Johnny Cash's family is getting emotional after seeing a new statue of the iconic singer at the U.S. Capitol. His blind sister embraced the new work of art.
It's been a long road to the unveiling of the statute. Then-Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson first announced the statue back in 2019. Hutchinson announced that a statue of Cash would be added to the National Statuary Hall Collection. That building is located in the U.S. Capitol. It features two statues from each state honoring state natives.
Cash's statue replaces the current statue of James P. Clarke, a former Arkansas governor and US Senator. Clarke proved to be controversial in modern times since he supported white supremacy. His great-great-grandson agreed with the removal of Clarke's statue. Clarke has been at the Capitol Visitors Center since 1921.
Johnny Cash's Sister
In a tweet, Chad Pergram shared photos of Cash's sister Joanne hugging the statue. It read, "Statue of Johnny Cash dedicated at the Capitol. Is a new statue from Arkansas in the Capitol collection. First statue of a professional musician dedicated at the Capitol. His sister, Joanne Cash, who is blind, spent several minutes touching the statue her legendary brother."
Statue of Johnny Cash dedicated at the Capitol. Is a new statue from Arkansas in the Capitol collection. First statue of a professional musician dedicated at the Capitol. His sister, Joanne Cash, who is blind, spent several minutes touching the statue her legendary brother pic.twitter.com/Q0Tv45YmRs
— Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) September 24, 2024
Rosanne Cash also opened up about the honor of the statue. She said, "In my wildest dreams, I couldn't have imagined... Words cannot come close to expressing our pride to see my dad accorded such a singular privilege, the first musician in history to be included in the statuary hall collection. So I'm very careful not to put words in his mouth since his passing. But on this day I can safely say that he would feel that of all the many honors and accolades that he received in his lifetime, this is the ultimate."
She continued, "My dad's sister Joanne, who's here today, is the last surviving member of the original Cash family from Dyess, Arkansas. She has tragically lost her sight and asked if she could touch the statue to feel what it was, and she did."
It was obviously an emotional moment for the singer's family. You can check out the ceremony below.
