Introduction
“He Stopped Loving Her Today,” penned by Bobby Braddock and Curly Putman, was released in April 1980 by George Jones as the lead single from his album I Am What I Am . Critics and fans alike consider it among the greatest country songs ever recorded. Jones, who hadn’t scored a solo No. 1 in six years, surprised the industry when the song shot straight to the top and stayed there for 18 weeks . The track garnered sweeping accolades, claiming Grammy, ACM, and CMA awards, and later earned a place in the Grammy Hall of Fame and the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry .
Written from the perspective of a man who professes undying love for a woman—only to stop loving her when he dies—the song’s haunting first-person lyrics and narrative twist remained unforgettable. Jones’s deeply emotional delivery, especially the line “first time I’d seen him smile in years,’’ solidified its impact . Despite the song’s success, George Jones reportedly found its theme too “morbid” and was initially reluctant to record it .
In 2013, following Jones’s passing in April, fellow country legends Alan Jackson and George Strait joined forces at the CMA Awards to pay tribute. The performance, live on November 6, 2013, featured Strait strumming guitar and Jackson’s resonant vocals backing the timeless classic, while footage of Jones’s life played in the background. Earlier that year, on May 2, Jackson had also performed the song at Jones’s funeral .
Their duet at the 2013 CMA Awards stands as a powerful homage to “the Possum”—a bridge between two generations of country royalty honoring the song and the man who made it immortal.