<P> By 1980 , Jones had not had a number one single in six years and many critics began to write him off . However , the music industry was stunned in July when `` He Stopped Loving Her Today '' shot to number one on the country charts . The song was written by Bobby Braddock and Curly Putman and tells the story of a friend who has never given up on his love ; he keeps old letters and photos from back in the day and hangs on to hope that she would `` come back again '' . The song reaches its peak in the chorus , revealing that he indeed stopped loving her when he died and the woman does return -- for his funeral . In a different singer 's hands , the song might have sounded irreverent but Jones ' interpretation , buoyed by his delivery of the line `` ... first time I 'd seen him smile in years '' , gives it a realism . </P>
<P> By 1980 , Jones had not had a number one single in six years and many critics began to write him off . However , the music industry was stunned in July when `` He Stopped Loving Her Today '' shot to number one on the country charts . The song was written by Bobby Braddock and Curly Putman and tells the story of a friend who has never given up on his love ; he keeps old letters and photos from back in the day and hangs on to hope that she would `` come back again '' . The song reaches its peak in the chorus , revealing that he indeed stopped loving her when he died and the woman does return -- for his funeral . In a different singer 's hands , the song might have sounded irreverent but Jones ' interpretation , buoyed by his delivery of the line `` ... first time I 'd seen him smile in years '' , gives it a realism . </P>
who wrote the song he stopped loving her today
who wrote the song he stopped loving her today
Bobby Braddock Curly Putman
Bobby Braddock Curly Putman