In this paper, we report experimental and theoretical investigations on tuning of the surface plasmon-exciton coupling by controlling the plasmonic mode damping, which is defined by the plasmonic layer thickness. The results reveal the formation of plasmon-exciton hybrid state characterized by a tunable Rabi splitting with energies ranging from 0 to 150 meV. Polarization-dependent spectroscopic reflection measurements were employed to probe the dispersion of the coupled system. The transfer matrix method and analytical calculations were used to model the self-assembled J-aggregate/metal multilayer structures in excellent agreement with experimental observations. © 2012 American Physical Society.