But to those who knew him, he was something more: a brilliant self-promoter and chemist who ultimately despised the persona he had crafted as expertly as his booze. Both his father and grandfather were police officers and his career has . The wife of Hall of Fame coach Eddie Sutton died Tuesday at a Tulsa hospital after suffering a stroke in December, according to officials at Ninde Brookside Chapel. He comes from the old era, said Maggie Valley Police Chief Scott Sutton, describing Popcorn Sutton as the last of his breed. When Popcorn Sutton died in 2009, he left behind a large sum of money. Popcorns remains are still buried in his side yard in Parrotsville, Tennessee, where his widow will ensure no one else tries to harm him in the future. moonshine was legal in the United States for the first time in a year shortly before Popcorn Sutton died of cancer. His mind would just not accept it. hates you. Sutton nicknamed "Popcorn" for smashing up a 10-cent popcorn machine in a bar with a pool cue in his 20s looked like a living caricature of a mountain moonshiner. Born in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, [1] [2] he grew up, lived and died in the rural areas around Maggie Valley and nearby Cocke County, Tennessee. My deputies wouldnt bother him, Moore, a clean-cut retiree in a pink polo shirt, tells me. He used the freshest white corn for his mash and the coldest, cleanest stream water. Spouse. But this wasnt Santa Clausit was the towns most notorious outlaw, Popcorn Sutton, and he was passing out his annual present: a shiny silver dollar for each cop on the force. , Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, The Dangers Of Popcorn Lung: E-Cigarette Use Linked To Fatal Respiratory Illness, How To Prepare Your Airless Sprayer For Spraying Popcorn Ceilings, Adding Subtitles To A Movie On Popcorn Time, Popcorners: A Healthier Alternative To Traditional Snacks, Hoyts Offers Delicious Gluten-Free Popcorn For Movie-Goers With Dietary Restrictions, Sorghum Popcorn: A Delicious And Healthy Snack, The Shulmans Skinny Popcorn Is A Healthier Alternative To Traditional Popcorn, How Much Salt In Orville Redenbacker Popcorn. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. Popcorn Sutton was married to Pam Sutton. Inspired by the story, Grosser suggested they partner on a distillery and sell Popcorns moonshine legally. As one legislator put it, The law is not making legal someone who wants to open a distillery in their barn. To make a 5 gallon batch of moonshine, 201 pounds of corn must be used. She underwent surgery and began her first round of chemotherapy. Because of its high alcohol content, moonshine is not typically sold in stores, but instead is consumed at home or by bar patrons who want to imbibe in a spirit with a distinct flavor profile. We have found 168 people in the UK with the name Pamela Sutton. [33] Dubbed "Popcorn Sutton's Tennessee White Whiskey", it was marketed as having been produced on stills designed by Sutton using his secret family recipe and techniques Sutton entrusted to former Supercross professional Jamey Grosser of J&M Concepts. Seussian contraptions of barrels and metal tubing, Popcorns stills could be set up and dismantled quickly at the riverside, just in case the cops screeched up. She hadn't seen him since she was 2, though they had talked on the phone. Sutton committed suicide 2 years after their marriage. Damian Sutton, 2, has died at a Detroit hospital after being taken off life support. Popcorn had just one question for the stranger. After Popcorn Suttons death in 2009, Pam Sutton took over the family business and has continued to produce moonshine using her husbands recipes and methods. He committed suicide in 2009 as a result of cancer treatment. By deadorkicking.com Editorial Team. Then there was the alleged attack on Willie Ferguson, a local musician who reportedly made the mistake of crossing Popcorn. In this article, we take a closer look at some of the most interesting monsters mentioned on Travel Channel's Mountain Monsters (media photo from Travel Channel, werewolf rendering from Adobe stock), The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad is one of the main attractions in Bryson City, North Carolina (photo by Alaina O'Neal/TheSmokies.com), I would love to have drank some of his moonshine ll0, I wud love to have met Popcorn. He was a part of the 2002 Neal Hutcheson film Moon moonshine, which focused on the illegal moonshine trade. Since his death, he has been honored with a new company and whiskey brand named after him. Is Popcorn Sutton still alive? While the series typically follows current moonshiners, part of the show features the late Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton. As of 2022, she has not appeared in the media for a long time. Sutton Popcorn Company retains their original use of this name. And Fontes, despite angering some locals for busting Popcorn, eventually became sheriff, a post he maintains today. She uses several glassmaking techniques to create decorative, as well as functional . They aint no damn body that can beat me making likker. And, in the end, he chose to die rather than get beat. I couldnt understand what he said. Read Also: Is Moonshiners real? He would sell a gallon of alcohol for just 6 dollars. He came from a