William was scheduled to play at a New Year’s gig in Canton, Ohio. He hired Charles Carr, a college freshman, to drive him. Williams had already felt ill when they stopped at the Andrew Jackson Hotel in Knoxville, Tennessee. Carr called for a doctor who injected Williams with B12 and morphine. Williams was rolled out in a wheelchair to the blue Cadillac where he laid down in the back seat wrapped in a blanket.
The two arrived in Bristol, Virginia where they stopped at the Burger Bar just off State Street. Carr asked Williams if he wanted a bit to eat and declined saying he would rather sleep. This was supposedly Williams last words. Carr picked up Donald Surface, a relief driver in Bluefield, West Virginia. At some point, Carr reached back to check on Williams where he found him cold.
He took him to the hospital in Oak Hill, West Virginia just before daylight. His time of death was placed at about 1AM. Surface had disappeared and died two years later.
He was never interviewed. Williams’ body was taken back to Montgomery, Alabama where his funeral was held on January 4, 1953. Carr told his story up until he died in 2013. But decades of speculation and rumors have changed surrounding the details leading to Williams’ death.
The twenty-nine-year-old singer’s life was short-lived that left an enormous imprint on the County Music industry. William was even dismissed from the Grand Ole Opry on August 11, 1952, for his excessive drinking.
