Moreover, she is also not on social media which makes it further difficult to track down her life at present. On October 24, 2009, his body was moved to his Parrottsville estate. The couple had been married for 25 years and had three children together. Popcorn may no longer be around to weigh in, but his final words appear by his new resting place near his cabin in the woods. Children. Additionally, Sutton had had a mental breakdown after being diagnosed with cancer. Sutton's memorial grew in spectacle as country music singer Hank Williams Jr. flew in to pay his respects. He'd gotten probation before, but U.S. District Judge Ronnie Greer said he couldn't do that again, despite Sutton's age and physical infirmities. Popcorn Sutton was married to Pam Sutton. [39] Copper stills for the facility were made by Vendome Copper and Brass in Louisville, Kentucky. After meeting at a New Year's Eve party in 1994 . He was a friendly fellow, and of course every time you would talk to him, he would say, "Ray, I've run my last run of moonshine, I'm not gonna do it anymore, I'm just getting too old to be doing this stuff.". There is no doubt that JB and Bill will be fondly remembered as two exceptional individuals. He made his home in Cocke County, where cockfighting and moonshining are legend. She has a Netflix doc, 'Pamela, A Love Story,' and book out now. Later, in 1981, Sutton was convicted and sentenced in the Haywood County Superior Court in North Carolina for felony possession of a controlled substance. Sutton died by suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning in March 2009, aged 62, rather than report to federal prison[according to whom?] On March 16, 2009, Sutton, a resident of Northbridge, England, died as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning. Its easy to spot Popcorn Sutton, also known as Marvin, if youre looking for legendary moonshiners. To the fans and celebs who came from around the world to buy his booze, Popcorn was the banjo-picking cracker with the long beard, grimy overalls, and bawdy stories. Today, Sky Sutton is a published author, historian and genealogist. He came from a long line of moonshiners, so bootlegging and moonshining have been his calling since he arrived on Earth. He was a moonshine maker as well as Popcorn Sutton Moonshines creator, collaborating with his father. She told the Associated Press (per NBC): "He couldn't go to prison. He is buried in the. Where Is Pamela Anderson Now? Latest News On The 'Baywatch' Star So there my personal opinion. Marvin Suttons legend began when he beat up the snack machine with a pool cue. 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. But Popcorn, who seemed unusually sullen to Grosser, had other plans. Sutton was born Marvin Sutton, on October 5, 1946, in the tiny town of Maggie Valley, North Carolina, to Bonnie and Vader. Popcorn Suttons moonshine was renowned for its high quality, and he was known for his careful and traditional methods of production. Authorities began to investigate him without his consent. What does this report reveal about the states with the most moonshiners? Her family includes her husband Dean Sutton of 39 years, son Ian Sutton, daughter Bess Wimer, brother LaRue Breasette, Sister Brenda Oswald, and son Rick Oswald. He later paid him back with liquor. Moonshiner dead in apparent suicide - Smoky Mountain News Popcorn Sutton, an American moonshiner and bootlegger, lived in the United States from 1946 to 2009. Someone of means is going to have to step up. Popcorn Sutton poses with one of his moonshine stills (photo shared with permission from Sucker Punch Pictures). Damian Sutton, 2, has died at a Detroit hospital after being taken off life support. Marvin " Popcorn " Sutton (October 5, 1946 - March 16, 2009) was an American Appalachian moonshiner and bootlegger. The two made a deal to open Popcorn Sutton Distilling and sell his whiskey on the open market, taxes and all. Could it still be set up, as a shrine monument?? He was well-known in the entertainment industry for his stage name and custom copper stills, and he made a name for himself. Making moonshine is relatively simple and inexpensive if you have a pot that can hold at least 5 gallons of liquid and enough space to store the finished product. The nickname "Popcorn" was given to him in the 1960s or the 1970s, after Sutton attacked a broken popcorn vending machine with a pool cue. Sutton's widow said he'd just gotten a letter to report Friday to a medium-security federal prison in south Georgia to begin an 18-month sentence for illegally producing distilled spirits and. After Popcorn Suttons death in 2014, Pam was left with a large sum of money. [8][16][17], In March 2008, Sutton told an undercover federal officer that he had 500 gallons of moonshine in Tennessee and another 400 gallons in Maggie Valley that he was ready to sell. Read on for all the details about her life now. It is impossible to overstate the importance of the life and persona of Marvin