Music lovers are paying tribute to beloved American singer-songwriter John Prine, who died Tuesday of complications from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Prine, who influenced generations of musicians, was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame last year.
In January, he was honored with a lifetime achievement Grammy, with fellow music legend Bonnie Raitt paying tribute to Prine from the stage.
He had penned one of Raittās best-known tunes, āAngel From Montgomery.ā
Many on social media wrote āmake him an angel,ā a play on a line from the song:
Others quoted songs such as āWhen I Get To Heavenā:
But all were sharing the same thought: This one hurts.
From gracing the Opry House stage for those memorable New Year's Eve shows to other special Opry appearances including one alongside the StreelDrivers and Bill Murray, John Prine has touched our hearts with his music. We are thinking of his family and friends tonight. ā¤ļø pic.twitter.com/FV3nIfT1kc
— Grand Ole Opry (@opry) April 8, 2020
Make him an angel https://t.co/fCtnrgdRHZ
— Bill Shapiro (@Bill_Shapiro) April 8, 2020
Heartbroken.
— K A C E Y (@KaceyMusgraves) April 8, 2020
Over here on E Street, we are crushed by the loss of John Prine. John and I were "New Dylans" together in the early 70s and he was never anything but the lovliest guy in the world. A true national treasure and a songwriter for the ages. We send our love and prayers to his family.
— Bruce Springsteen (@springsteen) April 8, 2020
š¢ John Prine.
— lindi ortega (@lindiortega) April 8, 2020
The great John Prine has passed away from the virus. He showed me how to ālet it ripā when it comes to songwriting. Thereās a huge hole in the music world tonight. John did it best. RIP -T
— Toby Keith (@tobykeith) April 8, 2020
With a heavy heart, but deep love and gratitude for his gift he gave us all- Goodbye, John Prine. https://t.co/kGkNJYl3hI
— Stephen Colbert (@StephenAtHome) April 8, 2020
RIP John Prine. This sucks.
— Taika Waititi (@TaikaWaititi) April 8, 2020
The moon is full for you tonight, Mr. Prine. JP forever.
— Lilly Hiatt (@LillyHiatt1) April 8, 2020
John Prine had dignity, social conscience, humor & a unique sense of tradition. One of Americaās earliest folk pioneers & so much more. RIP pic.twitter.com/enSXs6SXAu
— Michael Des Barres (@MDesbarres) April 8, 2020
I am so sad about John Prine. He'd survived so much. His work taught me a great deal about compassionate, thoughtful writing -- writing that understood a love rooted in the critical and curious was the love worth pursuing. I'm thankful we got him for as long as we did. Still sad.
— Hanif Abdurraqib (@NifMuhammad) April 8, 2020
Coronavirus has taken one of the great ones: John Prine, dead at 73. So many memorable songs.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) April 8, 2020
āRoger Ebert...wrote Mr. Prineās first review, under the headline āSinging Mailman Who Delivers a Powerful Message in a Few Words.āā https://t.co/GR6gybGqOC
— Bryan Curtis (@bryancurtis) April 8, 2020
And then Iām gonna drink a cocktail: vodka and ginger ale Yeah, Iām gonna smoke a cigarette thatās nine miles long Iām gonna kiss a pretty girl on the tilt-a-whirl Cause this old man is going to townā
— Brandy Clark (@TheBrandyClark) April 8, 2020
āWHEN I GET TO HEAVENā ~ John Prine š š¬ pic.twitter.com/4LtRpowz4J
Mr. Dylan, listing his favorite songwriters for The Huffington Post in 2009, put Mr. Prine front and center. āPrineās stuff is pure Proustian existentialism,ā he said. āMidwestern mind trips to the nth degree. And he writes beautiful songs.ā https://t.co/qixUwsZhy4
— Peter Lalor (@plalor) April 8, 2020
āThatās the way that the world goes round
— Doug Jones (@DougJones) April 8, 2020
Youāre up one day
And the next youāre down
Itās a half an inch of water
And you think youāre gonna drown
Thatās the the way that the world goes roundā
RIP John Prine. This is especially tough pic.twitter.com/zgkgQznf2O
RIP John Prine. The real deal. Great American singer/songwriter that found the heart and humor in even the darkest of human stories through song. Genius. Very heavy loss.
— marc maron (@marcmaron) April 8, 2020
Make me an angel that flies from Montgomery
— Jeff Elder (@JeffElder) April 8, 2020
Make me a poster of an old rodeo
Just give me one thing that I can hold on to
To believe in this living is just a hard way to go pic.twitter.com/9lsrF6HtaM
The consummate working songwriter. The singing mailman. What a loss for American music, what a loss for our nation. His music came into my life when I was 16 and it changed my heart forever. Goodbye Mr. Prine. I never met you but I always loved you. pic.twitter.com/hqFZSAgYMq
— Joe Pug (@joepug) April 8, 2020
This one hurts so incredibly hard. When I wrote it I was hoping to not have to use this obituary for a long, long time, but here we are. Forever indebted to him. Please listen to John Prine. https://t.co/5Mbj12SzWb
— Andrew Kirell (@AndrewKirell) April 8, 2020
This shouldnāt have happened. John Prine survived two cancer scares. He earned more years than this.
— Steven Hyden (@Steven_Hyden) April 8, 2020
One of the most beautiful things about music is the fact that it lives forever. Thank you, Mr. Prine for the eternal gift. ā¤ļø pic.twitter.com/SThNEmDqFY
— GratefulDeadHistory (@GratefulHistory) April 8, 2020
Goodbye, John Prine. Your wit and poetry are with me forever. pic.twitter.com/usTh45bUSv
— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) April 8, 2020
I will say it again: Prine Abides.
— Michael McKean (@MJMcKean) April 8, 2020
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