Released in 2008 and broadcast on 'CBS,' the documentary received a 'Southeast Emmy Award' in 2009. I enjoyed watching his video it was entertaining to watch this man a Legend from the past a way of life how he fed and took care of his family. Bell Mary. After her death, Suttons business continued to operate, and he continued to produce moonshine until his own death in 2009. If the strangers seemed trustworthy, Popcorn would take their cash, about $40 per gallon at his peak, and tell them to pick up their moonshine from one of his secret drop boxes hidden in the woods: a baby casket or an old toilet. The fire tipped authorities off that Popcorn was still at it, and wasnt merely producing the occasionall jar here and there but cranking out hundreds of gallons. USA Distributor of MCM Equipment is pam sutton still alive Long hailed for her beauty and gutsy film roles, Grier is a Hollywood icon. Sutton then wrote a self-published autobiography and guide to moonshine production called Me and My Likker, and began selling copies of it in 1999 out of his junk shop in Maggie Valley. Popcorn Sutton did this in his capacity as the leader of Popcorn Sutton Inc. [40] The CEO of Popcorn Sutton Distilling is Megan Kvamme. This led to yet another conviction on a number of charges. IE 11 is not supported. That's a big problem because now look where we're at. He was a whole lot smarter than people gave him credit for. Grosser returned on March 16, 2009 to finalize the deal with Popcorn, who was scheduled to go to prison four days later. 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. He was selling some stuff. Neal Hutcheson, another filmmaker who worked with Sutton, is worth $30 million. But this shit right here goes right back to the crooked shit that's been going on before I was born. Your support of SMN does not constitute a charitable donation. However, there is no doubt that Pam is a hard-working woman who has been through a lot in her life. Word soon spread that Popcorn and another man cut him after a fight and took his fiddle. A small memorial was also held for close friends and family. . The four-word epitaph sums up how he felt about his life, his death, and his legacy:Popcorn said fuck you.Show me more booze.Head over to the girl galleries. Aside from being gluten-free, the whiskey is also popular among those who have dietary restrictions. He came from a long line of moonshiners, so bootlegging and moonshining have been his calling since he arrived on Earth. However, Popcorn's estranged daughter Sky Sutton believed her father died by his terms. He was just a skinny little farmer-looking guy who would come around and talk and cut up, he explains. He used the freshest white corn for his mash and the coldest, cleanest stream water. [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. He always stayed true to his craft, Upchurch tells me, which was making liquor. Pam Suttons moonshine is still highly sought-after, and she has won multiple awards for her products. He later paid him back with liquor. My favorite place of hanging out, how not the kitchen! They were not invited. An incident report filed by the Cocke County Sheriff's Department says that Sutton was discovered dead in his 1982 Ford Fairmont when his wife, Pam Sutton, returned from running errands. 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. Irwin told Sutton to run nothing but water through it. The charges also included tax evasion and transportation of an illegal substance. [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. Pam has worked for NSW Police for 11 years as a General Administrative Support Officer. 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. Children. The lawsuit was settled in 2014. Whiskey consumption has grown over the last few years as people seek out new flavors and styles of moonshine. However, prior to his death, she had not seen him in years. Facebook gives people the power to. However, she and her father were not very close. I can brag about one thing, Popcorn once said in his thick Southern drawl. "All the rest of them that I know are dead," Sutton said in the profane, not-for-primetime clip. Sutton was born Marvin Sutton, on October 5, 1946, in the tiny town of Maggie Valley, North Carolina, to Bonnie and Vader. In 2009, he committed suicide to avoid going to jail, and because of his cancer diagnosis, he died. 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. What did his Mom put in the moonshine to make medicine, that Popcorn got addicted to? . As only a legend would be, Popcorn Sutton was actually buried twice. Though Popcorn left no suicide note, his dramatic exit has transformed him into a martyr for his cause and solidified his legacy as the little guy whod rather die than let the Feds beat him. However, in what has become a Sutton civil war, Regina and her supporters, including Popcorns former girlfriend Ernestine Upchurch, are fighting to get his remains back to his empty grave at the Bend of the River and reclaim his brand name. On March 16, 2009, the 48-year-old Sutton committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning. Is Pam Sutton Still Alive Photo by - wp On December 1, 2021, a long illness claimed the life of a dear friend. Glass and Silversmithing Arts. Pam said that a few days later, after coming home from running errands, she found her husband dead in his Ford. Spring 2023 enrollment at Western Carolina Univers Waynesville is Haywood Countys only municipal g Jake Tallent vividly remembers the impact that the Tuckaseigee Water and Sewer Authority received a v Book reading, film screening to commemorate Popcorn Sutton, As long as water runs downhill: The story of Popcorn Sutton, Hillbilly Jammers get high on the mountain, Pardon me? It took his money, but didnt produce popcorn, eliciting a few swift blows from Sutton to crack open the machine. Additionally, Sutton had had a mental breakdown after being diagnosed with cancer. His moonshine was made from a recipe passed down through his family and sold in the back of his Ford Model A truck. