The Tragic Real-Life Story Of Hank Williams Jr.

Hank Williams Jr. found some success, working more or less as a tribute act and playing plenty of his old man's standards. Critical reception was lukewarm — The New Yorker pointed out that he "was raised to be an echo, not an influence," changing his name to better pull a nostalgic crowd.

Struggling to find a unique identity in a field that demanded he be more like his father, Hank Jr. got decidedly interested in drugs and alcohol, only stopping after a rock climbing accident in 1975. Falling a reported 500 feet onto rock after the snow beneath his feet gave way, Williams sustained multiple fractures to his skull. The accident led him to years of rehabilitation and the adoption of his signature look: a beard, sunglasses, and a hat, all of which help to cover his facial scarring.

The hits, tragically, keep coming, as on June 13th, 2020, Williams' daughter Katherine died at age 27 in a car accident in Tennessee, according to CBS News.

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