Two Of America’s Great Entertainers Pass Away

I awoke this morning to the news of not only great American Musician Johnny Cash passing away, but as well as Three’s Company/8 Simple Rules star John Ritter passing away as well. Best wishes go to both the Cash family and the Ritter family. We will miss them both dearly.

From excerpts of CNN’s Story on Johhny Cash

The “Man in Black” died Friday. Johnny Cash was 71.

Cash died early Friday of complications from diabetes at Baptist Hospital in Nashville, hospital spokeswoman Nicole Bates said.

Perhaps the most widely recognized voice in country music, Cash recorded more than 1,500 songs, which appeared on nearly 500 albums. His career spanned more than four decades with trademark hits like “A Boy Named Sue,” “Folsom Prison Blues, “Ring of Fire” and “I Walk the Line.”

While Cash has long had one of the premiere voices in country music, his success crossed well over onto the pop scene. He had 48 singles on Billboard’s pop charts, rivaling both The Rolling Stones and The Beach Boys.

His 10 Grammys include a lifetime achievement award and the 1998 Grammy for country album of the year (”Unchained”). It’s said that more than 100 other recording artists and groups have recorded “I Walk the Line.”

>From excerpts of CNN’s Story on John Ritter

Actor and comedian John Ritter, who gained stardom in the 1970s sitcom “Three’s Company,” died of heart failure Thursday night after collapsing on the set of his current TV series. He was 54.

Ritter was rushed from the set of the ABC series “8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter” to Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, after suffering from aortic dissection, an unrecognized and undetected flaw in his heart, according to a statement from his publicist Lisa Kasteler.

“Surgeons at the hospital tried to save the Emmy Award-winning actor but, sadly, were unable to do so,” the statement said.

Ritter, who would have turned 55 next week, is best known for his role as Jack Tripper on the long-running television sitcom, “Three’s Company,” which brought him an Emmy.