Wife Of Hank Williams Jr. Died After Surgery Mishap, Report

Mary Jane Thomas, wife of country star Hank Williams Jr., died on March 22. A newly released autopsy and report from the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner has revealed that the 58-year-old died due to complications from surgery.

The autopsy states that the cause of death was “pneumothorax due to perforated parietal pleura during liposuction with autologous fat reinjection procedure.” It also confirms that Thomas suffered a collapsed lung after her surgeon punctured her lung while “completing the fat transfer as part of a breast lift following a breast implant removal.”

The former model, who had been married to Williams since 1990, went to Jupiter, Florida to undergo liposuction and remove breast implants at Bafitis Plastic Surgery. Her procedures were approved ahead of time by her physician in Nashville, PEOPLE reports.

The report states that Mary Jane was released from the medical facility the evening of March 21 and taken to a recovery facility. She was reportedly “sitting up in bed, speaking normally” the following day when she “suddenly” became unresponsive. Thomas was taken to a local hospital where she died.

The autopsy listed several other findings, including mild brain swelling, mild coronary artery disease and fatty metamorphosis of the liver, a common finding in people who, like Thomas, had a history of alcoholism, according to PEOPLE.

Mary Jane Thomas met Hank Williams Jr. after a concert in Washington State in 1985. They dated for five years before marrying on July 2nd, 1990 in Missoula, Montana.

Mary Jane mostly remained out of the spotlight during their marriage, rarely making appearances at events and occasionally in social media posts from family. Thomas made one of her final public appearances at Hank Jr.’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony on November 21st, 2021.

Hank and Mary Jane had two children, musician Sam Williams and Katherine Williams-Dunning. Katherine, aka Katie, died on June 13th, 2020, in a tragic car accident.

Following Mary Jane’s death in March, Hank Jr. posted a series of photos in honor of his late wife and recalled their love story.

 

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