His publicist tells CNN, "Yes, we can confirm on behalf of the Prine family — John died today at Vanderbilt due to complications of Covid-19."Prine was hospitalized and intubated last month after a "sudden onset" of coronavirus symptoms, according to a family statement posted on his verified Twitter account."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," the statement said.The unassuming Prine never had a hit single or a blockbuster album. But he built a devoted following, won several Grammys and overcame two bouts of cancer to record and tour into his 70s."He is singing with the angels," singer Sheryl Crow wrote on Twitter. "You will be missed but your songs will live on."Other musicians revered Prine and covered many of his songs, which wrung wry, universal truths from everyday life. Johnny Cash, in his memoir, named Prine as one of his four key songwriting inspirations. Bob Dylan, in a 2009 interview, said, "Prine's stuff is pure Proustian existentialism … and he writes beautiful songs." "There's a huge hole in the music world tonight. John did it best," country singer Toby Keith wrote on Twitter. Rolling Stone once called Prine "the Mark Twain of American songwriting.""I didn't expect to do this for a living, being a recording artist," Prine told NPR in 2018. "I was just playing music for the fun of it and writing songs. That was kind of my escape, you know, from the humdrum of the world."Prine grew up in a blue-collar suburb of Chicago and was famously working as a postal carrier when his musical career took off in 1970. He was singing on open-mic nights at a Chicago bar when Roger Ebert, then a young reporter for the Sun-Times, heard him play and wrote a favorable review, dubbing him the "Singing Mailman." People began lining up to hear him play, and one famous early fan, singer-songwriter Kris Kristofferson, helped him get a record deal."John and I were 'New Dylans' together in the early 70s and he was never anything but the loveliest guy in the world," Bruce Springsteen wrote on Twitter following Prine's death. "A true national treasure and a songwriter for the ages. We send our love and prayers to his family."Prine's debut album, in 1971, was a critical success. It contains several of his signature songs, including "Paradise," about the Western Kentucky town where his parents grew up, and "Hello in There," an affectionate tribute to elderly people.Its chorus goes: "Ya know that old trees just grow stronger / And old rivers grow wilder every day / Old people just grow lonesome / Waiting for someone to say, 'Hello in there, hello.' "Johnny Cash covered another of its songs, "Sam Stone," about a drug-addicted Vietnam vet. But Cash was uncomfortable with its most famous line — "There's a hole in daddy's arm where all the money goes / Jesus Christ died for nothin' I suppose" — and sang it as, "Daddy must have suffered a lot back then, I suppose."Prine released a dozen albums and toured steadily oRead More – Source
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