Meet Johnny Cash's 7 talented kids: Where are they now?
Johnny Cash had a blended family and welcomed four kids with his first wife, Vivian Liberto, and had one son and two stepdaughters with June Carter Cash
Johnny Cash left behind not only a musical legacy when he died on September 12, 2003, at age 71 in Nashville, Tennessee, from complications of diabetes, but also seven children who loved and adored him. The "I Walk the Line" singer shared four daughters with his first wife, Vivian Liberto, whom he married in 1954 after he was discharged from the Air Force, and one son with his second wife, June Carter Cash. Johnny also became a stepfather to June's two daughters after their 1968 wedding.
Johnny moved his family from Memphis, Tennessee, to Southern California in 1958, and soon developed an addiction to amphetamines. Vivian filed for divorce in 1966 amidst his addiction struggles and his rumored affair with June. Once he got sober, he married June in Franklin, Kentucky, on March 1, 1968, and together they embraced their blended family. Find out more about Johnny's kids below.
Like her father, Rosanne, who was born on May 24, 1955, in Memphis, is a musician and has had numerous No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot Country Charts. She is also a four-time Grammy winner, has released 15 albums, and written four books, including her memoir Composed.
Her mother is Johnny's first wife, Vivian Liberto, and she was relieved when her parents divorced. "I remember having this thought, even at 12, 'Maybe now both of them will be happy,'" she told People.
Speaking at her dad's funeral in 2003, Rosanne said of her father: "He never criticized, he never condescended to us, he never forced his will on us. He respected us as much as we respected him."
Rosanne has five grown children, daughters Hannah, Caitlin, Chelsea, and Carrie, whom she shares with her first husband, country music singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell, whom she was married to from 1979 to 1992. She shares one son, Jakob, with her current husband, musician John Leventhal.
Kathy, who was born on April 16, 1956, in Memphis, also inherited her father's musical talents, and while she prefers to stay out of the spotlight, she has dabbled in acting and appeared in the 2016 film What's the Matter with Gerald? which was written by her son Dustin Tittle and son-in-law Matt Riddlehoover. She also appeared in the 2020 documentary about her late mother, My Darling Vivian, who died in 2005.
Kathy is married to singer Jimmy Tittle, whom she met through her sister Rosanne. They are parents to Dustin and Kacy. Kathy is also mom to son Thomas Gabriel from a previous relationship.
Cindy performed with her dad on The Johnny Cash Show
Cindy Cash
Cindy, born on July 29, 1959, started performing at a young age and even sang alongside her father on The Johnny Cash Show. She was also part of a group consisting of a few country artists' children called The Next Generation, and dabbled in acting, appearing in 1983's The Cradle Will Fall.
Cindy auctioned off some of her dad's possessions in 2011 to raise money for charity, and told The Desert Sun at the time: "I want people to see a side of Dad that they never saw. He was a father, a grandfather, a family man. His family was so important to him, and he was such a compassionate man."
Cindy has been married three times and shares her daughter, Jessica Dorraine Brock, with her first husband, Cris Brock. She was then married to musician Marty Stuart from 1983 to 1998. She married Eddie Panetta in 2003, and they were together until he died in 2009 from a motorcycle accident.
Unlike her siblings, Tara, born on August 24, 1961, is not a musician and instead worked as a jewelry designer and in costuming and wardrobe for films. She was a wardrobe assistant on the 1989 movie Tennessee Nights and a costume designer on the TV film Nashville Beat.
She lives with her husband, filmmaker and art director Fred Schwoebel, and their two kids, Alex and Aran, in Portland, Oregon.
John is the only son of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash
John Carter Cash
John Carter Cash is the only son of Johnny and his second wife, June Carter Cash. He was born on March 3, 1970, in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a country singer-songwriter just like his parents. John is also an established author and producer and has collaborated with icons like Loretta Lynn, Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, and Willie Nelson.
John's dad "was always my best friend growing up," and he spoke about their close bond in 2016, telling WTOP: "He truly was. We spent a lot of time fishing, doing outdoors activities. I got to travel on the road with him a great deal. I went from city to city with him. I'd been to 26 countries by the time I was four years old."
John has five children and has been married three times. He shares son Joseph with Mary Mabry, daughter Anna, and son Jack with Laura Weber White, and Grace June Cash and James Kristoffer Cash with his current wife, Ana Cristina Cash.
Johnny became stepdad to Carlene after he married June
Carlene Carter
Johnny became stepdad to June and her first husband, country singer Carl Smith's daughter Carlene, who was born Rebecca Carlene Carter on September 26, 1955, following their 1968 wedding.
Carlene has been steadily releasing music over the years, and she was nominated for a Grammy in 1991 for her album I Fell In Love. The musician cited Johnny as a "huge influence," writing on her website: "He was a huge influence on my becoming an entertainer and a strong woman, not just a chick singer-songwriter, because of his encouragement."
Rosie, born on July 13, 1958, was also Johnny's stepdaughter following his marriage to June, who welcomed Rosie with her second husband, Edwin Nix.
She was musical like her family and performed on The Johnny Cash Show and with the Carter Family. Rosie died of carbon monoxide poisoning in October 2003, five months after June died at the age of 73 from complications from heart valve replacement surgery. Rosie was 45.
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