RIP Joe Diffie, John Prine Hospitalized due to Coronavirus

Damn. He had such fun, catchy tunes that were a blast to dance to (spent many a night line dancing while in grad school).

Joe Diffie, Nineties Country’s ‘Pickup Man,’ Dead at 61 From Coronavirus
Singer of hits like “John Deere Green” and “If the Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets)” tested positive for COVID-19 last week
By Stephen L Betts, Rolling Stone | March 29, 2020

Joe Diffie, a consistent country-music hitmaker throughout the Nineties, died Sunday due to complications related to COVID-19. His publicist confirmed the death to Rolling Stone. Diffie was 61.

With a traditional-leaning voice that drew comparisons to George Jones, Diffie populated his records with honky-tonk ballads and lighthearted novelty tunes, earning the Oklahoma native five Number One singles in the first half of the Nineties. These began with his debut release, the deeply moving “Home,” followed by “If the Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets),” “Third Rock From the Sun,” “Pickup Man,” and “Bigger Than the Beatles.” In all, Diffie charted 18 Top Ten singles, with the majority reaching the Top Five, including the 1993 radio staples “Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox (If I Die)” and “John Deere Green.”

The singer was famously name-checked, as were a number of his best-known songs, in Jason Aldean’s 2013 single “1994.” “There are plenty of singers in this town, but not many with a range like his,” Diffie’s fellow Opry star Vince Gill told People magazine in 1993.

John Prine Hospitalized, ‘Critical’ After Contracting the Coronavirus
By Taste of Country, March 29, 2020

Folk legend John Prine has been hospitalized after contracting the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). According to a statement from his family, "his situation is critical."

A Sunday (March 29) tweet from the Prine family on Prine's official account reports that the singer-songwriter icon experienced "a sudden onset of COVID-19 symptoms" and was hospitalized on Thursday (March 26). He was intubated on Saturday evening (March 28) and is still receiving care.

Fiona Prine, John Prine's wife, revealed on March 17 that she had been diagnosed with the coronavirus. At the time, John Prine was tested, too, but his test came back "indeterminate;" therefore, the couple immediately isolated themselves from each other and others.

John Prine, who is 73, is at higher risk for the coronavirus because of his older age and past medical issues.