About the song
Johnny Cash, the Man in Black, was a towering figure in American music whose deep, resonant voice and raw storytelling touched millions. By the time he entered the final year of his life in September 2002, he had already endured decades of both triumph and heartache. But those last 12 months were perhaps the most bittersweet of all—marked by failing health, personal loss, and an unshakable drive to create until his final breath.
At 70 years old, Cash was battling serious health issues. He had been diagnosed with autonomic neuropathy, a condition related to diabetes that affected his nervous system and left him frail, often in a wheelchair. In addition, a recurrence of pneumonia in late 2002 landed him in the hospital and significantly weakened his body. Doctors urged him to slow down, but slowing down was not in Johnny Cash’s nature. Music, he insisted, was the thing keeping him alive.
During this time, Cash continued working with producer Rick Rubin on what would become his American V sessions. His voice, worn and cracked, carried even more emotional weight. He recorded haunting covers like “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails, which would become one of the most iconic performances of his career. Watching the final edit of the “Hurt” music video reportedly moved Cash to tears—it was a brutally honest reflection of his mortality, filmed in the crumbling remains of his House of Cash museum.
But the biggest blow of his final year came in May 2003, when June Carter Cash—his wife of 35 years and the love of his life—passed away from complications following heart surgery. Her death left Johnny devastated. At her funeral, he could barely speak, but he managed to whisper, “I will see you soon.” Friends said he was never the same after that day.
In the months following June’s death, Cash’s health declined rapidly, but his determination to work intensified. He told those around him that he wanted to finish as many recordings as possible so that his music would live on after he was gone. Despite near blindness and constant pain, he often recorded for hours, sometimes dictating lyrics when he was too weak to hold a guitar.
Cash made one final public appearance on July 5, 2003, at the Carter Family Fold in Virginia. Sitting in a wheelchair, he performed a short set, his voice trembling but still powerful. Between songs, he spoke to the crowd about June, saying, “The spirit of June Carter overshadows me tonight. With the love she had for me and the love I have for her, we connect somewhere between here and Heaven.”
On September 12, 2003—just four months after June’s passing—Johnny Cash died at the age of 71 from complications related to diabetes. His final year was a poignant mix of heartbreak and artistic triumph, a testament to his resilience and his unwavering devotion to both his music and the woman he loved.
