The great folk and country performer John Prine has recently been battling complications caused by COVID-19 symptoms, which has caused an outpouring of support from the entertainment world. During last nights Late Show, comedian Stephen Colbert took the time to send a message out to Prine and his fans, before showing a clip of their 2016 duet of “That’s the Way the World goes Round.”
“Last week, our friend – and yours – the musical great John Prine was placed on a ventilator with coronavirus symptoms,” Colbert began before sharing his duet with the legendary folk performer. “My thoughts are with John and his wife, Fiona, and his family. And everybody out there touched by this virus.”
This clip was originally filmed at the Ed Sullivan Theater in 2016, although the performance was never aired on broadcast. In an ironic twist, Colbert told Prine in 2016 “We’ll probably do this for the internet. Unless, you know, something terrible happens and we have to cheer up the world on the TV show.”
His complications from COVID-19 have placed him on a ventilator, and while he was originally described as being in a “critical” situation, his more recent health updates have said that he was in a “stable” condition. Fellow folk legend Joan Baez recently covered Prine’s “Hello in There” for a video recorded in her living room, which was made after Prine’s COVID-19 complications were publicized. Baez is best known for covering the track on her 1975 studio album Diamonds & Rust, which she says has been a fan favorite for decades.