R.I.P. Johnny!Johnny Cash (1932 - 2003) Music Legend Johnny Cash Dies at 71 (AP) - Johnny Cash, "The Man in Black" who became a towering figure in American music with such hits as "Folsom Prison Blues," "I Walk the Line," and "A Boy Named Sue," died Friday. He was 71. Cash died of complications from diabetes that resulted in respiratory failure, his manager, Lou Robin, said in a statement issued by Baptist Hospital in Nashville. Cash died at the hospital at 3 a.m. EDT.