US Country Music Legend George Jones Dead At 81

George Jones, the American country music icon and one-time husband of Tammy Wynette, has died age 81.

The ABC has reported Jones' publicist as confirming that the country star died in Nashville on Friday, eight days after being admitted to hospital with "fever and irregular blood pressure".

The ex-marine had his first country success in 1955 with the single Why Baby Why; as rock'n'roll exploded Jones preferred to mine the depths of grassroots country.

Despite his unfashionable career choice, the singer-songwriter scored a number of hits through the late '50s and '60s - from White Lightning (1959) to Walk Through This World With Me (1967).

Jones married Wynette, his third wife, in 1969 and they were celebrated as the First Couple Of Country. The pair recorded together (Golden Ring, Near You) and Jones hard-partying lifestyle made the couple gossip column fodder - NY Times' report on Jones' death described them as "a country soap opera". After their divorce, Jones married manager Nancy Sepulvado.

The much-lauded artist was last year awarded a Lifetime Achievement Grammy.

[UPDATE] Fellow country music legend Barbara Mandrell released a statement about her one-time musical collaborator - the duo had a number one US country hit in 1981 with I Was Into Country When Country Wasn't Cool. Mandrell wrote: "I believe if you ask any singer who was the greatest country singer of all time, they would say 'George Jones'. He was without question and by far the BEST!" The 64-year-old singer recalled that she first worked with Jones when she was 13, and added, "I am so very grateful that he was my friend." 

Twitter has been inundated with tributes to Jones from a wide variety of musicians, reiterating Mandrell's claim that Jones was indeed an influence on all manner of singers:

My heart is absolutely broken. George Jones was my all time favorite singer... bit.ly/11q34Ev

— Dolly Parton (@Dolly_Parton) April 26, 2013

We have lost the best Country singer of all time George Jones, he was the voice coming out of the speakers that soothed my childhood soul :(

— Troy Cassar-Daley (@troycassardaley) April 26, 2013

Out to lunch and listening to George jones. The passing of a legend.

— moby (@thelittleidiot) April 26, 2013

RIP George Jones. What a huge loss to music.

— Nikki Sixx (@NikkiSixx) April 26, 2013

Sad morning losing the great George Jones. He will always be one of the most amazing singers who ever lived. youtube.com/watch?v=CYQViY…

— Kenny Rogers (@_KennyRogers) April 26, 2013

..... George Jones with a scorpion..... instagram.com/p/Yjak3KRwqq/

— Wayne Coyne (@waynecoyne) April 26, 2013