Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash

The 35-year marriage of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash is one of the great love stories of the entertainment industry. The movie Walk the Line is about their being there for one another during the tough times.

Here's information on how Johnny and June met, information about their wedding, their children, and more.

When Johnny and June Were Born:

J. R. Cash was born on February 26, 1932 in Kingsland, Arkansas.

Valerie June Carter was born on June 23, 1929 in Maces Springs, Virginia.

When Johnny and June Died:
Johnny often gave June credit for helping him quit his drug addiction. In 1997, Johnny was diagnosed with Shy-Drager syndrome. This diagnosis was later determined to actually be a disease associated with diabetes, autonomic neuropathy. In 1998, Johnny's lungs were damaged by a bout of severe pneumonia.

A few months after June died, Johnny Cash died from complications from diabetes (respiratory failure) on September 12, 2003. He was at Nashville Baptist Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee.

Johnny's funeral was at the First Baptist Church of Hendersonville.

In 2001, June Carter Cash received a pacemaker. At age 73, she died on May 15, 2003 from complications from heart valve surgery at Nashville Baptist Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. Johnny was holding her hand when she died.

Johnny attended her funeral service at the First Baptist Church of Hendersonville in a wheelchair. She was buried in a light blue coffin.

Johnny and June are buried next to one another at Hendersonville Memory Gardens in Hendersonville, Tennessee.

How Johnny and June Met:

In 1956, June met Johnny Cash when they were both part of the Opry company. During the mid-1960s, the were performing together as a duo.

Their relationship heated up in 1965 when the couple was in Las Vegas for a performance.

In late February, 1968, Johnny proposed to June while onstage in London, Ontario. They were married a week later.

Wedding Date:
Johnny and June were married on March 1, 1968 at a church in Franklin, Kentucky. Merle Kilgore was best man at their wedding. June wore a light blue short lacy dress and wore light blue flowers in her hair. She carried a bouquet with red roses.

Johnny wore a black suit with a red rose on his lapel.
See Wedding Photo

They had a nonalcoholic reception at Johnny's home in Hendersonville.

Occupations:

June was a singer, songwriter, and actress.

Johnny was best known as an eleven-time Grammy winner, singer, actor, and author. Before becoming a star, Johnny picked cotton as a kid, worked in an automobile factory in Michigan, joined the Air Force after high school and served as a radio intercept operator in Germany, and he was a door-to-door appliance salesman in Memphis.

The couple won two Grammy awards for their duets on If I were a Carpenter and Jackson in 1968.

Religion:

Both Johnny and June are fundamental Christians.

Previous Marriages: Before they married one another, Johnny had been married once; June had been married twice.

Johnny:

• Johnny was 22 when he married Vivian Liberto of San Antonio, Texas. Vivian was 17 when they married. Their marriage lasted from August 7, 1954 until 1966 when they divorced due to Johnny's drug problems.

  He pledged to remain faithful to her in his song I Walk the Line.. Johnny and Vivian had four daughters. Vivian died as a result of complications from lung cancer.

June:

• June was married to Carl Smith, an actor and composer, from July 9, 1952 until they divorced in 1956. They had one child, Carlene Carter.

  Carl was born on March 15, 1927 in Maynardville, Tennessee. Carl was later married to Goldie Hill, from 1957 until February 24, 2005, when she died of cancer. Goldie and Carl had three children.

• June's second marriage was to Edwin L. "Rip" Nix, from November 11, 1958 to 1966 when they divorced. June and Edwin had one child, Rosanna (Rosie) Nix Adams.

Children:
Johnny and June's blended family numbered 7 children:

• Roseanne Cash, daughter of Johnny and Vivian, was born on May 24, 1955 in Memphis, Tennesee. She is a country singer, married twice, and has 4 children. Her husband is John Leventhal.

• Rebecca Carlene Smith, professionally known as Carlene Carter, daughter of June Carter and Carl Smith. Carlene was born on September 26, 1955 in Madison, Tenessee. Carlene is an actress and country singer. She has been married and divorced three times.

• Kathleen Cash, daughter of Johnny and Vivian, was born in Memphis, Tennessee on April 16, 1956. She married to Jimmy Tittle in 1982 and they have two children.

• Rozanna Lea (Rosie) Nix Adams, daughter of Edwin and June, was born on July 13, 1958. She was married to Philip Adams. She died on October 24, 2003, in Tennessee, from accidental carbon monoxide poisoning. She was a singer and composer.

• Cindy Cash, daughter of Johnny and Vivian, was born on July 29, 1959. She was married to Marty Stuart but the marriage ended in divorce.

• Tara Cash, daughter of Johnny and Vivian, was born in 1961.

• John Carter Cash was born on March 3, 1970. He is Johnny and June's only child. He has been married twice, and has two children: Anna Maybelle and Joseph. His current wife is Laura Webber.

Residences:

Johnny and June had two homes:

• A holiday home in Jamaica.

• The home they lived in for nearly all of their 35-year marriage was on 4.6 acres at 200 Caudill Drive in Hendersonville, Tennessee. The 13,880-square-foot home was on Old Hickory Lake.

  Their 200-foot long lakeside home set on a solid rock foundation had an outdoor swimming pool, bell garden, four large, 35-foot round rooms, seven bedrooms, and five full baths.

  After Johnny's death, the 18-room home was listed for sale and valued at $2.9 million, but the price was dropped to $2.5 million.
  Barry Gibb and his wife, Linda, purchased the Cash family home to use for songwriting.
  See photo of home

Trivia:

June loved flowers and a light shade of blue. She named the color "June Blue."

Johnny had a fear of flying and a fear of snakes.

Johnny's name, Cash, is derived from his Scottish heritage, and was originally Caesche.

Ring of Fire was written in 1963 by June about their early attraction for one another.

Flesh and Blood is a song Johnny Cash wrote about his love for June.

Quotes About the Marriage of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash

Books By and About Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash