Johnny Cash Broke 5 Ribs and Had His Stomach 'Ripped' Open in Shocking Ostrich Attack: 'He Didn't Get to Finish Me'
Johnny Cash once had a run-in with an angry ostrich.
Sept. 11 2026, Published 4:00 p.m. ET
Johnny Cash battled severe drug and alcohol addictions for decades, but he had an entirely unexpected near-brush with death when an ostrich attack left him with serious injuries.
One day before the 23rd anniversary of the iconic singer's death, RadarOnline.com revisits one of Cash's wilder true stories.
Johnny Cash Kept Ostriches at His Tennessee Property
Johnny Cash said the attack happened during a 'particularly bitter winter.'
In 1981, Cash was taking a walk on his massive Tennessee property. The estate famously included an enclosure for exotic animals, including ostriches.
"Ostrich attacks are rare in Tennessee, it’s true, but this one really happened," Cash wrote in his 2003 autobiography. "It occurred during a particularly bitter winter, when temperatures had reduced our ostrich population by half. The hen of our pair wouldn’t let herself be captured and taken inside the barn, so she froze to death."
The I Walk the Line singer suggested the loss of his mate made a particular ostrich, Waldo, upset. During his walk, he noticed the animal looked angry.
"Before that, he’d been perfectly pleasant with me," he added. "As had all the other animals, when I walked through the compound."
'I Went on the Offensive'
Johnny Cash said he 'missed' his first 'swipe' at the animal.
Cash tried to soothe the animal's nerves by moving slowly toward him and using a gentle voice. He had been hoping to calm him and take him to the barn where he could be in a safe temperature, according to the book.
That changed when the ostrich started coming at him.
"I went on the offensive, taking a good hard swipe at him. I missed," he penned.
Johnny Cash Broke 5 Ribs in Attack
Johnny Cash was left with broken ribs and a 'rip' in his stomach.
Suddenly, Cash was left unaware of where the large bird was.
"He was in the air, and a split second later he was on his way down again, with that big toe of his, larger than my size 13 shoe, extended toward my stomach," the singer continued. "He made contact – I’m sure there was never any question he wouldn’t – and frankly, I got off lightly."
Cash claimed he was initially left with two broken lower ribs and a "rip" in his stomach all the way down to his belt.
"If the belt hadn’t been good and strong, with a solid belt buckle, he’d have spilled my guts exactly the way he meant to," Cash admitted. "As it was, he knocked me over onto my back and broke three more ribs on a rock – but I had sense enough to keep swinging the stick, so he didn’t get to finish me."
After hitting one of the bird's legs, it finally "ran off," according to Cash.
Johnny Cash Relapsed After Attack
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Johnny Cash struggled with addiction.
Cash was taken to the hospital and was able to recover from his injuries, but the attack exposed him to an entirely different danger.
The artist, who had long suffered from addiction issues, was prescribed pain medication as he healed. This led him to become dependent on drugs all over again.
"I started taking the pills, but after a while the pills started taking me," he explained.
It took another stint in rehab for him to give up the medication.
As for Waldo, he was allowed to stay on Cash's property until he was rehomed at a zoo.
Cash went on to live for another two decades. He died on September 12, 2003. He was 71.
