Love can pull you through the darkest of times, and that was certainly the case for "He Stopped Loving Her Today" singer, George Jones. Everything changed when the country music star married his fourth wife, Nancy Sepulvado (following his marriages with Dorothy Bonvillion, Shirley Ann Corley and Tammy Wynette). The two wed at Jones' sister's house in Woodville, Texas. After the ceremony, they toasted at a local Burger King. A love story for the ages.
Jones often said that his marriage to Sepulvado helped him end his battle with drugs and alcohol.
"They say love can change the world," Jones wrote in his autobiography."I'm here to testify that it changed one man. Friends, family, doctors, therapists, and ministers had tried to save me, but to no avail. But finally the power of love from one woman, Nancy Jones, made the difference."
It was no secret that Jones struggled with substance abuse. He had earned the nickname "No-Show Jones" for missing shows because he was too drunk and stoned. There are probably horror stories no one even heard about.
George Jones
Sepulvado did not tolerate that behavior. She fired most of the country star's crew and took a managing role in his career. To help him rebuild his reputation, she made him call all the contacts that he had burned over the years and repair the damage.
Over the course of 18 years, Sepulvado stood by Jones through thick and thin while he kicked booze and drugs. But it wasn't easy.
"George was the sweetest man you could meet," Nancy told The Tennessean. "But when George would drink, there was a devil that jumped inside of him."
It took a life-altering car accident in 1999 to finally set the Possum straight. While drunk driving Jones hit a bridge, damaging his liver and lungs. From then on he swore never to touch the stuff again.
The country singer passed on April 23, 2003, in Nashville, Tennessee. Had it not been for Nancy Sepulvado, God knows if he would have made it as far as he did.
