Wasn't he in a relationsip with a female musician
who subsequently sang songs about how he mistreated her?

Umm, yeah, but on the other hand, I saw the Country Music awards quite a few years back, and he sang, "If Drinking Don't Kill Me, Her Memory Will" (which is my second-favorite of his, after "He Stopped Loving Her Today"), and in the final line, where the title line repeats once more, he sang, "...If drinking don't kill me, Tammy's memory will."

Peter.