Johnny Cash's family condemn white supremacist who wore a Cash t-shirt at Charlottesville

The family of Johnny Cash have condemned a Charlottesville white supremacist who was a t-shirt bearing the singer's face, saying he would have been horrified.

"We were alerted to a video of a young man in Charlottesville, a self-proclaimed neo-Nazi, spewing hatred and bile," the family said, in a statement posted on Rosanne Cash's Facebook page.

"He was wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the name of Johnny Cash, our father. We were sickened by the association. Johnny Cash was a man whose heart beat with the rhythm of love and social justice."

Cash, 62, the singer's eldest daughter, pointed out that her father received humanitarian awards from organisations including the Jewish National Fund, B’nai Brith, and the United Nations.

She continued: "He championed the rights of Native Americans, protested the war in Vietnam, was a voice for the poor, the struggling and the disenfranchised, and an advocate for the rights of prisoners.

"His pacifism and inclusive patriotism were two of his most defining characteristics.

"He would be horrified at even a casual use of his name or image for an idea or a cause founded in persecution and hatred."

Johnny Cash had four daughters with his first wife, Vivian - Rosanne, Kathy, Cindy and Tara.

He had a son, John, with his second wife, June Carter.

One of the best-selling musicians of all time, who sold more than 90 million records, he died in 2003, aged 71.

Cash's family denounced the image of the Charlottesville marcher wearing his image, and described their neo-Nazi beliefs as "poison in our society".

Their actions, the family wrote, are "an insult to every American hero who wore a uniform to fight the Nazis in WWII."

The Cash siblings continued: "Our dad told each of us, over and over throughout our lives, ‘Children, you can choose love or hate. I choose love.’

"We do not judge race, color, sexual orientation or creed.

"We value the capacity for love and the impulse towards kindness. We respect diversity, and cherish our shared humanity. We recognize the suffering of other human beings, and remain committed to our natural instinct for compassion and service.

"To any who claim supremacy over other human beings, to any who believe in racial or religious hierarchy: we are not you. Our father, as a person, icon, or symbol, is not you.

"We ask that the Cash name be kept far away from destructive and hateful ideology."