Country singer George Jones died today after being hospitalized with an illness April 18 in Nashville.

The success Jones achieved with his memorable songs, baritone voice and distinctive phrasing collided with a lifetime of alcohol & drug abuse and accompanying volatile personal relationships.

Through it all, Jones remained a popular and emulated figure in country music, with hits throughout the 80s and 90s and a steady touring & recording schedule into the 21st century.  He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1992, named a Kennedy Center Honoree in 2008 and presented with Grammys in 2000 for Best Male Country Vocal and in 2012 for Lifetime Achievement.  Jones never abandoned his traditional country sound, despite its virtual absence from contemporary “Country” radio.  Over the past 20 years, he was frequently referred to as the greatest living country singer.

Since my Dad enjoyed country music & jazz, I grew up listening to artists like Jones, Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash.  I have an indelible memory, when the Grateful Dead played “The Race Is On” at my first GD concert in 1973, of flashing back to the family kitchen radio and hearing that George Jones hit (he didn’t pen that one).

Jon Pareles has a comprehensive obit of Jones in today’s New York Times.