Hank Williams Jr.’s Wife Mary Jane Thomas’ Unexpected Cause of Death Revealed

The cause of death of Mary Jane Thomas, wife of Country Music Hall of Famer Hank Williams Jr., who died unexpectedly on March 22, 2022, at the age of 58, has been revealed to be the result of a collapsed lung following liposuction surgery.

The former model was found unresponsive on March 22, the day after undergoing surgery to remove fat from several parts of her body, according to a report. Thomas’ death is being ruled accidental, according to the Palm Beach County medical examiner. The autopsy report listed Thomas’ cause of death as “pneumothorax due to perforated parietal pleura during liposuction with autologous fat re-injection procedure.” Thomas’ lung collapsed after her surgeon punctured the membrane while transferring fat for a breast lift following a breast implant removal.

Initially cleared by a physician at home in Nashville for the procedure, Thomas traveled to Jupiter, Florida for the procedure at Bafitis Plastic Surgery and was released from the facility on March 21 and taken to a nearby recovery facility, where she became unresponsive the following day. She was then taken to Jupiter Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

Williams Jr. and Thomas were married in 1990 after meeting in 1985 at one of Williams’ shows. The couple had two children together, son Samuel Williams and daughter Katie Williams-Dunning, who died in a car accident in Henry County, Tennessee in 2020 when the SUV she was driving to tow a boat crossed a median and rolled over. Her husband was in the car with her and survived the accident with critical injuries. Williams and Thomas also had three grandchildren. 

Photo: R. Diamond /WireImage