long line of moonshiners, so bootlegging and moonshining have been his calling since he arrived on Earth. As industrious about marketing his booze as he was about making it, Popcorn spent decades traveling the South, stealthily pawning jars from the back of his vintage rides. after being convicted of offenses related to moonshining and illegal firearm possession. His gravesite footstone reads "Popcorn Said Fuck You.'' Someone of means like Hank Williams Jr., an equity partner with Grosser and Pam Sutton in the Popcorn Sutton Tennessee White Whiskey distillery, which recently celebrated an opening with stars including Kid Rock, Zac Brown, and Travis Tritt. [39] Copper stills for the facility were made by Vendome Copper and Brass in Louisville, Kentucky. The Feds killed him. He considered moonshining his birth rite. The boy's mother's boyfriend has admitted to beating the child and is expected to face additional charges Released in 2008 and broadcast on 'CBS,' the documentary received a 'Southeast Emmy Award' in 2009. [3][4][5] He wrote a self-published autobiographical guide to moonshining production, self-produced a home video depicting his moonshining activities, was the subject of several documentaries, including one that received a Regional Emmy Award, and is the subject of the award-winning biography and photobook The Moonshiner Popcorn Sutton.[6]. In a move to perhaps cement his legendary status for all of eternity, Popcorn Sutton committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning just days before his federal prison term was scheduled to begin in 2009. She will be greatly missed by all who knew her. He was selling some stuff. He had a wood burning stove inside. On the day of his death, a fan wrote on Twitter, "Toasting the passing of the famous moonshiner Popcorn Sutton. 'Moonshiner' Josh Owens Is Seemingly Prone to Injury, Here's Exactly How the 'Moonshiners' Avoid Getting Arrested. TULSA, Okla. (AP) Patsy Sutton, the matriarch of a family of college basketball coaches, has died in Oklahoma at age 74. To collect Popcorns original bottles, you can purchase them from eBay. "[3] His daughter said he had told her in advance that he would die by suicide rather than go to jail, adding that he had "the strength to die the way he lived: according to his own wishes and no one else's. [7], Sutton was featured in the 2007 documentary Hillbilly: The Real Story on The History Channel. Pamela Sutton's passing has been publicly announced by Good Sipler Funeral & Cremation Centre, Inc. in Reamstown, PA.Legacy invites you to offer condolences and share memories of Pamela in the Gue He was 62 years old. Sutton said he considered moonshine production a legitimate part of his heritage, as he was a Scots-Irish American and descended from a long line of moonshiners. It was said he did this to avoid the federal prison term that was supposed to start a few days later. As only a legend would be, Popcorn Sutton was actually buried twice. I said, Im sorry, Im not going to turn a blind eye like the others. He arrested Popcorn, who got two years probation for possession of untaxed liquor. Popcorn Sutton Wife Death JB, who was best known for his role as Shin Shinshiners in the reality show, died late last year from a long illness. Popcorn told him he sold that much all the time and, after bragging about his whiskey and his guns, sent the man away with 80 gallons of his own. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/popcorn-sutton-46282.php. Stills are known to do that, despite Popcorns expert craftsmanship in making them. [35] According to press reports, Popcorn Sutton's Tennessee White Whiskey would be initially distributed in Tennessee and throughout the southeast. Later he and Sutton even built stills together, and during my visit Moore shows me one of many he recently made. Pam was diagnosed with Stage 3 Bowel Cancer in January 2014. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Let us know in the comments. Angel Sutton is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Glen Sutton. [2023], Is the Laurel Falls Hike Easy? In 2010, she began distilling and distributing Hank Williams Jr.s whiskey with him. [3] In the 1960s or 1970s, Sutton was given the nickname of "Popcorn" after his frustrated attack on a bar's faulty popcorn vending machine with a pool cue. Sutton's daughter later revealed that Sutton had once told her mother that he would prefer dying than going to jail. Popcorn Sutton was a moonshiner who was born in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. [38], In 2014, Popcorn Sutton Distilling opened a new distillery in Newport, Tennessee, the county seat of Cocke County. The Smoky Mountain News is a wholly private corporation. I met Popcorn in a restaurant in Maggie Valley around 1997. JB and South Mountain Distilling Co. began making moonshine in late 2018. The grave of the last American outlaw sits off a dirt road in the backwoods of Maggie Valley, North Carolina, the hillbilly haven where Marvin Popcorn Sutton, the most notorious moonshiner ever, lived and died in the wildest of ways. While unscrupulous moonshiners distilled their booze through antifreeze-caked radiator pipes (capable of killing a drinker), Popcorn used only new copper tubing. Born In: Maggie Valley, North Carolina, United States, place of death: Parrottsville, Tennessee, United States, See the events in life of Popcorn Sutton in Chronological Order, (American Appalachian Moonshiner and Bootlegger), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tyS_HvhtyU&list=PLHk8dXrmYkn-hhIVi9dwmgJzD4v1sr35c&index=2, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13PsE_rQ74k, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohiSPSoG8tY, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glQjCKAI4gA, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfUDVqWMhWs&list=FL8CkDIqZ9eTNus6-gghDO_w&index=24. [39] At the time of the announcement, it had not been decided whether the Popcorn Sutton brands would continue to be produced under contract by the distillery or not.