Home Jambase Musicians & Others Honor John Prine

Musicians & Others Honor John Prine

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Singer-songwriter John Prine died on Monday at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville at age 73 due to complications from the coronavirus COVID-19. Prine’s far-reaching influence and the respect for him can be seen in the many tributes and condolences that have come pouring in following his death.

“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,” his wife Fiona Whelan Prine wrote as part of a message released today. “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,” added Fiona. “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.”

John Prine was a master poet of the highest order who leaves behind a catalog of timeless songs. From the release of his self-titled debut studio album in 1971 through 2018’s The Tree Of Forgiveness, Prine captured the human condition in a way few others have done. The Illinois native influenced multiple generations of musicians and earned the respect and admiration of his peers. Here is a compilation of tributes to the one-of-a-kind singer-songwriter that have come pouring in since the tragic news of his death was confirmed:

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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

A post shared by Fiona💚 (@fprine) on Apr 8, 2020 at 8:04am PDT

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John Prine I spent the past two years touring with Bonnie Raitt. She changed her set pretty much every night but, often as not, her half of our concert included John Prine’s beautiful song, “Angel From Montgomery”. I know tonight that Bonnie is mourning the loss of one of our generation’s greatest singer/songwriters. John was taken from us by Covid19. For me, losing him makes this pandemic personal because John Prine was a hero of mine. “Christmas in Prison”, “Dear Abby”, “Paradise”, “Hello in There”… Prine was one of those artists that really didn’t translate into the Pop Culture, attempts to explain or promote him were clearly painful to him: he wasn’t evasive or mysterious, he was just embarrassed. The genuine article. There goes a good one… James . . . #JT #JamesTaylor @john_prine #johnprine #bonnie #bonnieraitt @bonnieraittofficial Photo credit: @gettyimages for @songwritershof #angelofmontgomery

A post shared by James Taylor (@jamestaylor_com) on Apr 7, 2020 at 9:31pm PDT

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They were lucky to be in the room with you, John.

A post shared by jasonisbell (@jasonisbell) on Apr 7, 2020 at 10:21pm PDT

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We lost John Prine today. If you don’t know his music start anywhere. My friend Ferg and John Prine were really tight so after a while I got to be pals with John. Prine was the best hang. So funny, so cool. He just wanted to chill. You can imagine. I went through my phone found some Prine hangs: Prine’s hands and rings at Brown’s Diner March 2013 (he said “I decided I should start wearing these just so I know I got ‘em”), Sept 2014 lunch at Wendell’s, 2013 playing guitar with Jack Clement and Kent Malone running through Jack’s song “Miller’s Cave”, at Cowboy’s with Fergie Cowboy and T Bone, July 4th with Barry Corbin, at Sportman’s Grill with T Bone Will Oldham and Jim Rooney. 💔

A post shared by Matt Sweeney (@theheavyjamz) on Apr 7, 2020 at 7:57pm PDT

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In the 1970’s, when I first became a songwriter, I hung out with a lot of other young songwriters. We talked endlessly about songwriting and the difference between good and great songwriters. There were a few who were gods, who were untouchable, who were beyond ‘great’. They occupied a territory entirely their own. They wrote songs that were born from their own sublime, wry, dark, expansive, deep and compassionate natures— no one else could have written their songs. Kris was one. And John Prine. When we said his name, or ‘John Prine wrote that’ or ‘that line is from a John Prine song’, we spoke of him with reverence. I always will. I love you, John. My deepest sympathy and love to Fiona and his whole family. #johnprine @john_prine (here with Tony Joe White and Kris Kristofferson at the recording session for ‘When the Master Calls The Roll’, which the gentlemen sang backup on)

A post shared by Rosanne Cash (@mrslev) on Apr 7, 2020 at 8:50pm PDT

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John Prine’s songs have been with me for so much of my life. I first heard “Paradise” sung by friends at campfires in hobo jungles. It felt like a song that always existed, and a story that was always occuring. Soon after I heard “Angel from Montgomery” from my best friend who encouraged me to write my own songs. It struck me how human it felt, so alive. I thought: This writer must really love people. You can only write like that when it comes from a place of love. Well, when I heard “Sam Stone” It was a revelation. Pure street poetry. It’s reality, it’s hard to hear and yet when it’s done I wanna hear it again. I suppose hearing him tell the truth reminded me our experiences are real and our pain is real. Many years later I ended up writing “Small Town Heroes” after seeing @john_prine play a show in New Orleans. He inspired me greatly. I have been praying for him and listening to his recordings (especially ‘Lake Marie’) and I send my deepest love to @fprine I love his songs so much and I am so grateful to him for being so generous with us. I have been praying he would be protected, surrounded by the love of all of us who he sang for in our times of need. We are so grateful, we love you so much John. Rest in Peace. ❤️ Feel free to share his songs that shaped you below. Let’s all listen and remember under this super pink full moon.

