Dolly Parton graced the Dumb Blonde podcast, discussing her friendship with Johnny Cash and his wife, June Carter Cash. The country star said they were parallels to each other, as June was a chatterbox like her, and Cash had to deal with it just like her husband Carl Dean does.
Johnny and June were married for over three decades until the latter died of surgery complications in 2003. Cash, who often gushed about their unconditional love, died four months later at 71. Dolly echoed Johnny’s response to how he copes with June’s talkativeness, saying he does his best thinking while she yaps away.
Dolly Parton had a huge crush on Johnny Cash
Dolly was 13 when she first met Johnny, who introduced her at her Grand Ole Opry debut in 1959. She duetted George Jones’ “You Gotta Be My Baby” with her uncle Bill Owens and got three encores, which was impressive for the first time.
The 78-year-old said she began to feel her hormones rushing when Johnny simply said hello. Being a young girl, Dolly was attracted to his magnetic charm and good looks. The crush never grew into anything serious, and in seven years, she was married to her husband, Dean.
Johnny Cash was twice Dolly Parton’s age when they met
Johnny was 27 when Dolly developed a crush on him, and it was the peak of his battle with addiction. A naive Dolly mistook his twitching movement as something cool. Meanwhile, he was showing symptoms of withdrawal from amphetamines and barbiturates.
Johnny was also a heavy drinker and relied on stimulants to perform optimally on tour. With the help of June and rehabilitation, Johnny overcame addiction in the late ‘60s, although he relapsed a few times. He married June in 1968, and they had their son John Carter Cash.