The world of country music lost a legend Friday with the death of George Jones.

Jones, 81, nicknamed "The Possum" because of his resemblance to the animal, died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., according to Jones' public relations firm. He had been hospitalized since April 18 with fever and irregular blood pressure.

During his career, which began in the 1950s, Jones delivered some of the greatest songs in country music, including "She Thinks I Still Care," "The Grand Tour" and "Whose Gonna Fill Their Shoes." In 1980, he released what is perhaps his most popular song, "He Stopped Loving Her Today."

Steve Schaffner, a Cape Girardeau native who is retiring after 22 years as the orchestra director at the Cape Girardeau Central Junior and Senior High Schools, ranks Jones in his top 10 of country performers.

Schaffner, while a member of country singer Narvel Felts' band in the late 1970s, also played some shows with Jones.

"Some of us from Narvel's band were booked to front George and Tammy Wynette for a couple of Louisiana dates," Schaffner said. "I believe I was playing bass at the time."

According to Schaffner, Jones lived up to his other nickname, "No-Show Jones," during one of the dates.

"He came by that nickname honestly," Schaffner said. "George didn't show one night, and then Tammy didn't show the next night. I have to say I wasn't very impressed with that."

Schaffner said he was impressed by Jones' consistent style throughout the decades.

"He walked out on stage and he was sincere," he said. "Nothing flashy at all. In country music, you have to be able to hit that blue-collar nerve. George could do that with his songs about experience and heartache. He could hit a nerve with anybody."

Another Cape Girardeau native who played with Jones is Kent Goodson, who played piano and keyboards in Jones' band from 1982 to 2011.

"I was blessed to be a part of that experience," Goodson said during a telephone interview from Madison, Tenn. "Nobody loves his music more than me. It's a sad day in Nashville and also in the country music business."

Goodson said he was playing piano in a restaurant/nightclub in Nashville when he was asked to join Jones' band.

"George's people used to come in the place where I was playing," he said. "In 1982, he needed a new piano player, and I was asked if I'd like to give it a try. I was playing with George a week later."

Jones appeared in Cape Girardeau and at other local venues. He helped open the Show Me Center with Tanya Tucker in 1987, and he returned to the Show Me Center for another performance in 1993. He also performed at the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo in 1997. His last appearance in Cape Girardeau was at the SEMO District Fair in 2011, when he performed despite being ill.

Goodson said he wasn't surprised that Jones pushed on when age and illness became hurdles.

"Ernest Tubb worked until he died," he said. "When Ernest died in 1984, George told me, 'That's probably what will happen to me.'"

klewis@semissourian.com

388-3635