John Prine, the legendary singer/songwriter who blended country and folk musi, died on Tuesday following a battle with the coronavirus. He was 73. A national outpouring of grief soon followed after news of his death was reported. "Prine," wrote Stephen L. Betts and Patrick Doyle for Rolling Stone, "who for five decades wrote rich, plain-spoken songs that chronicled the struggles and stories of everyday working people and changed the face of modern American roots music, died Tuesday at Nashville's Vanderbilt University Medical Center."According to his family, the cause was complications related to coronavirus, or Covid-19.
On March 29, his family announced that he was hospitalized due to COVID-19 and was intubated at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. He also had pneumonia in both lungs. Prine’s wife Fiona also was diagnosed with COVID-19, but she recovered.
Born on Oct. 10, 1946 in Maywood, Illinois, Prine was known for his mix of humor and seriousness in his songwriting. He tackled love and his personal life, along with social commentary and his raspy voice was one of the most distinctive in folk.
His first solo album was released in 1971 and included a number of his signature songs, including “Illegal Smile,” “Sam Stone,” “Hello in There” and the standard “Angel From Montgomery.” He was nominated for a Grammy for Best New Artist in 1973.
