Who wrote the most romantic love letter of all time? It wasn’t romantic poet John Keats, or Ernest Hemingway.
Ahead of Valentine’s Day, a British-based poll asked online users to vote on the most romantic love letters of all time. It likely comes as no surprise to many on this side of the pond that one written by Johnny Cash was voted number one, all-time.
In 1994, for wife June Carter-Cash’s 65th birthday, the Man in Black penned this heartfelt letter to the love of his life:
Happy Birthday Princess,
We got old and got used to each other. We think alike. We read each others minds. We know what the other wants without asking. Sometimes we irritate each other a little bit. Maybe sometimes we take each other for granted.
But once in a while, like today, I meditate on it and realize how lucky I am to share my life with the greatest woman I ever met.
You still fascinate and inspire me. You influence me for the better. You’re the object of my desire, the #1 Earthly reason for my existence. I love you very much.
Happy Birthday Princess.
John
The relationship between the pair was indeed anything but storybook. As portrayed in the 2005 biopic Walk the Line, John and June fought through tumultuous previous marriages, hectic schedules, and John’s one-time problem with drugs and alcohol.
Despite the odds against them, they remained married until June’s death in May of 2003. John followed shortly thereafter, passing away in September of that same year.
Watch John and June perform “‘Cause I Love You” together:
Winston Churchill, John Keats, Ernest Hemingway, and Napoleon Bonaparte rounded out the top five, respectively.
The poll was commissioned by British life insurance company Beagle Street to encourage people to be more romantic, according to the Daily Mail.
That survey also found that 38 percent of women asked admit they have never written a love letter, and 46 percent find the tradition to be outdated.
For a complete list of the most romantic letter authors, click here.