Cash

October 20, 1999
Web posted at: 5:22 p.m. EDT (2122 GMT)

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (CNN) -- Country music legend Johnny Cash, who is suffering from a degenerative nerve disease, was being treated in a Nashville hospital Wednesday.

Cash, 67, was listed in serious condition, according to Lois Bland, who works in the communications office at Baptist Hospital in Nashville. He was admitted Sunday for treatment of pneumonia, said hospital spokeswoman Jessica Etz; the hospital would not say whether he was in the intensive care unit.

The singer, a fixture on the country music scene for more than 40 years, suffers from Shy-Drager Syndrome, a disease that attacks the nervous system in much the same way that Parkinson's disease does. He has been in and out of hospitals several times this year.

At one point in his career, Cash played some 200 concerts a year. However, his touring schedule has been cut back in recent years. He called off a scheduled concert lineup and a tour to promote his book, "Cash: The Autobiography," in 1997 after his disease worsened.

But he was able to return to the stage in April at an all-star concert in New York. Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Bruce Springsteen and others all dressed in black for the occasion, in tribute to the "The Man in Black."

Known for songs like "Folsom Prison Blues" and "I Walk the Line," Cash was inducted to the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. He was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year's Grammy awards ceremony.

He has been married to June Carter Cash since 1968. He has five grown children, four daughters and a son who, like his wife, have all performed with Cash.