George Jones Sings 'He Stopped Loving Her Today' In His Last Ever Recorded Performance

Apr 03, 2019 by apost team

George Jones was still performing in the weeks leading up to his passing. This video of “He Stopped Loving Her Today” shows that he still had it even then.

George Jones is often referred to as the greatest country singer to ever live, and even if you quibble with that distinction, it is hard to deny the impact he had. His career spans more than 60 years.

His earliest recordings began in 1954, but his commercial breakout came in 1959 when his single “White Lightnin’” rose to number one on the Billboard country chart.

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“He Stopped Loving Her Today” is arguably George Jones’ most successful and popular song. It even earned him fame outside of the United States. Interestingly enough, this song marks his comeback. It was 1980. He had not had a hit song in years, and even country music critics considered his career over.

The song tells the story of a man who never stopped loving a woman who had left him. He kept the old photos and letters and hung on to the belief that she would “come back again.” The day he stopped loving her was the day he died, and his love finally does return to attend his funeral.

The heart-wrenching ballad is as timeless as it is sad, and it is deemed such an important piece of American Culture that the Library of Congress preserved it in 2008. George was alive for that honor.

He did not pass until 2013 at the age of 82. Jones continued performing late into his life. In fact, his last live performance that was recorded took place on the 6th of April 2013. That was just about a month before he passed. 

Have you ever seen a video of this performance before? Tell us what George Jones and “He Stopped Loving Her Today” or any of his other songs means to you in the comments below, and pass this along to a fan you know!