A post shared by alynda👁mariposa👁segarra (@hurrayfortheriffraff) on Apr 7, 2020 at 8:59pm PDT

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The loss of John Prine weighs very heavy on my heart. How fortunate are we to have existed within his orbit? I fondly remember a couple of tours where I opened for John solo, and he was always so warm and kind to me even as I was just getting my sea legs on the open road. On one such tour I was too young to rent a car to drive myself to the shows, so he invited me to ride along with him and the band. He was behind the wheel and I’ll never forget sitting in the back seat watching him drive us from one gig to the next. He seemed so content in the driver’s seat and was filled with joy at the sight of any Dairy Queen. We stopped and had lunch and ice cream there. Those nights on tour he invited me to sing “In Spite Of Ourselves” and “Paradise” with him and he always looked at me and smiled while we sang. His audiences’ reverence of those songs opened my eyes to what it means to be a great songwriter. He changed peoples’ lives with his songs. The last time I sang with him was with Sara and Aoife at Red Rocks last September. It was a magical, perfect evening. John made us feel so at home. Always. And that’s how I’ll always remember him. Smiling and singing a song. My heart goes out to Fiona, his entire family, his band and those who worked alongside him. Rest In Peace John Prine. 📸: @jodyapril

A post shared by Sarah Jarosz (@sarahjarosz) on Apr 7, 2020 at 9:09pm PDT

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Rest In Peace #JohnPrine, songwriter, legend.

A post shared by Tom Morello (@tommorello) on Apr 7, 2020 at 10:14pm PDT

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Way Down. RIP 💔

A post shared by Bright Eyes (@brighteyesofficial) on Apr 8, 2020 at 3:20am PDT

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He schooled us all.

A post shared by Anais Mitchell (@anaismitchell) on Apr 8, 2020 at 8:38am PDT

Wow! After losing Bill Withers a few days ago it’s really hard to accept the loss of another giant like John Prine. A…

Posted by Warren Haynes on Wednesday, April 8, 2020

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The light you’ve shown will outlive us all…

A post shared by Bob Weir (@bobweir) on Apr 8, 2020 at 7:02am PDT

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RIP John Prine Much love to @fprine and family.

A post shared by Del McCoury Band (@delmccouryband) on Apr 7, 2020 at 10:02pm PDT

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My experience is: great songwriters are great storytellers. Great songwriters are great observers. Great songwriters dig below the surface. Great songwriters find truth in pain and compassion in hate….great songwriters see joy and laughter in tears and sadness in love. Many times great songwriters know what they’re writing about because they’re writing about themselves and their friends, places they’ve been, things they witnessed, stories they heard, stories they read, people they knew, women or men they’ve loved… Songwriters hear a chord and are reminded of that time, years ago when I was a little boy and life didn’t seem so hard… days never ended and night time always came to soon… Thank you, John Prine. – Ben . . . 📷 @jayblakesberg

A post shared by Preservation Hall Jazz Band (@preshallband) on Apr 8, 2020 at 9:26am PDT

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RIP John Prine Much love to @fprine and family.

A post shared by The Travelin’ McCourys (@thetravelinmccourys) on Apr 7, 2020 at 10:14pm PDT

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It won’t be the same without you. 💔

A post shared by Greensky Bluegrass (@greenskybluegrass) on Apr 7, 2020 at 8:35pm PDT

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#johnprine

A post shared by Tom Hamilton Jr (@trhjunior) on Apr 7, 2020 at 6:48pm PDT

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Thank You John Prine We’ll miss you like hell..

A post shared by Marcus Lee King (@realmarcusking) on Apr 7, 2020 at 7:49pm PDT

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😢 Rest In Peace John.

A post shared by Nicole Atkins (@nicoleatkins) on Apr 7, 2020 at 11:01pm PDT

John, We love you with all our hearts.We will hear your spirit for the rest of our days. Thank you.

Posted by Jim Lauderdale on Tuesday, April 7, 2020

We are crushed. John Prine has died of complications from Covid-19. With or without a flag decal, John will be playing…

Posted by Moonalice on Tuesday, April 7, 2020

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Rest In Peace, John.

A post shared by Martin Guitar (@martinguitar) on Apr 7, 2020 at 7:00pm PDT

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Rest In Peace @john_prine

A post shared by Levon Helm Studios (@levonhelmstudios) on Apr 7, 2020 at 7:08pm PDT

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❤️

A post shared by Levon Helm Studios (@levonhelmstudios) on Apr 7, 2020 at 7:13pm PDT

John Prine, one of the alltime great… people. Thinking about Duane Betts and Dickey driving around in the Betts truck…

Posted by Alan Paul on Tuesday, April 7, 2020

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🌹 I was just with John Prine in Florida at 30A Songwriters Festival. People stayed in the blowing rain and his guitar was getting soaked. So I ran out and started wiping his guitar down and then his shoes. John eventually realized it was me! We sang Angel From Montgomery together. My mind went back to 1978 when I recorded it on the TNT album. I asked John to sing harmony. He said, “I can’t sing harmony,” but he did and it was great back then in 78. And it was great in Florida that day in the rain. Backstage, I introduced my boyfriend Craig, on the left, to his beautiful wife Fiona and John. I keep going back to those precious memories. I will treasure what little time we all got to spend together that day. My heart bleeds for my birthday buddy. We pinky swore that we were gonna celebrate our birthdays Oct. 10 together this year. My prayers go out to Fiona and the entire family. #restinpeace

A post shared by Tanya Tucker (@thetanyatucker) on Apr 7, 2020 at 9:20pm PDT

Source: JamBase.com

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