Legendary country singer George Jones has died, WMSV reports. Jones was hospitalized last week with a fever. He was 81.
Jones, born and raised in east Texas and known as "Possum," was among country music's most enduring stars, with 14 country number-ones stretching across four decades, thanks largely to his gorgeous, distinctive voice. (The one both Waylon Jennings and Roy Acuff said they coveted.) He was also well-known for his wild lifestyle and his struggles with alcoholism (in particular, a series of legendary trips to the liquor store on riding mowers after one or another of Jones' four wives hid the keys to the car), which consumed him through the 1960s and 70s.
Though the hits were fewer and farther between in the 90s and 2000s, Jones remained active up to his death. He had planned to perform a final concert in November, and talked about an album of duets with Dolly Parton. Below, some of Jones' classics: