RFD-TV will broadcast a live feed of the public funeral services of country legend George Jones on Thursday, May 2, beginning at 10 a.m. CST direct from the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. FamilyNet, also owned by Rural Media Group, will air a delayed feed at 2 p.m. CST after the market report, RMG said.
According to the Associated Press and a statement the networks pulled from the George Jones official online web site: “George would have wanted his fans and friends everywhere to be able to come and pay their respects along with his family,” said publicist Kirt Webster. While the funeral will be open to the public, a private visitation for family, friends, and fellow performers will take place on Wednesday evening.
“The Voice” of Country Music fell silent last Friday, at the age of 81. A member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1956, George Jones achieved perhaps his greatest personal honor when he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1992. In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that contributions be made to the Grand Ole Opry trust fund.
“George Jones touched upon the lives of our viewers like few artists can. He’s both a music legend and a symbol of the style of country music that has always been true to the heart of rural America," Patrick Gottsch, founder of Rural Media Group, the channels' parent company, said in a release. “George has visited our Nashville studios many times, performed with many of our programmers and been a dear friend to RFD-TV and our viewers. This is the least we could do to honor his life.”
