Update, April 7, 2019: John Prine died on Tuesday of complications from COVID-19, the New York Times reports.
Singer-songwriter John Prine is in critical condition with COVID-19. Prine, who is 73, was hospitalized on Thursday after a sudden onset of symptoms and intubated Saturday evening. His family announced the news on his official Twitter account:
Prine, who wrote “Angel From Montgomery” and “Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore,” is one of the most influential songwriters in country folk music. A product of the Chicago folk revival whose early fans included Roger Ebert and Bill Murray, Prine has been nominated for 11 Grammys and won twice: Both 1991’s The Missing Years and 2005’s Fair & Square won Best Contemporary Folk Album. His debut album, 1971’s John Prine, entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2015, and Prine himself was awarded a lifetime achievement Grammy this year. In 2019, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Before the novel coronavirus outbreak, Prine was scheduled to play two shows at Louisville, Kentucky’s Palace Theater at the end of May, before kicking off a packed summer that included shows in Canada, Europe, and New York City’s Apollo Theater.
