Johnny Cash house to be preserved

Investigators have not yet disclosed the cause of the fire

The foundations of the Tennessee house belonging to late country music legend Johnny Cash will be preserved after the building burnt down last week.

Bee Gee Barry Gibb, who owns the property, said the land was "sacred" and "must be protected forever".

The lakeside home was where Cash wrote many of his songs. He also played host to US presidents, musicians and fans.

The singer and his wife, June Carter Cash, lived there from 1968 until their deaths in 2003.

Gibb bought the house in Hendersonville, Tennessee, in 2006 and was renovating it when the blaze broke out.

According to the Associated Press news agency, the fire spread quickly because construction workers had recently applied a flammable wood preservative to the exterior of the building.

After a few hours, little remained of the house except its stone chimneys.

Investigators have yet to release the cause of the fire.

In a statement, Gibb said he and his wife Linda would build a new house near the original.

"Linda and I have decided to build our own home on the higher ground surrounding the Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash home.

"The original foundations shall be kept intact and preserved for the people of Hendersonville and the people of Nashville."