Kelly was born in Dyersburg, Tennessee on the day the John Robinson Circus, his father's employer, was … See more

In 1960, Kelly Jr., who had never been encouraged by his father, appeared as his father's character "Weary Willie" at the Circus Festival in Peru, Indiana. He was represented by their manager, Leonard Green, for t… See more

After his discharge from the military, he married and raised five children. He worked at a variety of jobs, in various locations, before settling down in Peru, Ind. He worked as a brakeman with the Chesapeak… See more

Kelly died November 29, 2006, in Sierra Vista, Arizona at the Sierra Vista Regional Health Center which is near his home in Tombstone, Arizona. His family, friends, and The Arizona Rangers were at his bedside wh… See more

In 2023, the strained relationship that Emmett Kelly, Jr. had with his father, Emmett Kelly, was the subject of the award-winning short documentary Who Is Weary Willie? directed by Constanza H. Hevia and … See more