Beloved actor Bill Murray has shared his story of how John Prine's music and sense of humor unexpectedly helped him get through a tough time.
Videos by Wide Open Country
In the video, Murray flips through Prine's book Beyond Words and speaks about a time when he couldn't get himself out of a funk. That all changed when he listened through Great Days: The John Prine Anthology and got to the humorous track "Linda Goes to Mars."
Something about the lighthearted tune, which features the narrating pleading for his love to not leave him back down on Earth, lifted the fog that was bringing down Murray's mood.
"That was the beginning of the return," he says with a smile. "I thought, 'Huh, it just happened.' That was a great day, so I owe you one."
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It just goes to show that music really does have healing powers, even when you least expect it.
Prine and Murray are both famous sons of Illinois. Prine's early years of playing around town before a meeting with Kris Kristofferson changed his fortunes overlaps with the time Murray and other comedy legends spent cutting their teeth with the Second City improv troop.
Prine passed away on April 7, 2020 from COVID-19 (coronavirus) complications. Less than a year after his death, Prine's final song, "I Remember Everything," won two Grammy awards for his family's record label, Oh Boy Records.
That same night, Brandi Carlile performed the song during the main Grammy broadcast.
In the final years of his life and career, Prine went from songwriting hero to loyal friend for Carlile, Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires, Kacey Musgraves and other country and Americana greats.
This post was originally published on December 6, 2017, but we revived it in memory of John Prine.