[39]. is pam sutton still alive. "Nobody was going to tell him what to do," Sky told Knox News in 2009. Did Popcorn ever have a wife? Sutton's memorial grew in spectacle as country music singer Hank Williams Jr. flew in to pay his respects. He always stayed true to his craft, Upchurch tells me, which was making liquor. He made his first film appearance in 2002, with Neal Hutcheson's documentary 'Mountain Talk.' He published the book at his junk shop in Maggie Valley. In Maggie Valley, he opened an antique shop as a front, soon a destination for eager buyers from across the region. This is likely the event that spurred the internets 1983 search. In 1982, Memphis Popcorn Sutton helped to found the industrys first terminal. But this shit right here goes right back to the crooked shit that's been going on before I was born. When the federal government tried to tax the stuff in the late 1700s, the mountainside distillers violently fought back in what became known as the Whiskey Rebellion. But so did the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, who launched a full-scale investigation, including undercover agents that struck deals to buy large quantities of moonshine from him. Joe and Pam were not present for Kobe's final NBA game, nor were they in attendance for his jersey retirement ceremony in 2017. Bell Mary. I remember the blood gushing everywhere, she says. Pam creates handmade art glass and jewelry. In 2007, a fire on Sutton's property in Parrottsville led to firefighters discovering 650 gallons of untaxed alcohol there, for which he was convicted and put on probation again by Cocke County authorities. Is Pam Sutton Still Alive Photo by - wp On December 1, 2021, a long illness claimed the life of a dear friend. "I just hope and pray they don't send me off (to prison).". His zodiac sign was Libra, which is distinguished by assertiveness and submissiveness on both sides. On March 16, 2009, Sutton committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning. Willie Nelson had him onstage at a local show, and Johnny Knoxville taped a visit to Popcorns cabin. The company and whiskey brand associated with him have been renamed after him since he died. Fermented corn mash is used to make moonshine. We dont plan to change that model. Suttons will stated that the money was to be used to support the continuance of my lifes work. This work includes the production of moonshine, which is illegal in the United States. Pam Sutton. "He would tell you exactly what he thought, whether you wanted to hear it or not. A moonshine is a spirit created by fermenting cane juice. Famed Appalachian moonshiner Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton, whose incorrigible bootlegging ways were as out of step with modern times as his hillbilly beard and overalls, took his own life rather than go to prison for making white lightning, his widow says. Many moonshiners associate Popcorn Sutton with moonshine. Following this, he featured in another of Neal's documentaries, titled 'This Is the Last Dam Run of Likker I'll Ever Make,' which was a cult classic of the time and eventually caught the attention of many TV producers in Boston and New York. Cutie Pie survived a snake bite in 2017. How Old Is Pam St. Clement? A scrawny teen with big ears and droopy eyes, he had just watched the machine eat his quarters without dispensing his popcorn, so he whacked it repeatedly with his pool stick and broke the dang thing. At the center of it all was a guy who, right up until his bizarre death, defied his stereotype as much as he seemed to fulfill it. Popcorn Suttons wife, Maybelle, died in 2012 after a long illness. He often bragged that he ran more whiskey than Jack Daniel. He detailed his brew-making exploits in the book Me and My Likker, and in a self-produced video The Last Run of Likker Ill Ever Make. Hes even been known to autograph Mason jars of moonshine. Popcorn Sutton grew up in the South-Eastern Appalachian region of the United States, and he was born in Scotland. His self-published autobiography, Me and My Likker, described the amazing journey of moonshine production. He was just a skinny little farmer-looking guy who would come around and talk and cut up, he explains. Furthermore, many of these moonshine stills are hidden in rural areas, allowing visitors to experience the moonshine culture in these states. I can relate to that, as I am the same way. It received a 2009 Southeast Emmy Award. Living in this area, he made friends with all the sheriffs and local leaders, Fontes, stocky and dark-haired, tells me one afternoon in his wood-paneled office. The story of the life of Popcorn Sutton shows that Americans are still not really free! Urban drinks are featured. 