Robby Klein
Fiona Whelan Prine is a force for good.
She works with Becca Stevens at Thistle Farms to help female survivors of sex trafficking and addiction. She uses her Instagram platform to amplify black voices with her monthly #WelcomeMySister guest posts. She started a scholarship at Belmont University which helps young women from underserved populations attend the Mike Curb School of Film and Entertainment. In other words she has devoted her life to helping others. So when her husband, legendary country-folk singer John Prine (whom Whelan Prine managed), passed away on April 7 due to complications from COVID-19, the ever resilient activist did what she does best—she got to work.
Robby Klein
“We wanted to honor John, express gratitude to his incredible fans, invite our friends to perform, and remember John. We also wanted to highlight that we are not the only family who has suffered devastating loss due to COVID-19,” she says.
“Together with my oldest son Jody, who is my business partner and runs our independent family-owned record label, we decided an online tribute would be the best and really the only way to bring our Prine community together this year. So many artists agreed to contribute—we were overwhelmed by the response. It was definitely a lot of work, but we have an amazing team at Oh Boy Records and together we pulled it off. It streamed on June 11 for three days. In the process we raised of $450,000 for three non-profits.”
Picture Show: A Tribute to John Prine will air again on the singer’s birthday, October 10. The support the Prine family has seen from their community isn’t surprising to the longtime resident.
“There is an abundance of talent and heart in this town,” she says. “We show up for each other in good and not-so-good times.”
Meanwhile, she continues to celebrate her late husband’s legacy, and takes pride in the sons they raised together.
“Jody, Jack, and Tommy are kind, compassionate, and engaged thinkers,” she says. “With John, we raised three good men.”