Popcorn Sutton, a legendary moonshiner and North Carolina native who died in an automobile accident. I dont want moonshine to die with me, he told Grosser as they stood near the casket that Popcorn kept in his house for his final day. He was just a skinny little farmer-looking guy who would come around and talk and cut up, he explains. So he Wooped the hell out of it with a pool stick. Months before his conviction, Sutton reportedly had a mental breakdown after being diagnosed with cancer. If you are able, please support The Smoky Mountain News. "He would tell you exactly what he thought, whether you wanted to hear it or not. Now 62 and fighting kidney failure, Popcorn faced 15 yearslikely his last onesbehind bars. The new law wasnt enacted to honor Popcorns legend, though. Pam has worked for NSW Police for 11 years as a General Administrative Support Officer. He wasn't just a poor old moonshiner trying to make a few dollars.". I picked one up and realized the man sitting in the corner bye himself was the Legend ! Cutie Pie survived a snake bite in 2017. I walked over and asked if he was the man on the Postcard. Popcorn Sutton was a moonshiner who was born in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. In 2009, he committed suicide to avoid going to jail, and because of his cancer diagnosis, he died. [7] He said he had considered a harsher sentence of 24 months, but had decided on 18 months after considering Sutton's age and medical condition. Fontes hadnt anticipated adding to Popcorns criminal record until April 24, 2007, when he spotted smoke billowing up from the woods. She suspected even then that her daddy might be responsible. As Sutton's business continued to flourish, he got involved in several legal issues, such as selling untaxed liquor, possessing controlled substances, and assaulting with a deadly weapon (between 1981 and 1985). The Last Hillbilly Hero - Maxim 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. [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]. 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. Read Also: Is Moonshiners real? Is Pam St. Clement Dead or Still Alive? The pulley consists of two ropes attached to a pair of Timberland boots, so that Pams legs could be more easily hoisted in the air. These recipes were made with popcorn Sutton left behind, and they included a lot of instructions and instructions on how to make them. 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. As of 2022, she has not appeared in the media for a long time. Since his death, a new company, as well as an associated whiskey brand, has been launched in his memory. 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. Fontes has just returned from raiding a local pot farm and is twirling a two-foot-long marijuana stalk in his hand like a billy club. Its empty. The states with the most moonshiners, on the other hand, are not among the top five for per capita moonshine production. His gravesite footstone reads "Popcorn Said Fuck You.'' If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. We have found 168 people in the UK with the name Pamela Sutton. Pamela Sutton - People Directory - 192.com It is critical to follow his instructions and recipe in order to produce a moonshine that has the same flavor and characteristics as him. Hi my Name is Angel. His wife, Pam Sutton, whom he married just two years prior, had returned from running errands when she found him. 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. On February 7, 2008, a biker arrived at Popcorns house saying he wanted to buy more than 50 gallons of moonshine. 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. Popcorn Sutton Wife Death They dated for a month before getting married. 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. In a cabin Popcorn built in the woods, I swill from an old jar of his cinnamon and cider apple pie moonshine with Ernestine Upchurch, a bawdy older woman in white pants and a polka-dot shirt, who dated Popcorn prior to his marriage and describes herself as the love of his life. American moonshiner and bootlegger (19462009), "New Movie Focuses on WNC Moonshiner Popcorn Sutton", "Yesterday's Moonshiner, Today's Microdistiller", "Legendary Tennessee Moonshiner Plied His Trade to the End", "Widow: Moonshiner took his life to avoid prison", "Family of legendary moonshiner hoped his sentence would be reduced", "The Moonshiner Popcorn Sutton | IndieBound.org", "Golden Moment: Bulletin: NC State University", "Cane In Hand, 'Popcorn' Sutton Is Sentenced To 18 Months", United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, "Waco 20 Years Later: The ATF Raid - Dallas News | myFOXdfw.com", "Daughter says independence likely led to moonshiner's suicide", "Estranged daughter remembers 'Popcorn' Sutton", "Hundreds honor memory of legendary moonshiner", "6 surprising facts about Popcorn Sutton and his moonshine", "16th Annual Winners | National Indie Excellence Awards | California", "Hank Williams, Jr.