John Prine, the ingenious singer-songwriter who explored the heartbreaks, indignities and absurdities of everyday life in "Angel from Montgomery," "Sam Stone," "Hello in There" and scores of other indelible tunes, died Tuesday at the age of 73.
His family announced his death from complications from the coronavirus.
Winner of a lifetime achievement Grammy earlier this year, Prine was a virtuoso of the soul, if not the body. He sang his conversational lyrics in a voice roughened by a hard-luck life, particularly after throat cancer left him with a disfigured jaw.
He joked that he fumbled so often on the guitar, taught to him as a teenager by his older brother, that people thought he was inventing a new style. But his open-heartedness, eye for detail and sharp and surreal humor brought him the highest admiration from critics, from such peers as Bob Dylan and Kris Kristofferson, and from such younger stars as Jason Isbell and Kacey Musgraves, who even named a song after him.
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In 2017, Rolling Stone proclaimed him "The Mark Twain of American songwriting."
Photos: John Prine through the years
2019 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival - Day 3
John Prine performs at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival on Saturday, June 15, 2019, in Manchester, Tenn. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)
Music Americana Awards
Bonnie Raitt, left, and John Prine perform during the Americana Honors & Awards show Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)
John Prine
FILE - This Oct. 27, 2013 file photo shows country singer John Prine before singing "Ballad of a Teenage Queen" while honoring Country Music Hall of Fame inductee the late "Cowboy Jack Clement" at the ceremony for the 2013 inductions into the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tenn. Prine says he’s been diagnosed with an operable form of lung cancer. A note on the 67-year-old website says he will undergo surgery next month, forcing the postponement two dates in Louisville, Ky. Prine says in the note that doctors found the cancer early and “see no reason why I won’t fully recover.” (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski, File)
Music John Prine
In this June 20, 2017, photo, John Prine poses in his offices in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Music John Prine
In this June 20, 2017, photo, John Prine poses in his office in Nashville, Tenn. The former Chicago mailman has become an affable songwriting guru for many of Nashville’s talented young artists and his songbook, “Beyond Words,” released in April, features guitar chords, family photos, handwritten lyrics and witty stories alongside some of his best known songs, such as “Sam Stone.” (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)
Music Americana Awards
John Prine performs during the Americana Honors and Awards show, Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)
APTOPIX Music Americana Awards
John Prine accepts the artist of the year award during the Americana Honors and Awards show Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Zaleski)
61st Annual Grammy Awards - Arrivals
John Prine arrives at the 61st annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center on Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
2019 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival - Day 3
John Prine performs at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival on Saturday, June 15, 2019, in Manchester, Tenn. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP)
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Mark Blum, a veteran stage actor also known for films including “Desperately Seeking Susan” and “Crocodile Dundee,” has died due to complications from Covid-19, according to a statement released by the Screen Actors Guild. Blum was 69. He died March 25. - CNN
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Adam Schlesinger
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Ellis Marsalis Jr.
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Patricia Bosworth
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Tom Dempsey
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John Prine
John Prine, the ingenious singer-songwriter who explored the heartbreaks, indignities and absurdities of everyday life in “Angel from Montgomery,” “Sam Stone,” “Hello in There” and scores of other indelible tunes, died April 7 at the age of 73. Winner of a lifetime achievement Grammy earlier this year, Prine was a virtuoso of the soul, if not the body. He sang his conversational lyrics in a voice so rough that even he didn't like the sound all that much, until it was softened by the throat cancer surgery that disfigured his jaw late in life.
