She is African American, not Italian American
When the country hitmaker was arrested in 1965 for his drug case, a newspaper released a photo of him with his then-spouse Vivian. Along with the photo comes the publicized less-known fact that she was of African American descent instead of Italian American.
The racial speculations resulted in an uproar among her husband’s fans. During this time, the couple was about to end their relationship.
Along with the public outcry came the many canceled concerts.
White racists also made claims that the country chart-topped used the money from his music sales to buy drugs and fund his fascination for black sex workers.