George Strait was devastated to learn of the loss of his hero, George Jones, Friday.  Strait scored a hit with his cover of Jones’ “The Love Bug” back in the ’90s, and Jones’ passing came as quite a shock to him.

Strait says, “I didn’t even know that George was in the hospital.  To the whole music industry, it’s just going to be a big void not having George out there, but you know, we’ve got his music and that music will live forever.”

Strait’s favorite memory of Jones happened a few years ago at Strait’s Country Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Nashville.  Jones presented Strait with the medallion signifying his Hall of Fame membership that night.

“He actually was the one who did the actual induction,” Strait says, “and what a special night that was.”

Though Jones’ struggles with alcohol and drugs in the late ’70s and early ’80s were well-documented, Strait says that didn’t affect the way the country music industry felt about him in the long run.

Says Strait, “He did a lot of crazy things in his career, and no matter how crazy he got, everybody still loved him ’cause that’s just the kind of guy that George was.  We’re just all gonna miss him.  It’s a sad day for the music business for sure.”

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

 

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