He took off his hat… and the room went still. At George Jones’s funeral in 2013, Alan Jackson stepped onto the Opry stage with quiet respect. Then came the first line: “He said, ‘I’ll love you ’til I die’…”—and time froze. No sound. Just raw emotion hanging in the air. It wasn’t just a song—it was a goodbye. A final tribute to a friend, and to a song once thought too sad to matter. But in 1980, “He Stopped Loving Her Today” didn’t just top charts—it saved George’s career and became a country music legend. That day, Alan didn’t just sing. He honored every goodbye, every love that never really ended.
“He Stopped Loving Her Today” was recorded in 1979 and released on April 14, 1980, as the lead single from George Jones’s album I Am What I Am. Initially, Jones himself thought the melody was too sad and the lyrics too morbid—yet producer Billy Sherrill persisted . When it finally hit airwaves, the song soared to No. 1, marking Jones’s first chart-topper in six years and earning him the Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance in 1980. Over time, it has been enshrined as the greatest country song ever in numerous polls and preserved in the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry.
On May 2, 2013, during George Jones’s funeral service at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Alan Jackson stepped to the microphone and began what would become an unforgettable moment. As he removed his hat in respect and sang the opening lines—“He said, ‘I’ll love you ’til I die’…”—the audience fell silent, many visibly moved by the familiar melody. Jackson’s clear, reverent delivery underscored both his own love for Jones and the enduring power of the song’s narrative.
In that hushed chapel, Jackson reminded everyone that country music’s greatest strength lies in shared emotion and storytelling. By choosing Jones’s signature song, he honored not only the man but the universal experience of love, loss, and remembrance. Even years later, watching the performance still brings a lump to the throat—a testament to both Jones’s legacy and Jackson’s heartfelt homage.
He said “I’ll love you till I die”She told him “you’ll forget in time”As the years went slowly by
She still preyed upon his mind
Kept her picture on his wallWent half-crazy now and thenBut he still loved her through it all
Hoping she’d come back again
Kept some letters by his bedDated nineteen sixty-twoHe had underlined in red
Every single “I love you”
Went to see him just todayOh, but I didn’t see no tearsAll dressed up to go away
First time I’d seen him smile in years
And he stopped loving her todayThey placed a wreath upon his doorAnd soon they’ll carry him away
He stopped loving her today
Lord, she came to see him one last timeWe all wondered if she wouldIt kept runnin’ through my mind
“This time he’s over her for good”
He stopped loving her todayThey placed a wreath upon his doorAnd soon they’ll carry him away
He stopped loving her today
