How Johnny Cash's Daughter Rosanne Handled His Affair With June Carter

Johnny Cash and June Carter have one of the greatest country love stories of all time. The icons' tale of overcoming the pitfalls of fame and the industry has even produced hit songs and romantic films. However, it was also a considerable source of pain and sorrow for others in their orbit, including, most notably, Johnny's wife, Vivian Liberto, and his daughter, Rosanne Cash. Johnny and Liberto married in 1954 after he returned from the military and before he became a singing sensation. Rosanne, meanwhile, was the oldest of the couple's four daughters. 

When Johnny's career took off, he began traveling for shows and events, and understandably, Liberto worried about the effect fame would have on their family. In the docuseries "Country Music," Rosanne admitted, "He wrote, 'I'm gonna stay true.' Of course that wasn't true," (via People). Carter and Johnny met backstage at his debut at Nashville's legendary Grand Ole Opry. The rising star was there following the success of "I Walk the Line," a song that was reportedly written as an ode to his steadfast love for his wife, who feared Johnny would embark on an affair.

At the time, Carter was married too and she would remain so until 1967, divorcing her husband just one year after Liberto divorced Johnny. "It seemed inevitable, though it was so painful for my mom," Rosanne sadly recalled of the tumultuous period in her life. But ultimately, it's a time she now reflects on with acceptance.

Rosanne Cash doesn't sugarcoat her harsh childhood, calling her experiences with her father's fame, addiction, multiple records of arrest, and affair with June Carter more than a little crazy in an interview with People. After meeting backstage, Carter and Johnny Cash began touring together and quickly fell in love. At the same time, in the late sixties, the country outlaw was also engaging in risky behavior with alcohol and drugs. Still, Rosanne remembers him as the greatest father to her and her three sisters.

When Vivian Liberto and Johnny split, Rosanne admits the event was heartbreaking for her mom — someone who instilled in her a "powerful sense of discipline, family, mothering and detail orientation." Alternatively, when Carter entered Rosanne's life, she was introduced to another type of woman, and someone whom she now recognizes set another valuable example. Rosanne explained, "June gave me this sense of expansiveness and how to live life as a performer." Like her dad, she wanted to write music and sing. 

In her eulogy, Rosanne sweetly wrote of Carter, "She did not give birth to me, but she helped me give birth to my future," (via Country Living). However, her view of fame was slightly tainted by her father's actions. The singer-songwriter confessed to People, "I grew up thinking becoming famous was about the worst thing you could do. You went on the road, you started doing drugs and got divorced and didn't see your kids and everything fell apart."

Although June Carter became a stepmom to Rosanne Cash and her siblings, the songwriter lovingly reflected in her eulogy that she disallowed the prefix "step" before mother, father, or children and insisted they were all simply family. Despite this, Carter was never really forthcoming about her feelings towards Johnny Cash's first wife, Vivian Liberto. However, Liberto opened up about the dissolution of her marriage in her book, "I Walked The Line: My Life with Johnny." 

In it, she railed against Carter, claiming that the country star relentlessly pursued Johnny, even though she knew he was married. All the while, Liberto stayed home. Her friend recalled, "She'd say, If I only could have traveled with him instead of being here raising four kids, things would have been different.'" Liberto even divulged that on one occasion, when she and June did meet at a show, the "Keep On the Sunny Side" singer told her, "Vivian, he will be mine," (via the VC Star).

After the divorce, the Cash kids lived with their mother in Ventura, California. Though Liberto predominantly raised them, it's clear that Carter was still very much an important part of their lives. Unfortunately, the love triangle put everyone involved, especially the children, in an increasingly awkward position. Rolling Stone reports that, in the documentary "My Darling Vivian," Rosanne asserted that in the eyes of the public her mother "faded into negative obscurity" while Johnny and Carter's love lives on, even long after both of their deaths.

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).