Death of Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash died on 12 September 2003 in Nashville, aged 71. An American singer-songwriter born in Arkansas, Cash began recording at Sun Records in Memphis in the 1950s, alongside Elvis Presley and Carl Perkins. His deep voice and his songs, such as Folsom Prison Blues, I Walk the Line and Ring of Fire, combined country, rockabilly and gospel. Nicknamed the Man in Black for his dark stage clothing, he identified with the poor and outcast, and he recorded live albums at Folsom and San Quentin prisons. He married the singer June Carter, with whom he performed for decades. A late-career series of albums produced by Rick Rubin, including his cover of Hurt, brought him a new audience. He is in the country, rock and gospel halls of fame.

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