Question
We live in Lake Elsinore CA and have a south facing rose garden open to winds which we get  from the west every afternoon. Our Mr Licoln, One year old, had been doing beautifully, blossoming, setting new shoots, happy little fellow, then one day it is dead. Suddenly and without the usual droop and die. Another rose down the bed did the same thing. We do have gophers and moles which is why we planted our rose balls in chicken wire for protection.  Ideas? I see from emails that others have had this too..answers? We did amend the soil heavily this spring and we add a few inches of soil every 6 months or so, we fertilize and treat with Bayer rose food, and they love it! It has been beastly hot lately, and we water in the late evening when it is cool

Answer
The speed at which it died prob means gophers.  You can tell , when you pull the plant up if it has been chewed on below grown?
If you haven't pulled it up yet do this
so how easily it pulls out!
if it comes right out, look for any roots being chewed... thats gophers.
if it doesn't want to come out and it looks like it is still alive.. scrape the side near the ground.. still green?
find the highest spot still green then prune back to that.
But I take it you mean dead so look for root damage. If none is present then certainly water is next. I am assuming that you took good care of it, watered right amount, fertilized correctly.

Everything points to gophers attacking the roots.
You may have to redo the protection and make it stronger but first look for damages and check the water.