Stars pay tribute to Johnny Cash

Stars including Elvis Costello paid tribute today to country music legend Johnny Cash, who has died at the age of 71.

The US star, who crossed musical boundaries with his work, died in a Nashville hospital this morning.

Cash – commonly dubbed ‘the man in black’, after one of his most famous songs - died from respiratory failure resulting from diabetes complications.

Costello, who ventured into country music with his Almost Blue album in 1981 and once recorded with Cash, said: “He was a great, great man.

“I am saddened and very sorry for all Johnny’s family.

“He made me feel very welcome in his home and I will never forget that.”

Cash will be best remembered for recordings such as A Boy Named Sue, I Walk The Line and Three Feet High And Rising.

His Ring Of Fire found a new audience in 1999 when it was included in a TV ad for Levi’s 501 jeans.

Cash had been released from hospital on Wednesday after a two-week stay for treatment of a stomach ailment.

His poor health caused him to miss last month’s MTV Video Music Awards ceremony in New York, for which he had seven nominations.

Cash had battled against pneumonia and a disease of the nervous system, autonomic neuropathy, in recent years. He died at the Baptist Hospital in Nashville.

His songs dealt with the disadvantaged and underdogs of society, often telling their stories. A Boy Named Sue dealt with a father who gave his son a girl’s name so he would be teased to toughen him up.

Actor George Clooney said today: “He just lit up a room and he’s going to be missed.”

Cash’s most recent series of albums, the American recordings, were made with younger musicians and contemporary producer Rick Rubin.

The most recent included a version of the Nine Inch Nails song Hurt, taking him across into modern radio and reaching yet another generation.