Johnny Cash’s first wife had Black heritage, DNA test proves

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A recent DNA test has proved that Johnny Cash’s family history is a bit different than originally thought.

According to Daily Mail, Vivian Liberto believed herself to be of Sicilian, German and Irish heritage, but was, in fact, descended in part from slaves.

The test reportedly revealed that Liberto’s great-great-grandmother was a Black slave, the outlet reports.

The DNA test came from a Feb. episode of "Finding Your Roots: with Henry Louis Gates, Jr." in which Cash’s daughter, Rosanne delved into her own ancestral background and was surprised to learn that her mother’s great-great-grandmother was Black.

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The woman’s name was Sarah Shields and was granted freedom alongside eight of her siblings on account of their father being white. Shields would go on to marry a white man, and their children were considered white.

It was recently revealed that Johhny Cash's first wife, Vivian Liberto, had Black heritage. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

"That's likely why to this day, many of her direct descendants have no idea that they have any African American ancestry," said Gates.

Roseanne, 65, found it "heartbreaking" that her ancestors were enslaved.

Cash and Liberto met at a roller rink in 1951 in San Antonio, Texas. The two married in 1954 and divorced in 1966.

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Liberto died of Lung Cancer in 2005 at 71. Cash also died at 71 in 2003.

According to Daily Mail, interracial marriages were not legal until 1967 and the duo sued newspapers that claimed she was Black, even producing evidence of her white upbringing and education.

Johnny Cash with his first wife Vivian Liberto and daughters, Rosanne Cash and Kathy Cash 1957. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

It has been reported that Cash’s iconic "I Walk the Line" was written about their marriage. In fact, the song’s titled provided inspiration for Liberto’s memoir title, "I Walked the Line: My Life with Johnny Cash," which contained letters written between the two during Cash’s military days.

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Their marriage ended when the country icon’s drug addiction intensified and he began his famous affair with singer June Carter.

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DM reports that White supremacists proposed a boycott of Cash’s music in 1965, when a photo of Liberto supporting Cash in court showed her dark complexion.