One day after John Prine’s family announced that the singer-songwriter had been hospitalized and intubated after experiencing a sudden onset of COVID-19 symptoms, his wife, Fiona Whelan Prine, provided an update on her husband’s condition.
“He is stable,” she wrote on Twitter Monday. “Please continue to send your amazing love and prayers.” Reached for comment, a rep for John Prine clarified that the singer “remains in the ICU and is stable on the respirator.” Prine’s rep confirmed that the musician tested positive for the coronavirus.
I have recovered from Covid-19. We are humbled by the outpouring of love for me and John and our precious family. He is stabile. Please continue to send your amazing Love and prayers. Sing his songs. Stay home and wash hands. John loves you. I love you
— Fiona Whelan Prine (@FionaPrine) March 30, 2020
“I need to clarify what I mean by ‘John is stable,’ ” Fiona wrote in a follow-up tweet. “That is not the same as improving. There is no cure for COVID-19. He needs our prayers and love — as do the thousands of others who are critically ill. Stay at home. Wash your hands. We love you.”
In the 24 hours since the Prine family announced John’s condition, the singer’s extended musical community, from Joan Baez and Roger Waters to Jeff Tweedy and Kacey Musgraves, has responded with an overwhelming display of support for the beloved singer. “John Prine lives in all our hearts,” Waters tweeted yesterday.
“One of the loveliest people I was ever lucky enough to know,” added Bette Midler. “He is a genius and a huge soul. Pray for him.”
Prine’s wife announced last week that she herself had tested positive for the coronavirus and was isolating herself from her husband. “I was diagnosed with the coronavirus late last week,” she said. “John, however, was also tested and his test came back indeterminate.”
Prine’s health issues over the past few decades have been well-documented. In the late-Nineties, the musician was diagnosed with squamous-cell cancer in his neck; after rounds of radiation, surgery, and a year of rehabilitation, Prine returned to music. In 2013, Prine announced he had an operable cancer, “nonsmall cell carcinoma,” in his left lung, that briefly sidelined him.
“This is hard news for us to share,” Fiona wrote over the weekend. “But so many of you have loved and supported John over the years, we wanted to let you know, and give you the chance to send out more of that love and support now. And know that we love you, and John loves you.”
