Tragedy has once again struck country music’s legendary Williams family. Two years following the death of his daughter, Katherine Williams-Dunning, Hank Williams Jr. is grieving the unexpected death of his wife, Mary Jane Thomas.
Thomas, a former Hawaiian Tropics model, passed away Tuesday (March 22) in Jupiter, Florida, at the age of 58. TMZ reports that she suffered complications, reportedly a blood clot, following a medical procedure. A Jupiter Police Department spokesperson told the outlet that authorities responded to a call at the Jupiter Beach Resort & Spa Tuesday evening. Mary Jane was taken to a local hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Sam Williams, the youngest child of Hank Jr. and Mary Jane, issued a statement about his mother’s death on Wednesday evening. The statement shared by CMT read:
“My dear Mama Mary Jane was a beautiful soul who forever affected everyone who knew her,” the 24-year-old’s statement said. “She had a smile and presence that lit up every room, and she never met a stranger she didn’t befriend. Her spirit was gentle and giving. She could take down a ten-point buck and fix dinner for her grandchildren at the same time!”
“Now she gets to radiate from above with my sister Katherine Diana right by her side. She grew up competing in baton and cheerleading and was one of Hawaiian Tropic’s top models. My father fell in love with the Daytona Beach beauty the minute he set eyes on her in the early 80s. They went on to live the most powerful love story of travel and hunting and raising a family….Rest in peace Mama, I will always be the son of Mary Jane.”
Mary Jane wed Hank in 1990 in Missoula, Montana, five years after they first met at a concert in Washington state.
Mary Jane Thomas is survived by her husband Hank Williams Jr., her parents Ramona and Bill, her brother Andy, her sister Angela, son Sam Williams, and her three grandchildren: Beau Weston, Tennyson Hiram and Audrey Jane.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the Williams family.