George Jones’ widow, Nancy Jones, opened up about the late country star nearly losing his life during his lengthy battle with cocaine and alcohol addiction in her new memoir titled, “Playin’ Possum: My Memories of George Jones.”
Jones told Fox News why she wrote the book and talked about the near-fatal car accident the late country singer had in 1999 that she credited with helping him finally get sober after battling addictions for decades allowing him to live another 14 years before his death in 2013. He was 81.
“I just wanted the truth out there,” Nancy said. “It’s the truth of George Jones and my life with him… And I didn’t sugarcoat anything. He had a lot of demons and he fought them so hard, but they were winning … And God blessed him with another chance.”
I am so grateful to Nancy Jones for welcoming me into her home the other day. She is such a strong woman, and inspiration to all. I'll be sharing my conversation with her … about life, love and George Jones … very soon! Stand by! pic.twitter.com/1oZssLeiEo
— Lorrie Morgan (@TheLorrieMorgan) May 7, 2023
Jones said her husband suffered a ruptured liver, his legs were badly mangled, he had a punctured lung and blood in his chest after his car crashed head-on into a concrete bridge. She wrote in her book that police later confirmed they allegedly found an open container of vodka under the front seat of his car, the outlet noted.
“What made me stay? I saw a good man,” Jones told the outlet. “And George was not crazy. He was the most lovable, enjoyable, funny man – and then he was a whole different person. And I worked so hard to get that good man out of there, not this evil person that was in there. And if I would’ve left, George would’ve died many years ago.”
According to Nancy, after the star’s lengthy recovery he vowed to God, “If you let me get over this, I’ll never drink again. I’ll never smoke again, and I will be the perfect husband.”
Nancy said that’s exactly what happened.
“That was the last time George ever had a cigarette or a drink,” she added. “And he was a perfect husband. He was changed.”
In the book, Nancy also opened up about the dark times of the addiction and alleged because of it, her husband was physically abusive at times, the outlet noted.
“Could I have walked away? Sure, many times,” Nancy said. “But I knew he wanted to get well, and he couldn’t do it alone. You’ve got to have somebody who believes in you no matter how hard it is, and still stand beside him. And that’s what I did. You can’t give up.”
She called his sobriety “a blessing.”
“He would talk to people about how he turned his life around and encouraged them to quit drinking and smoking,” Nancy said. “He would say, ‘If I could do it, you can too.’… That spiritual side of George is my favorite memory of him…”
George was married four times, first to Dorothy Bonvillion, second to Shirley Ann Corley, third to country singer Tammy Wynette from 1969-1975 before divorcing and marrying Nancy in 1983. He also has seven children.
A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that George Jones has one child. It has been updated to include that Jones has seven children.