A monument dedicated to late country music icon George Jones has been unveiled in Nashville, Tennessee.

The ornate memorial has been erected at Woodlawn Roesch-Patton Memorial Park, the cemetery in which the singer is buried, and crowds of fans gathered there on Monday (18Nov13) to catch a first glimpse.

A large arch is adorned with the star's name, a poetic tribute and his nickname 'The Possum', as well as a guitar and the title of Jones' song He Stopped Loving Her Today.

Music producer Billy Sherrill, who worked on He Stopped Loving Her Today, was at the unveiling ceremony, along with Jones' widow Nancy.

Nancy says of the unusual memorial, "His fans deserve to come out and see something a little different, to sit there on that bench and see their idol."

She also announced the creation of a George Jones scholarship fund at Middle Tennessee State University, according to Tennessean.com.

The unveiling of the memorial kicked off a week of tributes to Jones, who died in April (13) at the age of 81. Planned events include street parties and a star-studded concert in Nashville on Friday (22Nov13). The gig at the Bridgestone Arena was supposed to be the final show of Jones' last tour before retirement, but it was changed to a tribute show after his death.

The concert will feature performances by stars including Blake Shelton, Brad Paisley, George Strait, Miranda Lambert and Vince Gill.