Many across the music world were shocked at the passing of legendary folk singer-songwriter John Prine, who passed away due to COVID-19 yesterday. Musicians who have given tributes include Bruce Springsteen, Margo Price, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver among many others.
Vernon tweeted “A simple majority of who I am as a person, let alone a musician, is because of John Prine. He is my number 1.”
Price tweeted: “It hurts so bad to read the news. I am gutted. My hero is gone. My friend is gone. We’ll love you forever John Prine.”
The Mountain Goats also took to social media calling this passing “a loss with no upside.”
Springsteen gave a message to Prine during his DJ set on SirusXM’s E Street Radio. On his Twitter page he called Prine one of “the New Dylans” an honor given to both of the performers during the beginning of their careers in the 1970s.
“John Prine was a sweet and lovely man, and I was proud to count him as my friend,” Springsteen stated. “He wrote music of towering compassion with an almost unheard of precision and creativity when it came to observing the fine details of ordinary lives. He was a writer of great humor, funny, with wry sensitivity. It has marked him as a complete original.”
Blues singer Bonnie Raitts also honored the late performer, saying she felt saddened by his loss on Twitter afte learning about his passing.
Tweedy performed a cover of Prine’s “Please Don’t Bury Me” during a livestream. The faithful cover, which discusses death and afterlife was a fitting tribute to the late musician, although Tweedy seems clearly emotional while performing the track.
Brandi Carlile performed “Summer’s End,” while Natalie Maines of The Dixie Chicks covered “Angel from Montgomery” as tributes to the singer-songwriter.
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