Alan Jackson photo courtesy of SonyBMG Nashville.

Alan Jackson’s new video, “Sissy’s Song,” started airing on GAC on Monday, and it’s one that was inspired by a tragedy in his own life.

Leslie “Sissy” Fitzgerald worked for Alan and his family, and they saw her on a daily basis until May 20, 2007, when she died in a motorcycle accident. Her husband, who restores cars for a living, works with Alan, and Sissy also left behind a college-age daughter and a son in high school.

The shock of such a sudden tragedy hit everyone who knew her, including Alan.

“I didn’t sleep for a while,” he says. “So I sat down one day and wrote this song, and after that I felt all right.”

Alan gave a recording of “Sissy’s Song” to the Fitzgeralds to use at the funeral, and Alan quickly discovered that it had the same impact on others that it had on him.

“A lot of people told me how much it made them feel better and helped them get through it a little easier,” he says, “so I was very proud of it.”

The black-and-white video, directed by Scott Scovill, features Alan in performance shots against the back-lit pews of the historic Bear Creek Church, a tiny Civil War-era building listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

In addition to seeing him in the “Sissy’s Song” video, you’ll soon be able to spot Alan in a CBS special. On April 6, the day after the “44th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards”, he’ll be part of the performing cast taping “George Strait: ACM Artist Of The Decade, An All Star Concert Special.” Brooks & Dunn, Jamey Johnson, Montgomery Gentry, LeAnn Rimes, Lee Ann Womack, Miranda Lambert, Blake Shelton, John Rich, Jack Ingram and Jamie Foxx are the latest guests announced for the show, which airs May 27.