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
Jailhouse Rock (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.