4 mos. In addition to being a wife and mother, Pam also worked as a waitress and a cook to help make ends meet. The life and persona of Marvin Popcorn Sutton, a world-famous moonshiner and North Carolina native, are known to all. From back rooms to barrooms, locals tell me sordid tales of Popcorns violent temper. Pam said that a few days later, after coming home from running errands, she found her husband dead in his Ford. It was an absolute honor to meet him. Popcorn Sutton is an American legend! Marvin Popcorn Sutton, 62, was found dead of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning in a car near his Parrotsville, Tenn., residence, days before he was to begin serving an 18-month prison sentence for large-scale moonshine operation. Grosser was just like any other fanboy whod come to meet the living legend and buy some hooch. Sutton could have gotten as much as 15 years in prison, but got off with a surprisingly light relatively speaking with just 18 months. Sky Sutton, Suttons daughter, is the daughter of Sky and Betty. Marvin Suttons legend began when he beat up the snack machine with a pool cue. Reader contributions support the journalistic mission of SMN to remain independent. And his bib overalls he always wore bib overalls. He gained fame as a moonshiner and bootlegger in the United States at a time when illicit businesses were the norm. These states are all part of the southern United States. My favorite place of hanging out, how not the kitchen! The states with the most moonshiners, on the other hand, are not among the top five for per capita moonshine production. Now 62 and fighting kidney failure, Popcorn faced 15 yearslikely his last onesbehind bars. I bought a couple items and he talked to me. Following this, he was put on probation by Cocke County authorities. As Hank Williams Jr. says of Popcorn, This guy was real Appalachian Americana. Sutton was born Marvin Sutton, on October 5, 1946, in the tiny town of Maggie Valley, North Carolina, to Bonnie and Vader. "You might say he embodied a kind of Appalachian archetype, a character trait of fearlessness and fierce loyalty to regional identity even in the face of personal persecution and stereotyping," said Ted Olson, a regional writer and faculty member in East Tennessee State University's Department of Appalachian Studies. Sutton was sentenced to 18 months in prison in January 2009 for tax evasion. His first appearance in a feature film (that was not self-published) was in Neal Hutcheson's 2002 documentary, Mountain Talk, as one of various people of southern Appalachia featured in this film focused on the "mountain dialect" of the area. In addition to organizing the Mountain Music Festival and the Moonshiners Reunion, Bill plays the guitar and organizes gig events. I walked over and asked if he was the man on the Postcard. The operating hours, policies and procedures of other businesses may change at any time without notice. What does this report reveal about the states with the most moonshiners? I wander up a grassy hill and read it there where hes now buried, the same spot where his still had gone up in flames. His moonshine was made from a recipe passed down through his family and sold in the back of his Ford Model A truck. However, on October 24, 2009, it was relocated to his property in Parrottsville, and a private memorial service was held. They should have been focused on crimes that out weighed hi. Crime, whiskey & homemade sex machines: The life, death and legacy of Popcorn Sutton, Americas greatest moonshiner. , Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress, The Dangers Of Popcorn Lung: E-Cigarette Use Linked To Fatal Respiratory Illness, How To Prepare Your Airless Sprayer For Spraying Popcorn Ceilings, Adding Subtitles To A Movie On Popcorn Time, Popcorners: A Healthier Alternative To Traditional Snacks, Hoyts Offers Delicious Gluten-Free Popcorn For Movie-Goers With Dietary Restrictions, Sorghum Popcorn: A Delicious And Healthy Snack, The Shulmans Skinny Popcorn Is A Healthier Alternative To Traditional Popcorn, How Much Salt In Orville Redenbacker Popcorn. The total weight of the ingredients is 143 pounds (65.2 kilograms), with cracked corn accounting for 65.1 kilograms and granulated sugar accounting for 76 kilograms. [8][9] In 1998 his roadside store in Maggie Valley, NC was searched by state agents, who seized a moonshine still and sixty gallons of moonshine, and Sutton was again placed on probation with a suspended sentence. His parents lived in a wooden house in a mountain perched beside a tumbling stream. [4] The source footage from the 2002 documentary was also re-worked into another Hutcheson documentary, The Last One, which was released in 2008 and was broadcast on PBS. