A video of George Jones’ “He Stopped Loving Her Today” final performance has emerged, and we can’t help but miss the one and only ‘The Possum.’
It was taken on April 6, 2013, of what has become his ultimate concert at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum in Knoxville, Tennessee. The show was supposed to be a part of Jones’ grand tour as a way to end his seven-decade career – Playin’ Possum! The Final No Show – which was an all-star tribute concert that was once planned to end on November 22, 2013.
It was unfortunate that the Country Music Hall of Fame member didn’t make it through the end of the tour. He didn’t get to see his fellow artists and musicians – including Alan Jackson, Charlie Daniels, Brad Paisley, Eric Church, and so much more – honoring him for being one of the greatest country singers.
You can see in the short clip that the 81-year-old George Jones already seems to be struggling with his breath while singing his epic hit, “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” When he reached the middle part of the tune, the country legend chose to sit down, finishing the heartbreaking ballad.
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His wife, Nancy Sepulvado, also revealed that the country music star gave a dire prediction the moment he hopped into the tour bus, telling her, “I just did my last show.” A day later, Jones was reported to enter the hospital in Nashville for a respiratory infection.
And nearly two weeks after, Jones was once again sent to the hospital because of fever and irregular blood pressure and stayed there for several more days. Sadly, on April 26, 2013, the country superstar, whose supple Texas voice most of us grew up and enjoyed listening to, died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center due to respiratory complications.
Born in Saratoga, Texas, into a very poor family, George Jones discovered his love for singing while performing on Beaumont’s streets, mimicking his musical heroes such as Hank Williams. Eventually, Jones got to perform on local radio and landed as a background singer for local stars in the late 1940s. This, later on, led to bigger success and an epic career.
You can watch George Jones’ “He Stopped Loving Her Today” final performance in the video below.
