Country icon George Jones has died. (2008/File Photo)
On the morning of the kickoff of the seventh annual Stagecoach Country Music Festival, one of the legends who has performed at the event has died.
George Jones died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., Friday, April 26, a statement from his publicist said. He was hospitalized April 18 with a fever and irregular blood pressure.
With nearly 60 years in the business, Jones was a country music icon and continued to shape generations through his music. He also expressed affection for younger artists.
“I understand them, and they understand me,” Jones said in an interview with The Press-Enterprise in 2007.
Of Kenny Chesney, he said, “He looks at me like a second dad and I look at him like one of my sons.”
Among Jones’ biggest hits are “She Thinks I Still Care,” “The Grand Tour,” “Walk Through This World With Me,” “Tender Years” and “He Stopped Loving Her Today.”
The two-time Grammy winner became popular with honky tonk music, but is also known for his ballads. He started his ascent in the 1950s, and had a whopping 17 top 10 hits from 1965 to 1970.
A troubled personal life of drug and alcohol abuse and broken marriages overshadowed his music, earning him the nickname “No Show Jones.”
But he persevered and continued to release new music and tour. He performed at the Stagecoach Country Music Festival in Indio in 2008 and routinely performed at the casinos in the Inland area. His farewell tour was scheduled to end in November 2013.
“I have been very blessed and had many proud moments, but I would say the top two were being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and being given the award from the Kennedy Center Honors,” Jones said in a 2009 interview with The Press-Enterprise.
Did you ever see Jones when he performed in the region?