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. Don Sundquist, visiting for an annual homecoming event, Sutton decided to cook up some real sour mash and dispense it to the crowd in little paper cups. One year later, while still on probation from the previous charge, an undercover agent working for the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission discovered 500 gallons of moonshine being housed and produced by Sutton. Join Facebook to connect with Pamela Sutton and others you may know. He was also known for being convicted of crimes related to moonshining and illegal firearm possession. Haywood mans presidential pardon reveals systemic inequities, Town of Waynesville will pursue staggered terms for aldermen, SCC grad inspires latest New Century Scholars. Pams early years were spent working on her familys tobacco farm. After separating from his second wife Heather Locklear, Tommy met Pam and the two fell hard and fast. Several seasons ago, Cutie Pie almost died after getting bit by a snake while exploring a possible still site with Josh, who had to rush her to the nearest veterinarian office. Whiskey production became ingrained in early Appalachian culture, thanks in part to the regions perfect climate for growing sweet corn. Its empty. On February 7, 2008, a biker arrived at Popcorns house saying he wanted to buy more than 50 gallons of moonshine. [2][10][11] The New York Times later called it "a rambling, obscene, and often hilarious account of his life in the trade". moonshine must be made from cracked corn, and the kernels must be large enough to break down into sugar during fermentation. Pam has worked for NSW Police for 11 years as a General Administrative Support Officer. As the story goes, Fergusons body was found on the side of the road, left for dead after having his throat slit. His most recent conviction for selling over 650 gallons of moonshine resulted in him being placed on probation. Beside his grave is a marker that reads, Popcorn said [f] you.. His money was running out, and many of his friends, he lamented, had stopped coming around. Irwin told Sutton to run nothing but water through it. [8][15] Sutton next appeared in another Hutcheson film that would become the cornerstone of his notoriety, called This is the Last Dam Run of Likker I'll Ever Make. On October 25, 2013, Jack Daniel's Properties, Inc. filed suit against the distiller of Popcorn Sutton's whiskey, claiming that the newly redesigned bottle, with its square shape, beveled shoulders, and white-on-black label, too closely resembled their own. She even went so far as to testify on his behalf at his sentencing hearing. Each piece is handmade in Pam's studio in Reno, Nevada. 4 mos. Sutton followed her husband to coaching stops at College of Southern Idaho, Creighton, Arkansas, Kentucky and . The money has also been used to support the families of those who have been killed or incarcerated because of their involvement in the moonshine business. Since his death, Popcorn's persona and work have only garnered more attention due to a whiskey company named after him, Popcorn Sutton's Tennessee White Whiskey, and as we said before, his posthumous appearances on Moonshiners. He was 62 years old. However, prior to his death, she had not seen him in years. They should of left him alone he was part of our great history, 2021 The Smoky Mountain News. Reports vary on why he was exhumed and reburied. Popcorn Sutton's wife, Pam, died in 2009 after a long battle with cancer. Later that day his wife came home from work to find him dead. [18][19] In January 2009, Sutton, who had used a public defender as his attorney in the case and had pleaded guilty, was sentenced to 18 months in a federal prison for illegally distilling spirits and possession of a firearm (a .38-caliber handgun) as a felon. He was walking down the driveway coming toward me and told me, Hey, hey, hey, dont tell nobody what you seen here, Fontes recalls. Sutton was first interred at a family graveyard in Mount Sterling, North Carolina. People in the community didnt know how close we was, and I wouldnt tell em, Moore admits. How do you explain Bill and JB from Moonshiners? Someone of means is going to have to step up. Sutton was found at the age of 62 in his parked green Ford Fairmont with the engine running. Pam was a loving wife and mother who was always there for her family. On March 16, 2009, the 48-year-old Sutton committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning. Sutton conceded he was part of a dying breed in an interview last year with actor Johnny Knoxville for a video posted on Knoxville's "Jackass" Web site. This left Pam to raise their children largely on her own. It was composed by photographer Don Dudenbostel. As he once said, I dont bother nobody and nobody better damn sure not mess with me. The outlaw spirit soared during Prohibition, when demand for moonshine exploded and bootlegging familieslike NASCAR racer Junior Johnsons and the brothers in this falls Lawlessbecame revered. Moreover, she is also not on social media which makes it further difficult to track down her life at present. Read on for all the details about her life now. But the young cop, whod seen the ravaging effects of drugs and alcohol on the locals, didnt comply. A long illness claimed the life of a beloved son on December 1, 2021. View the profiles of people named Pamela Sutton. The revised version of the book includes details of his death. Pamela and Tommy had a whirlwind romance. "And then he got into it in such a big way. He was a folk hero. Even in death his battles wage on: Popcorns whiskey recently became available legally for the first time, but a family feud over his legacy shows no signs of resolution.