Vivian Liberto Cash Distin was an American author and the first spouse of the renowned country artist Johnny Cash (April 23, 1934–May 24, 2005). When Johnny Cash was a member of the US Air Force in 1951, he and Vivian met in San Antonio, Texas. Together, they have four daughters: Rosanne, Kathy, Cindy, and Tara. They were married in 1954.
Along with Johnny Cash’s issues with addiction and his busy touring schedule, their marriage endured many difficulties. After thirteen years of marriage, the pair finally got divorced in 1966. Later, Johnny Cash wed June Carter Cash, with whom he had a famous and long-lasting love affair.
In 2007, Vivian Cash wrote a posthumous book titled “I Walked the Line: My Life with Johnny” in which she described her life and her marriage to Johnny Cash. The book offered insights into their union and the challenges they encountered.
At the age of 71, Vivian Cash Distin passed away on May 24, 2005. She created a lasting impression as a significant person in the life of one of the most famous characters in the history of country music.
Let’s explore more information about Vivian in detail.
Early Life
A beautiful and graceful woman was born in April 1934. Her homeland was San Antonio, Texas. Her mother was a homemaker and her father was a salesman and a part-time magician. Besides this work, her father spent most of his time as Church’s father.
Vivian had two more siblings, Raymond Alvin her brother, and Sylvia Liberto her sister.
Her life is deeply discussed in her documentary My Darling Vivian.
Personal Life
Vivian and Cash stayed in companionship for fourteen years. They both married in 1954 after a long affair. They met each other during Cash’s Air Force training in San Antonio Texas.
At the time of their marriage, Cash was not a celebrity. But we can say that Vivian was the luckiest for him. In the same year of his marriage, he got an offer to take an audition and succeed. He later became a super country music artist.
Later, Cash and his family moved to Hollywood to chase his goal and turned into a top music star. When he gained popularity he was involved in some affairs, also addicted to alcohol and drugs.
Vivian was a loving mother and devoted to her daughters. She filed for divorce because of the reasons of Cash’s fame and other issues with other actresses. Vivian was also conscious of his drug and alcoholism habits, these things compelled her to file for separation.
A Quick Look at Her Life History
| Name | Vivian Liberto Distin |
| Date of birth | April 23, 1934 |
| Parents | Thomas Liberto and Irene Robinson |
| Place of confinement | Antonio, Texas |
| Spouses | Jhonny Cash, Dick Distin |
| Children | Rosanne, Kathy, Cindy, and Tara. |
| Time spent with Cash | Almost 12 years |
| Date of death and place | May 2005 Ventura, California |
Facts of Her Life that Impacted Her Emotionally
Vivian and celebrity Cash had a full-time romance and dating. After three years of a successful love life, they got married in 1954. During the affair time period, the lovers exchanged hundreds of love letters. Later, the letters were saved by Vivian as a memory of their love relationship.
Vivian and Cash had four children; all were daughters. Vivian was a simple woman who loved and catered to her family. At the beginning of Cash’s career during the 1950s everything was going smoothly. Vivian herself was a writer; she wrote I Walked the Line, My Life with Johnny.
In the autobiography, she discussed deeply her early marriage life, Cash’s rising career’s impact on their relationship, and the other deprivation she faced during her marriage life with the superstar. The autobiography was produced by Anne Sharpsteen, who was the co-author with Vivian.
My Darling Vivian was another recent autobiography by Vivian, again in the biography she wrote about the truth of her life. It is the biography, that first went viral at SXSW Films.
Cash’s song I Walk the Line was counted in the Top 20 Country Billboard chart. It was actually sung as a tribute to her wife Vivian and their relationship.
A Noticeable Turn of Her Life
At the time of their third daughter’s birth in 1959, Cash gained popularity as a country music artist. He was addicted to alcoholism and amphetamine. He was also involved in relationships with other women.
Cash had to tour more to perform, and it was the time when civil rights were at the top in America. However, Vivian belonged to Italian American and Cash was African American.
This scenario led to serious issues among them as Cash used up his money for black women. It was the time when racism was common in the country and it impacted Cash’s career too.
As time passed, their fourth child was born and the issues became more consequential between them. Cash met June Carter at the backstage during Grand Ole Opry. They performed together and June wrote a song Ring of Fire that reached the top.
Vivian was fulfilling her job to take care of her children while Cash was ready to get married to beautiful June Carter.
Vivian and Cash Divorce
At the time of Tara’s birth, Cash and June decided to marry. Where Vivian was desperately worried about his drug issues his affair with June was also the reason to demand divorce.
In 1966, she finalized and left the place. She went to California with her daughters and after a couple of years, she married Dick Distin who was the police officer in Ventura. She completely hid herself from the world of fame and became busy with her personal life.
Vivian’s Work
Vivian wrote documentaries consisting of her life, her relationship with Cash, and the letters they exchanged before getting married. Unfortunately, the documentaries received the public’s attention after Vivian’s death.
Actually, a collection of letters from the 1950s, Vivian’s autobiography “I Walked the Line: My Life with Johnny” was written at that time. The memoir was publicized in 2007, after two years of her death. The memoir was publicly liked and criticized as well.
Dedicated Work
Vivian’s grandson Dustin Tittle and Matt Riddle Hoover worked on and released a documentary My Darling Vivian. The documentary released in 2020, it was showcases Vivian’s relationship with Cash, their love life, and sorrows. Vivian’s daughter also helped to complete the documentary as they were the eye witness of her life.
Vivian’s Last Years and Cause of Death
Vivian life became full of drama and incidents after her divorce. She was mentally disturbed because of her husband’s second marriage and it showed in her documentaries. Additionally, her daughters in many statements, stated that their mother never settled after the divorce and her love for Cash.
On the other note, Vivian was angry and disappointed when June claimed her daughter’s custody. But she accused and denied it. She passed away due to the cause of lung cancer in 2005.
Conclusion
- Vivian was such a graceful and gorgeous woman who was the first wife of the celebrity Johnny Cash.
- She was the middle daughter of an Italian man and her mother was an American.
- She gave birth to four daughters in the marriage life with Cash.
- She was a typical mother who wanted to love and care for her children.
- She married Distin after Cash.
- She wrote a memoir My Life with Johnny.
- In the last days, after June’s death Cash and Vivian met each other and they cleared every argument and made peace for each other.