News of George Jones’ death in 2013 was undeniably one of the most devastating announcements in the genre. As Merle Haggard, a legend himself, said in a statement to Rolling Stone, “The world has lost the greatest country singer of all time.” Jones was 81.
Born in Saratoga, Texas, in poverty, Jones went on to climb his way and become one of the most successful artists of his time. In his decades-long career, he earned 143 Top 40 country hits with 14 number-ones, including his first, “White Lightning,” “She Thinks I Still Care,” and “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” George Jones’s signature songs about heartbreak, pain, and hard drinking always hit the right spot with his listeners. He knew how to live his songs in the three or so minutes it took for him to sing them.
His accolades held him in high regard, with Keith Richards calling him a “national treasure” and Waylon Jennings once singing in his song “It’s Alright,” “If we all could sound like we wanted to, we’d all sound like George Jones.” The Country Music Hall of Fame dubbed him “one of the most influential singers in the genre and the undisputed successor of earlier pr𝐢mitive geniuses such as Hank Williams and Lefty Frizzell.”
In 2013, the singer finally concluded his career with a farewell tour, ultimately culminating in a final all-star concert scheduled for November 22 at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. Among those who were set to perform with him were Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Randy Travis, Charlie Daniels, Kenny Rogers, Sam Moore, and the Oak Ridge Boys. But he never set foot on that stage.
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On April 18, he was hospitalized at Vanderbilt University Medical Center due to fever and irregular blood pressure. And then, a week later, on April 26, his publicist, Webster & Associates, released a statement that he had passed away. According to TMZ, the statement read, “Today is a sad day for music. George said to me once, ‘One day I’ll Join the Angel band.’ Well, today he did.” The statement continued, “George passed with his family by his side and the official cause of death is being listed as ‘Hypoxic Respiratory Failure.’”
A family member also shared with the tabloid that the singer had been on oxygen for a long while, and they just finally collapsed, leaving him unable to breathe anymore on his own.
While he had an epic career, his life was also filled with offstage adventures that often almost overshadowed his accomplishments. He battled with substance abuse, mostly alcohol, and at one point, even drove himself to death. He also had four marriages in his lifetime, including one to fellow country singer Tammy Wynette. But George Jones was George Jones. In his passing, these things never took away his greatness.
