Gregory and his newlywed wife of nearly four months, actress
Judy Tyler, were motoring east cross-country from Los Angeles to their home in New York City following his wife's completion of the film
Le Rock du bagne (1957) on June 30, 1957, in which she co-starred with
Elvis Presley. On July 3rd, while driving on Highway 30 in Wyoming, Lafayette was forced to swerve onto oncoming traffic after a car towing a trailer pulled out in front of them onto the highway. LaFayette hit another car head-on driven by Paul L. Reed of Wyoming. LaFayette's wife died instantly in the crash and Lafayette himself succumbed to his injuries the following day in a hospital. The couple's cat and dog also perished. Mr. Reed suffered severe injuries but survived; his passenger, however, Donald J. Jones, also died.
