Editing Carl Perkins (section)

==Personal life==
A strong advocate for child welfare, Perkins worked with the Jackson Exchange Club to establish the first center in Tennessee  for the prevention of child abuse, the fourth in the nation. Proceeds from a concert which he planned were combined with a grant from the [[National Exchange Club]] to establish the Prevention of Child Abuse in October 1981. For years, its annual Circle of Hope Telethon generated one quarter of the center's annual operating budget.<ref>Tennessee Historical Commission</ref>

Perkins had one daughter, Debbie, and three sons, Stan, Greg, and Steve.  Stan, Perkins' firstborn son, is also a recording artist. In 2010, he joined forces with [[Jerry Naylor]] to record a duet tribute, "To Carl: Let It Vibrate". Stan has been inducted into the [[Rockabilly Hall of Fame]].  Greg played bass on stage alongside his father at the 1985 ''[[Blue Suede Shoes: A Rockabilly Session]]'' concert in London and co-wrote "Birth of Rock and Roll" with his father.<ref name="GregPerkinsObituary">{{cite web |title=Greg Jaye Perkins: Greg Perkins Obituary |url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/jacksonsun/name/greg-perkins-obituary?id=48587406 |website=Legacy.com |publisher=The Jackson Sun |access-date=June 17, 2024 |date=November 20, 2005}}</ref>  In 1983, a jury in Jackson, Tennessee found Greg Perkins "innocent on two felony counts of vehicular homicide, and guilty on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence of alcohol."<ref name="GregPerkinsDUI">{{cite web |last1=Hopkins |first1=Gwen |title=Perkins cleared of death charge |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-jackson-sun-gregory-perkins-cleared/14086294/ |website=Newspapers.com |publisher=The Jackson Sun |access-date=June 17, 2024 |location=Jackson, Tennessee |pages=1 |date=December 23, 1983}}</ref>  In 1997, Perkins' wife Valda was "recovering from a yearlong illness,"<ref name="GregPerkinsIllness">{{cite web |last1=Galipault |first1=Gerry |title=Carl Perkins faces another challenge |url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1997/04/04/carl-perkins-faces-another-challenge/ |website=Tampa Bay Times |access-date=June 17, 2024 |orig-date=April 4, 1997 |date=October 1, 2005}}</ref> and his son Greg collapsed as a result of liver damage that may have resulted in a liver transplant.<ref name="GregPerkinsIllness" />

Perkins died on January 19, 1998, at the age of 65 at Jackson-Madison County Hospital in [[Jackson, Tennessee]], from complications from several minor [[stroke]]s the previous month. Among the mourners at his standing room only funeral at [[Lambuth University]] were [[George Harrison]], [[Johnny Cash]] and [[June Carter Cash]], [[Jerry Lee Lewis]], [[Wynonna Judd]], [[Sam Phillips]], [[Ricky Skaggs]], [[Brian Setzer]], [[Garth Brooks]], and [[Billy Ray Cyrus]]. During the service, Cyrus and Skaggs sang and the funeral ended with George Harrison singing an acoustic version of "[[Your True Love]]".<ref name=MTV>{{cite news|publisher=[[MTV]]|url=https://www.mtv.com/news/pf17rv/stars-turn-out-for-rockabilly-king-carl-perkins-funeral|date=1998-01-26|last=McGee|first=David|title=Stars Turn Out For Rockabilly King Carl Perkins' Funeral|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230830181215/https://www.mtv.com/news/pf17rv/stars-turn-out-for-rockabilly-king-carl-perkins-funeral|archive-date=2023-08-30|url-status=dead|access-date=2023-08-30}}</ref> Perkins was buried at Ridgecrest Cemetery in Jackson.

Perkins' widow, Valda deVere Perkins, died on November 15, 2005, in Jackson.  Carl and Valda Perkins' son Greg (born January 15, 1959) died three days later at the age of 46 on November 18, 2005.<ref name="GregPerkinsObituary" />
<!-- Singer-guitarist [[Luther Perkins]], who was also a member of Cash's touring show, was not related to Perkins. -->