Gibb to rebuild near burned Cash home

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Barry Gibb, the former Bee Gee who bought the house that Johnny Cash and his wife, June Carter Cash, lived in for decades before their deaths in 2003, said on Monday he plans to build a new home near where the house stood before burning down last week.

"Linda (Gibb's wife) and I have decided to build our own home on the higher ground surrounding the Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash home and the original foundations shall be kept in tact and preserved for the people of Hendersonville and the people of Nashville," Gibb said in a statement.

The lakeside home in Hendersonville, a suburb about 20 miles northeast of Nashville, was destroyed by fire last Tuesday. There was almost nothing left except stone chimneys.

The Cashes moved into the 13,880-square-foot home in the late 1960s. Johnny Cash wrote much of his famous music there, where the couple also entertained U.S. presidents, music royalty and visiting fans.

Gibb purchased the home in 2006 and had hoped to remodel it and eventually write songs there with his wife.

Gibb said the land where the Cash house once stood is "sacred" and "must be protected forever."

"To the Cash Carter families we owe the highest respect and the deepest regret that our dream could not be realized. Now there is a new dream for us and a new beginning," he said.

Fire investigators say they know the cause of the fire, but have not yet released it.

Investigators believe the flames spread quickly because construction workers had recently applied a flammable wood preservative to the exterior of the house. The preservative was also being applied inside the house.

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On the Net:

Johnny Cash: http://www.johnnycash.com/

Barry Gibb: http://www.barrygibb.com/

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