Musician John Prine dies from coronavirus complications

NASHVILLE — Musician John Prine died Tuesday from complications of the coronavirus at 73, according to his family.

He died at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee, where he had been hospitalized last month.

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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 was considered one of the most influential songwriters of his generation. He is known for songs including “In Spite of Ourselves,” “Fish and Whistle,” and “I Just Want To Dance With You.” He has won two Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019.

In 2017, Rolling Stone proclaimed him “The Mark Twain of American songwriting.”

In March, Prine was taken to a hospital and was later intubated, the Prine family said on social media.

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“His situation is critical,” the Prine family said in a statement. “This is hard news for us to share. 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 on more of that love and support now.”

The Associated Press contributed to this story.