Losing a legend

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Johnny Cash's rugged voice championed the downtrodden and reached across generations. His legacy will survive as long as there's music, says his friend and fellow country music singer Glen Campbell.\n"I don't see any stars on the horizon that are like Johnny Cash," Campbell said. "He was so unique. I miss him."\nCash, "The Man in Black," died Friday from diabetes that resulted in respiratory failure.\nIn his songs, Cash crafted a persona as a dignified, resilient voice for the common man -- but there was always a dark edge.\nOne of the most haunting couplets in popular music comes from "Folsom Prison Blues," which went to No. 4 on the country charts in 1956: "I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die."\nForty-seven years later, Cash's arresting video for "Hurt" was nominated for six MTV Video Music Awards, winning one.\n"He is the patron saint of every kid with a guitar," said singer-songwriter Tom Waits. "Songwriters learn how to write songs from listening to each other. He's like a wise old tree full of songs. I spent many days under his branches."\nHis deeply lined face fit well with his voice, which was limited in range but used to great effect to sing about prisoners, heartaches and tales of everyday life.\nAs news of his death spread, musicians praised Cash for his independent, rebellious streak that made him a powerful influence in country, rock, folk and gospel music.\n"When I went to Nashville 40 years ago to record my first country song Johnny was a welcoming figure and became a lifelong friend," Ray Charles said. "He made a giant contribution to music, not just country style."\nCash had been released from the hospital Tuesday after a two-week stay for treatment of an unspecified stomach ailment. The illness caused him to miss last month's MTV awards, where his "Hurt" -- a cover of Trent Reznor's song with Nine Inch Nails -- won for cinematography.\n"To hear that Johnny was interested in doing my song was a defining moment in my life's work," Reznor said. "To hear the result really reminded me how beautiful, touching and powerful music can be."\nCash had battled a disease of the nervous system, autonomic neuropathy, and pneumonia in recent years. His second wife, singer June Carter Cash, who co-wrote Cash's hit "Ring of Fire," died in May.\n"Not only has the world lost a legend, but we in country music have lost one of our family," said Loretta Lynn. "I know both Johnny and June will always be looking down and watching over us all. The stars in heaven are just a little brighter"