John Prine’s wife remembers late singer, praises caregivers

Advertisement

Advertise with us

NASHVILLE - The wife of celebrated singer-songwriter John Prine said she was able to sit with her husband in the last hours of his life. Prine died Tuesday at 73 from complications of COVID-19.

Read this article for free:


or

Already have an account? Log in here »

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Subscribe and receive a limited-edition Free Press branded hat or tote.

Digital Subscription

One year of digital access for only $205*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles

*First annual payment billed as $205.00 + GST for one year. This annual subscription will automatically renew at $233.00 + GST every 52 weeks (10% off the regular annual price of $259.35). Offer available to new and qualified returning subscribers only. Cancel any time.

To continue reading, please subscribe:

Add Free Press access to your Brandon Sun subscription for only an additional

$1 for the first 4 weeks*

  • Enjoy unlimited reading on winnipegfreepress.com
  • Read the E-Edition, our digital replica newspaper
  • Access News Break, our award-winning app
  • Play interactive puzzles
Start now

*Your next Brandon Sun subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $17.95 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.95 plus GST every four weeks.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 08/04/2020 (2372 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NASHVILLE – The wife of celebrated singer-songwriter John Prine said she was able to sit with her husband in the last hours of his life. Prine died Tuesday at 73 from complications of COVID-19.

Fiona Whelan Prine said in a statement Wednesday that “in spite of the incredible skill and care of his medical team at Vanderbilt he could not overcome the damage this virus inflicted on his body.”

Fiona Prine, who also contracted the coronavirus and has since recovered, thanked everyone for the outpouring of love from fans all over the world. She also implored people of all ages to take the virus seriously and follow guidelines set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Revered for his wise and witty lyrics, he is known for songs like “Angel from Montgomery,” “Sam Stone,” “Hello in There” and scores of other quirky original tunes.

The coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but it can cause more severe illness, especially older adults and people with existing health problems.

Prine had survived throat and lung cancer, continuing to record and perform despite those illnesses.

Report Error Submit a Tip

More Stories

Mayoral candidates Klein, Vogiatzakis continue to snipe over inducement allegations

Chris Kitching and Joyanne Pursaga 6 minute read Preview

Mayoral candidates Klein, Vogiatzakis continue to snipe over inducement allegations

Chris Kitching and Joyanne Pursaga 6 minute read Updated: Yesterday at 5:50 PM CDT

Winnipeg mayoral candidate Mike Vogiatzakis told reporters Monday he will contact the city clerk to report his allegation that rival Kevin Klein offered him a job to drop out of the race.

Vogiatzakis and Klein both doubled down a day after accusing each other of offering the other a position at city hall, if they were victorious in the Oct. 28 election, in exchange for a withdrawal.

“Do I want to get him charged? Not really. I don’t want to destroy anybody’s life,” Vogiatzakis told reporters.

“Kevin’s a good guy. I thought he was a friend of mine, but he’s not. Kevin uses leverage to get ahead, and he tried to use me as leverage.”

Read
Updated: Yesterday at 5:50 PM CDT

Puzzles Palace

1 minute read Monday, Jul. 27, 2026

To solve our puzzles, please subscribe with this special offer: |

13 guns seized from West St. Paul homes

1 minute read Yesterday at 12:28 PM CDT

Two men have been charged with a number of firearms offences after an RCMP investigation into illegal weapons in West St. Paul yielded the seizure of more than a dozen firearms last month.

RCMP investigators from the Manitoba Integrated Law Enforcement Team, which probes organized and serious crime in the province, began looking into the two suspects on a tip from the Canada Border Services Agency.

Officers obtained warrants to search two homes, one on Pipeline Road and the other on Griffin Way, on Sept. 11.

Between the two houses, Mounties found 13 guns, including two that were sawed off, about 20,000 rounds of ammunition and several high-capacity magazines that had been altered to hold more ammunition than is legally allowed.

Former host/VJ Rick Campanelli revisits his gambling addiction in new memoir

Jen Zoratti 7 minute read Preview

Former host/VJ Rick Campanelli revisits his gambling addiction in new memoir

Jen Zoratti 7 minute read Yesterday at 6:00 AM CDT

To many Canadians, veteran media personality Rick Campanelli is better known as Rick the Temp, the energetic, baby-faced intern-turned-VJ on MuchMusic in the 1990s and early 2000s.

But behind that winning smile was a much darker reality.

In his new memoir, Tempted: My Story, released last month via HarperCollins Canada and co-written with John Meyer, Campanelli, 56, opens up for the first time about his struggles with a serious — and secret — gambling addiction, which reached its nadir in 2008 when the then-host of Entertainment Tonight Canada was detained by U.S. Homeland Security for unpaid casino debts on a flight back from Las Vegas.

The Free Press caught up with Campanelli in advance of his Winnipeg launch Monday evening at McNally Robinson Grant Park. This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Read
Yesterday at 6:00 AM CDT

Mayoral hopefuls trade accusations

Maggie Macintosh 4 minute read Preview

Mayoral hopefuls trade accusations

Maggie Macintosh 4 minute read Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026

Two mayoral hopefuls traded accusations about meddling in each other’s campaigns as the incumbent rallied supporters for his re-election bid on the eve of advanced polls opening across Winnipeg.

A social media post made by Mike Vogiatzakis, one of 12 nominees in the Oct. 28 race for the top job at city hall, caught the attention of rivals Sunday.

The funeral director took to Facebook midday to criticize Kevin Klein — a competitor he said he thought of “as a friend” until the former Tory cabinet minister made a U-turn after pledging to back the Vogiatzakis campaign.

“Good speaker? Yes. Good looking guy? Sure. Someone I trust now? Absolutely not,” he wrote in a lengthy post.

Read
Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026

Today’s horoscope

Georgia Nicols 4 minute read Preview

Today’s horoscope

Georgia Nicols 4 minute read 2:00 AM CDT

MOON ALERT: Caution. Avoid shopping (except food and gas) and important decisions from 5 a.m. until 10:15 p.m. After that, the moon moves from Leo into Virgo.

ARIES (March 21-April 19)

This is a fantastic day to shmooz and romance is also favoured. In fact, this is most romantic day of the week. Intimate relationships will be affectionate and exciting. Enjoy socializing, sporting events and fun activities with kids. The arts are blessed.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

Read
2:00 AM CDT