Grammy-winning musician John Prine, famous for his contributions to folk, country and bluegrass, is currently in critical condition after experiencing “COVID-19 symptoms.†According to a post to his official Twitter account Sunday, the singer-songwriter was hospitalized on Thursday and intubated on Saturday evening, where he “continues to receive care, but his situation is critical.â€
“This is hard news for us to share,†the post reads. “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.â€
According to the Tennessean, the singer’s wife Fiona Whelan Prine posted an Instagram video on March 19 announcing that she had been diagnosed with the coronavirus, and the pair were self-quarantining separately. The 73-year-old Prine has survived cancer twice, first squamous cell cancer of the neck in 1998 and lung cancer in 2013.
Perhaps best known for songs like “Angel From Montgomery,†made famous by Bonnie Raitt’s 1974 cover, “Paradise,†“Sam Stone,†and “Hello In There,†Prine was discovered by Kris Kristofferson and dropped his first self-titled album in 1971. In the decades since, the singer has released 24 albums, earning praise from Bob Dylan and covers from Johnny Cash, Miranda Lambert and Miranda Lambert, among others. Prine won two Best Contemporary Folk Album Grammys, in 1992 and 2006, and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019. The singer received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy earlier this year.