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Grammy winner John Prine is in critical condition with COVID-19

The singer-songwriter’s family turned to Twitter on Sunday, asking for fans to send love and support.

The coronavirus has begun to invade the music world. In the case of legendary singer-songwriter John Prine, the news is bad and apparently getting worse.

Prine’s family announced Sunday on Twitter that he’s suffering the effects of COVID-19. He’s in the hospital, they said, in critical condition.

“After a sudden onset of COVID-19 symptoms, John was hospitalized on Thursday (3/26),” reads the announcement. “He was intubated Saturday evening, and continues to receive care, but his situation is critical. This is hard news for us to share. But so many of you have loved and supported John over the years, we wanted to let you know, and give you the chance to send on more of that love and support now. And know that we love you, and John loves you.”

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Even worse news struck the music world Sunday, when representatives for country singer-songwriter Joe Diffie announced that he had died from COVID-19. Diffie was 61.

Singer-songwriter Jackson Browne announced last week that he recently tested positive for the virus but said his symptoms were mild and that he’s recovering at home. Browne and Prine are among a wave of Baby Boomer songwriters who flooded American airwaves in the early 1970s, along with James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Carole King and others.

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Now 73, Prine began his recording career in 1971 with a self-titled debut that drew immediate comparisons to Bob Dylan. Prine has won four Grammy awards and recorded more than 20 albums, his most recent being The Tree of Forgiveness in 2018. His army of high-profile fans includes Dylan, who in a 2009 interview with HuffPost said:

"Prine's stuff is pure Proustian existentialism. Midwestern mind trips to the ninth degree."

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Dozens of artists have covered Prine’s songs, in particular Bonnie Raitt, whose version of “Angel from Montgomery” is an all-time show-stopper. Raitt sang “Angel from Montgomery” in the wake of the Great Recession during a show at the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas.

Afterward, in her dressing room, she mused on the somber mood in the hall, saying it felt to her as though the song carried greater resonance on a night when people were fearful and worried. And on that night in particular, no song moved the crowd more. She sang it again in 2017, during the opening act for a show with James Taylor at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco.

“Angel from Montgomery” appeared on Prine’s debut album, as did “Hello in There,” which is also widely covered, by, among others, Bette Midler and Joan Baez.

Born in Maywood, Ill., to a middle-class family, Prine worked as a mailman before launching his career. He began playing guitar at 14. A member of Chicago’s folk revival, he got his first big break when fellow songwriter and native Texan Kris Kristofferson heard him sing and offered to help him land a record deal.

Kristofferson was among those who admitted feeling mesmerized by the power of Prine’s lyrics. In dealing with addiction in “Sam Stone,” which also appeared on his debut album, Prine wrote, “There’s a hole in Daddy’s arm where all the money goes.”

Johnny Cash, in his autobiography Cash, wrote, “I don’t listen to music much at the farm, unless I’m going into songwriting mode and looking for inspiration. Then I’ll put on something by the writers I’ve admired and used for years — Rodney Crowell, John Prine, Guy Clark, and the late Steve Goodman are my Big Four."

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