Inside the marriage of June Carter and Johnny Cash (2024)

COUNTRY music stars June Carter and Johnny Cash were madly in love during their marriage.

Both had been married before, but they remained together until her death in May 2003, which was followed four months by Johnny's death.

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How old was June Carter when she married Johnny Cash?

June Carter got to know her third husband Johnny Cash when her family's band, the Carter Family, performed with him for a number of years.

In 1968, he proposed to June during a live performance at the London Ice House inOntario.

They married on March 1, 1968 in Franklin,Kentucky.

At the time of their wedding June was 39-years-old, and Johnny was 36.

On May 15, 2003, June died of complications during a heart-valve replacement surgery, aged 73.

In a statement made after her death, Johnny said: “The spirit of June Carter overshadows me tonight with the love she had for me and the love I have for her.

“We connect somewhere between here and Heaven."

Sadly, the singer passed away not long after his wife.

Johnny died of complications fromdiabeteson September 12, 2003, four months after June.

He had been plagued with poor health and had undergone surgeries on his jaw, heart, and knees before the start of the 1990s.

Was June Carter married before meeting Johnny Cash?

June was married twice before Johnny, and had one child with each of her three husbands.

Her first husband was country singer Carl Smith.

The pair married on July 9, 1952, but divorced just four years later in 1956.

Together, they wrote the classic country song, Time's A-Wastin, and had a daughter, Rebecca Carlene Smith, professionally known as Carlene Carter, who is also a country musician.

June's second marriage was to Edwin "Rip" Nix, a former football player and police officer.

They married on November 11, 1957 and had a daughter, Rosie Nix Adams, on July 13, 1958 - the couple divorced in 1966.

Their daughter Rosie was a country and rock singer who sadly died on October 24, 2003 from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning - this was just five months after her mom passed away.

Her dad Edwin died in 2014.

Who was Johnny Cash's first wife?

During his lifetime Johnny was married twice.

His first wife was late Italian-American homemaker and author Vivian Liberto, who was the inspiration for the popular song, I Walk The Line.

The former couple married in 1954 but thendivorced in 1966.

Inside the marriage of June Carter and Johnny Cash (2024)

FAQs

Did Johnny Cash really ask June Carter to marry him on stage? ›

Johnny proposed to June on stage in front of 7,000 people in 1968, an event depicted in the 2005 biopic Walk the Line. Just weeks later, the couple wed. They remained married for 35 years, until June's death in May 2003. Johnny passed away just a few months later.

How old was June Carter when she married Johnny Cash? ›

In 1968, he proposed to June during a live performance at the London Ice House in Ontario. They married on March 1, 1968 in Franklin, Kentucky. At the time of their wedding June was 39-years-old, and Johnny was 36.

Was Johnny Cash's first wife a black woman? ›

*Vivian Liberto Distin was born on this date in 1934. She was a Black homemaker and author. She was the first wife of singer Johnny Cash. Vivian Liberto was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, and was the daughter of Irene (Robinson) and Thomas Peter Liberto.

What happened to June Carter's first marriage? ›

She was married first to country singer Carl Smith from July 9, 1952, until their divorce in 1956.

Did Johnny Cash like June Carter? ›

'The greatest woman I ever met'

He made sure to honour her one last time before his death, giving a final live performance in July that year at the Carter Family Fold. "The spirit of June Carter overshadows me tonight with the love she had for me and the love I have for her," he said between songs.

How many husbands did June Carter have? ›

June Carter Cash was married thrice. First, to country singer Carl Smith and then to Edwin “Rip” Nix. However, her third and last marriage was to the legendary, Johnny Cash. According to CMT, the two musicians tied the knot on March 1, 1968.

How many biological children did June Carter Cash have? ›

Since June and Johnny only had one biological child together, John Carter Cash, it meant that all their other children were excluded from getting royalties from the song. The four kids that Cash had with his first wife — Rosanne, Cindy, Tara, and Kathleen — didn't get any of the royalties from the song.

Is Johnny Cash's first wife still alive? ›

Vivian Distin (née Liberto, formerly Cash; April 23, 1934 – May 24, 2005) was an American homemaker and author. She is notable as the first wife of singer Johnny Cash and mother of their four daughters. She inspired his first hit single "I Walk the Line".

Was Johnny Cash's wife biracial? ›

The daughter of a father of Sicilian heritage and a mother of German and Irish descent, she was married to Cash from 1954-66. In 1965, when Cash was arrested on drug offenses, Liberto appeared in court in El Paso to support him and a photograph seemed to show her as black - enraging white supremacists at the time.

Did Johnny Cash have biracial children? ›

But a DNA test of Cash's daughter Rosanne in 2021 on Finding Your Roots, hosted by historian Henry Louis Gates Jr, found she has no known Native American markers. The researchers did find DNA for African ancestry on both sides of her family.

What happened to Johnny Cash's first wife and daughter? ›

All four daughters she had with Cash — Rosanne, Kathy, Cindy and Tara — graduated from St. Bonaventure High School in Ventura. Vivian died in May 2005 at age 71, shortly after finishing the manuscript on her days with Johnny.

Did Johnny Cash's daughter get any of his money? ›

Cash's four kids with his first wife — Rosanne, Cindy, Tara, and Kathleen — didn't get any royalties from the music. Johnny gave each of his four daughters $1 million in his will.

Did Johnny Cash have any children with June Carter? ›

John Carter Cash (born March 3, 1970) is an American country singer-songwriter, musician and author. He is the only child of Johnny Cash and his second wife June Carter Cash.

How many divorces did June Carter have? ›

She was married twice before she tied the knot with Johnny

June was married to her first husband, Carl Smith, from 1952 to 1956. The country singer married again in 1957 to the former soccer player Nix — the pair divorced in 1966.

How accurate is Walk the Line? ›

The film Walk the Line accurately portrays many true-life events from Johnny Cash's life and career, highlighting his rise to fame, addiction struggles, and relationship with June Carter.

Why did Johnny Cash disinherit his daughter? ›

So, Why Did Johnny Cash Disinherit His Daughters? In reality, this widely held belief is incorrect. Rather than leaving his children without an inheritance, Cash's actions emphasized his commitment to his family's financial well-being.

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