The late, great John Prine is now the first person in history to be named Honorary Poet Laureate of Illinois. The posthumous distinction was bestowed upon Prine – who died earlier this year of COVID-19 – by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker.

"John Prine leaves behind an unparalleled musical legacy and was beloved by family and millions of fans who hope that in Heaven he finds Paradise waitin’ just as he longed for,” said Governor Pritzker via Instagram.

On June 11, there was a star-studded Instagram Live stream paying tribute to Prine's life and art.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Illinois has been home to many talented poets like Carl Sandburg, Sandra Cisneros, and Gwendolyn Brooks who all used their words to inspire readers across the world. Today, I'm excited to announce the search committee that will recommend our next state poet laureate. It’s also my honor to name our state’s first honorary poet laureate. John Prine leaves behind an unparalleled musical legacy and was beloved by family and millions of fans who hope that in Heaven he finds Paradise waitin’ just as he longed for.

A post shared by Governor JB Pritzker (@govpritzker) on Jun 30, 2020 at 12:20pm PDT