CHICAGO — John Prine, the Maywood, Ill., postman and Army mechanic who went on to become one of the most revered American songwriters of the past half century, is in critical condition “after a sudden onset of COVID-19 symptoms,” his official Twitter feed reported Sunday afternoon.
Prine “was hospitalized on Thursday. He was intubated Saturday evening, and continues to receive care, but his situation is critical,” said the note “From the Prine family” on the @JohnPrineMusic Twitter feed.
Prine, 73, has battled cancer twice, in the late 1990s and the early 2010s, and just last month received a lifetime achievement award at the Grammys.
His 2018 album “Tree of Forgiveness,” his first of original material in 13 years, included guest appearances by Jason Isbell, Brandi Carlile, the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach and Amanda Shires, and earned wide critical praise.
The week before the singer’s diagnosis his wife Fiona Whelan Prine said she had tested positive for coronavirus through her Instagram feed and said a test on her husband was indeterminate.
“We wanted to let you know,” the family Twitter post said, “and give you the chance to send on more of that love and support now.”
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