Johnny Cash [ tickets ] has been battling a case of pneumonia at Nashville's Baptist hospital since early last week, according to a hospital spokesperson.

The fabled country-music veteran, 71, was in stable condition on Wednesday (3/26), but he reportedly is expected to spend about another week in the hospital.

Cash suffers from autonomic neuropathy, a disease of the nervous system that makes him very susceptible to pneumonia. In 1998, a bout with pneumonia nearly killed him.

In recent years, Cash has been hospitalized several times, most recently in August 2002 for an allergic reaction. In November of 2001, he was hospitalized twice with bronchitis.

Despite his heath problems, Cash has continued to record. He released a new album titled "American IV: The Man Comes Around" last November, a set that features Cash's cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt." The "Hurt" music video is currently getting heavy airplay on VH1 and CMT.

In February, Cash claimed the 11th GRAMMY^® award of his career, this time in the Best Male Country Vocal Performance category for "Give My Love to Rose."