Country Music Legend Johnny Cash Dies at 71

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Johnny Cash, country music's "Man in Black" and one of the genre's most enduring figures, died on Friday morning at age 71, his manager said.
"Johnny died due to complications from diabetes, which resulted in respiratory failure," manager Lou Robin said in a statement. Cash died at Baptist Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee.

Cash's death comes just four months after the death of his wife, the country singer-songwriter June Carter Cash. She died in May of complications from heart surgery at age 73.

Known as the "Man in Black" because he always wore black clothing, Cash was credited with being the inspiration for a generation of Nashville upstarts with songs like "I Walk the Line," "Folsom Prison Blues" and "Ring of Fire."

Over a career spanning some five decades, Cash compiled 10 Grammy Awards, including 2003's Best Male Country Vocal Performance for his song "Give My Love to Rose." He won his first Grammy in 1967.

He was a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as well as the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Most recently, Cash was given the award for Best Cinematography in a Video at last month's MTV Video Music Awards for his video "Hurt."

Cash had not been able to attend the MTV awards because he was in the hospital in Nashville with a stomach ailment.

In recent years, Cash had also suffered from Shy-Drager, an illness similar to Parkinson's disease that attacks the nervous system and affects muscle control.