George Jones Hospitalized Again: 'Choices' Singer' Tour Postponed, Country Music Legend Suffers Fever and Irregular Blood Pressure
Country music legend George Jones has been hospitalized in Nashville, Tennessee. The 81-year-old singer's website announced the news yesterday along with some postponed shows due to the hospitalization. This is the latest of a number of hospital visits for the "Choices" singer that he had to partake in while on tour. Last May, Jones entered the hospital briefly for respiratory issues. He was also hospitalized overnight in January 2011 after a routine exam.
The George Jones website broke the news yesterday with the following statement:
Today, country music icon George Jones was admitted to a local Nashville hospital for observation. During a routine checkup, Mr. Jones was running a slight fever with irregular blood pressure.This weekend's shows in Atlanta, Ga. and Salem, Va. are postponed. Information on the rescheduling of these concerts will be available soon.
Jones is currently in the midst of his final tour, naturally entitled "The Grand Tour," which is set to end with a sold-out all-star show in Nashville on November 22. This epic good bye show is also set to include some guest performers including Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Dierks Bentley, Kenny Rogers, Tanya Tucker, Cyndi Lauper, Kid Rock and seventeen more stars. Hopefully he will be well enough to perform at this show that is surely going to be a celebration of his amazing career.
For a little about George Jones, here is an excerpt from his bio section of his website:
A jury of his peers has found him guilty... of unparalleled vocal superiority. Consider some of these endorsements from fellow music legends: Frank Sinatra famously (and coyly) referred to Jones as "the second greatest singer in America." Garth Brooks summed up the consensus view when he called him "the greatest voice ever to sing country music." Waylon Jennings expressed a common jealousy when he said, "If we all could sound the way we wanted, we'd all sound like George Jones." Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones put things in more honorific terms: "George Jones is a national treasure and should be treated accordingly."