Every story about country singer George Jones seemed like a myth, but they were all true. Yes, he really did drive a lawnmower to the liquor store after his wife took the car keys. Yes, someone did slash him in the stomach with a straight razor when he was 20 years old. Yes, he flushed thousands of dollars down the toilet, just because. Yes, he tried to rip Porter Wagoner’s penis off in a restroom, also just because. No one was as much of a sh*t-kicker as George Jones, so, to put it bluntly like he would, it f*cking sucks that he passed away this morning.
George Jones, the definitive country singer of the last half-century, died Friday at a hospital in Nashville. He was 81. He was hospitalized on April 18 with fever and irregular blood pressure, the Web site of Webster & Associates, his publicists, said in announcing the death.
Jones, who was nicknamed Possum for his close-set eyes and pointed nose, and later No-Show Jones for the concerts he missed during drinking and drug binges, was a legendary figure in country music. His singing, which was universally respected and widely imitated, found vulnerability and doubt behind the cheerful drive of honky-tonk. With a baritone voice that was as elastic as a steel-guitar string, he brought suspense to every syllable, merging bluesy slides with the tight, quivering ornaments of Appalachian singing. (Via)
R.I.P. George. Hope you’re enjoying a nice glass of whiskey wherever you are now.
