Stars Cash, Ritter Die

Sept. 12 -- The entertainment world received a double shock today, with the deaths of country music giant Johnny Cash and comic actor John Ritter.

Cash, a singer and songwriter, whose work sparked a revival of American country and western music, died early today of complications from diabetes, according to officials at Baptist Hospital in Nashville, Tenn. He was 71.

Cash, who suffered the loss of his beloved wife June Carter Cash in May, had been hospitalized for two weeks with an unspecified stomach ailment, but had been released from Baptist Hospital in Nashville on Wednesday.

Ritter was an Emmy Award-winning actor who gained fame playing bumbling and lovable characters in a pair of television comedies decades apart.

(To read about how Ritter's romp on Three's Company changed TV, click here.)

He died suddenly due to a previously undetected arterial problem, his representatives said today. He was 54.

The Man in Black

With songs about life's troubles and society's outcasts, Cash, known as "The Man in Black," had an appeal that reached traditional country music fans.

"His resonant voice and human compassion reached the hearts and souls of generations, and he will be missed," said President Bush, a Texas native.

"Laura joins me in sending our thoughts and prayers to his family."

An 11-time Grammy winner and six-time winner of Country Music Association awards, the talented artist had success as a solo artist, as part of a duet, as the leader of a trio, and as a part of the award-winning Highwaymen quartet.

He was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1980 and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.

His most recent Grammy came this year, when he received the award for best male country vocal performance for "Give My Love To Rose."

Even at 71 he was still connecting with young music fans. He was nominated for awards in seven categories for last month's MTV Video Music Awards, and received the award for best cinematography for the video of his cover of "Hurt," a Nine Inch Nails song.