cody Johnson, Brothers Osborne, Reba McEntire and more! The 2022 CMAs are airing live Wednesday night from Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.