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. She has a Netflix doc, 'Pamela, A Love Story,' and book out now. Making likker. See top. I can't be the only one that misses Popcorn Sutton.I would have loved to pick his brain. 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. Son, he asked, do you eat pussy? Damian Sutton, 2, has died at a Detroit hospital after being taken off life support. One of Popcorns closest and oldest friends was the countys most legendary sheriff, Tooney Moore, who shared his conviction that moonshine was an important part of the local heritage. All rights reserved. [36] The lawsuit said that the design "is likely to cause purchasers and prospective purchasers of the product to believe mistakenly that it is a new Tennessee white whiskey product in the Jack Daniel's line." Per NBC News, the famed moonshiner and bootlegger Popcorn Sutton died by suicide, possibly to avoid serving time in federal prison. 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. I remember the blood gushing everywhere, she says. He received a five-year sentence. To distinguish himself from the competition, he took pride in quality. What does this report reveal about the states with the most moonshiners? His parents lived in a wooden house in a mountain perched beside a tumbling stream. 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. Sky Sutton, Suttons daughter, is the daughter of Sky and Betty. Later he and Sutton even built stills together, and during my visit Moore shows me one of many he recently made. , 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. Sutton was first interred at a family graveyard in Mount Sterling, North Carolina. He appeared in the Western film Ghost Town: The Movie, in addition to his roles in the films Ghost Town: The Movie and Ghost Town: The Movie. His archive footage was featured in a 2016 documentary series, Moonshiners. The book also offers a better understanding of how the people of the region survived. 1. 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. Copyright 2023 Distractify. Sutton began his moonshining and bootlegging empire with just one barrel, that too, at a time when they were considered illicit businesses in the US. 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. Later that day his wife came home from work to find him dead. When he was sentenced to federal prison for possession of illegal firearms and moonshining, he chose to commit suicide rather than report to prison, at the age of 62. His recipe, on the other hand, still lives on and is produced at Ole Smoky Moonshine Distillery in Kentucky. His widow, Pam, told the outlet that he'd just received a letter to report to prison for an 18-month sentence for illegally distilling spirits, as well as felony possession of a firearm. 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. Would loved to have known Popcorn. Pam Sutton is a much loved and valued member with the Inner West Police Area Command. In 2007, Sutton was caught with over 650 gallons of moonshine by local Cocke County authorities. [3][4] Before his rise to fame at around 60 years of age, he had been in trouble with the law several times, but had avoided prison sentences. That man went out in a blaze of glory, and flipping his finger as we went," she said. Authorities suspected carbon monoxide poisoning. In March 2009, Sutton, 62, died of carbon monoxide poisoning. Now known as one of Britain's finest detectives and police officers, Sutton actually comes from a long line of coppers. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. Popcorn Suttons story is both tragic and a testament to the ravages of cancer that cancer can cause. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. 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). 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. Morgan is the founder Morgan Media LLC, a graphic design agency and the co-founder of TheSmokies.com LLC a media company that specializes in regional travel sites. While Popcorn was under house arrest, motocross star Jamey Grosser showed up unannounced at the cabin one day. Some speculated that Pam might have secretly moved the body. However, most believe it was either due to vandalism of the original site or a family dispute with his widow. Moonshine is romanticized in folklore and in the movies, Cavanaugh declared. Popcorns nickname dates to a barroom brawl between himself and a popcorn machine. But the real question isnt what he did in 1983 its about the many bouts with the law throughout the 1970s, 1980s and early 2000s.