John Prine remembered by wife Fiona Whelan Prine, Oh Boy Records, Willie Nile...

John Prine / Photo courtesy of Oh Boy Records

Over the last several days there has been an outpouring of love and mourning for legendary singer-songwriter/guitarist John Prine following his passing from complications of the coronavirus earlier this week (April 7, 2020)...

First I want to share several affecting emails I have received in my inbox since yesterday and my previous post on John Prine:

From Willie Nile

Willie Nile (Photo by Cristina Arrigoni)

John Prine was a great man and a master songwriter. His humility, his humor, his indirect way of circling around the truth and getting to the heart of what it is to be human sets him apart from all the others. Listening to his songs and his understated way of delivering them is a master class on how it’s done and then some. There’s a gracefulness to them that you just can’t fake. There are some things in this world that can’t be taught and his brilliance and his heart on the sleeve of all the characters he wrote about so honestly is a testament to his greatness. 

His kindness and generosity to me when we met is something I will never forget and will carry with me all my days. He was as humble a man as you’ll ever meet and you’ll be a better person for having brushed up against one of his songs. His passing is a great loss to the world of music and to the world at large. It’s a rarity for such a gentle and wise man to pass by this way and his passing is a heartbreak in a world in such great need of a great and tender heart.

God bless John Prine. Rest in peace brother.

—Willie Nile

April 8, 2020

From Oh Boy Records
It is with heavy hearts we have to share this sad news. Some of you may have already heard, but we wanted to take the time to let you know personally, and to say thank you. Thank you so much for all the well wishes, thoughts, prayers, stories, and songs. They helped us keep going through this tough time, and they will continue to bring us comfort.

Thank you for your love and support of John all these years. We know that it is what kept him going. He absolutely loved what he did, and he loved all of you. Thank you and we love you. - The Oh Boy family

From Fiona Whelan Prine...

Our beloved John died yesterday evening at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville TN. We have no words to describe the grief our family is experiencing at this time. John was the love of my life and adored by our sons Jody, Jack and Tommy, daughter in law Fanny, and by our grandchildren.

John contracted Covid-19  and in spite of the incredible skill and care of his medical team at Vanderbilt he could not overcome the damage this virus inflicted on his body.

I sat with John - who was deeply sedated- in the hours before he passed and will be forever grateful for that opportunity.

My dearest wish is that people of all ages take this virus seriously and follow guidelines set by the CDC. We send our condolences and love to the thousands of other American families who are grieving the loss of loved ones at this time - and to so many other families across the world.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the outpouring of love we have received from family, friends, and fans all over the world. John will be so missed but he will continue to comfort us with his words and music and the gifts of kindness, humor and love he left for all of us to share.

In lieu of flowers or gifts at this time we would ask that a donation be made to one of the following non profits:

thistlefarms.org
roomintheinn.org
nashvillerescuemission.org

Those who want to learn more about Prine's influential song craft should check out this great article "Under the Covers: Top 10 John Prine Covers" on the American Songwriter site.


Finally, make sure to read this fantastic appreciation of Prine via a newly-published article on the Paste site.