NASHVILLE, TN (ANS) -- The Man in Black – suffered a “very painful life” but was a “genuine Christian.” That’s the view of British writer, Steve Turner, who has written the authorized biography of Cash called The Man Called Cash: The Life, Love And Faith Of An American Legend.
Cash, 71, the singer and songwriter, had suffered from serious health problems in recent years. Mr. Cash had had bouts of bronchitis and pneumonia, had diabetes, and also had a little known neurological condition called the Shy-Drager syndrome. Mr. Cash died in Nashville, Tennessee on Sept. 12, 2003 of the "complications of diabetes," four months after the death of his wife, June Carter Cash, 73, herself a member of a legendary musical family.
Despite worldwide acclaim, the author of his authorized biography, Steve Turner told ANS, “Johnny Cash suffered physical, spiritual and mental pain. However, he never gave up. His story illustrates the triumph of life lived with the spirit. For some reason he was given extra suffering, maybe because he was also given extra talent and extra earthly glory. He was one of the few Christians admired across the board even though he never compromised his beliefs.”
JUNE’S DEATH
Turner said, “He was naturally devastated when June [his wife] died but decided from the hospital that he was going to go back to work almost immediately. Music became a form of healing for him. He was lonely though. He would sit in his office and often people would see him crying and talking to pictures of June. He had her image painted on the elevator doors in his home (he was now confined to a wheelchair).
Anthony DeCurtis wrote in Rolling Stone (October 14 2004, “If you don't well up when Turner recounts the singer's devastation as June slips away into death, you simply don't care about Johnny Cash. Turner does, and he cares about his music as well, moving between the life and the work with grace. The Man Called Cash takes a genuine hero, examines him thoroughly and leaves both his heroism and his humanity intact. In what may be the most admirable of its many achievements, it's as good as Cash deserves."
BILLY GRAHAM
Steve Turner also spoke about Cash’s friendship with evangelist Billy Graham. "They were close friends and spent a lot of time in each other’s homes. Johnny would often call him for spiritual advice,” he said. “Billy did an endorsement for my book. In the 1970s Johnny started appearing at various crusades to speak and perform. Billy, in turn, encouraged him to write songs that would communicate to the counter culture kids who loved Cash but probably wouldn’t go to a church."
On the event of Cash's death, Billy Graham said, "Johnny Cash was not only a legend, but was a close personal friend. Johnny was a good man who also struggled with many challenges in life.
"Johnny was a deeply religious man. He and June came to a number of our Crusades over a period of many years. Ruth and I took a number of personal vacations with them at their home in Jamaica and in other places. They both were like a brother and sister to Ruth and me. We loved them.
"We are praying that God will comfort his family and staff at this critical time. I look forward to seeing Johnny and June in heaven one day." London-based Turner then explained how the Johnny Cash book came about.
“I was approached last year by Thomas Nelson who had an idea for doing a ‘spiritual biography’ of Cash,” he said. “They had asked around in Nashville for suitable authors and my name came up – presumably because I have a track record for working on books that deal with rock music and the spiritual. When I agreed to do it, Nelson suggested approaching C
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