Hendersonville, Sept 16: Friends, family and some of country music's biggest stars bid farewell to Johnny Cash at a funeral service on Monday, filling a Tennessee church with music, songs and memories of the "Man in Black." Former Vice President Al Gore, who said he had known Cash since his childhood, told the assembly inside the First Baptist Church near Nashville that he had talked to the entertainer just a few weeks ago and got a premonition of his death.
He said Cash told him he had visited the grave of his wife, June Carter Cash, and told her "I'll be with you soon."


"He told me on the phone her death was 'the hardest pain I have ever felt.' He was ready," said Gore.
Cash, 71, died last week of complications from diabetes after suffering a variety of health problems for years. His wife died following surgery in May. The two had been married since 1968 and Cash was to be buried next to his wife.
The singer's body lay in an open casket, with large pictures of him on either side. Video Screens on either side of the sanctuary showed films highlighting his life, and various people gave tributes.

Emmylou Harris sang "The Old Rugged Cross" and Sheryl Crow provided a musical meditation. Franklin Graham read a message from his ailing father, the Rev. Billy Graham.

Others in the crowd included entertainers George Jones, the Oak Ridge Boys, Travis Tritt, Hank Williams Jr. and Earl Scruggs along with his son Randy.

COMMERCIAL BREAK
SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING

Singer Larry Gatlin invited members of the Cash family and close friends to the front of the church, where they took turns speaking. Daughter Roseanne Cash said her father "was the stuff of dreams and a living cornerstone of our lives." The group joined in singing "Angel Band."

At the end of the service as the Fisk Jubilee Singers offered a hymn, those in attendance filed by the casket, the sound of crying echoing in the church.

In a career spanning five decades, Cash's deep, wounded voice sang of the downtrodden and forgotten, the human pain of life and love. He was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

He collected 10 Grammy Awards, including this year's Best Male Country Vocal Performance for "Give My Love to Rose."

Cash won his first Grammy in 1967 and reaped honors even in the twilight of his career. His video for "Hurt" won the Best Cinematography in a Video award at last month's MTV Video Music Awards. He is also among the nominees for honors at the upcoming Country Music Association show in Nashville.
Bureau Report