Off The Record
John Wayne Became A Wild West Icon During His More Than 50 Year Hollywood Career
John Wayne became a Wild West icon during his more than fifty-year Hollywood career. However, his grave would go unmarked for decades after his passing, which always caused others to wonder.
Hollywood icon John Wayne is well recognized for his western-themed motion pictures. Most significantly, though, his admirers adored him because, in contrast to other Hollywood celebrities, he would take his time to diligently respond to each and every fan letter.
The actor from “The Lady of the Night” had a prosperous acting career, having starred in more than 100 films and won an Academy Award. Wayne had seven children and was a family man outside of the movie industry.
Melinda Wayne, Michael Wayne, Patrick Wayne, and Mary Antonia “Ton” Wayne were the couple’s four children from their 1933 marriage to his first wife, Josephine Alicia Saenz.
He had three more children with his third wife, Pilar Palette, after the marriage ended in 1945: Aissa Wayne, Marissa Wayne, and John Ethan Wayne.
He was a loving father to his children, who have worked hard to preserve his legacy and memories in the years since his passing.
THE DUKE PASSES ON
After a prosperous career as a tough American hero in more than 200 Westerns, Wayne tragically passed away from stomach cancer. To combat the sickness, he had signed up for a study on cancer vaccines.
Sadly, the famed actor passed away from the illness on June 11, 1979, while he was receiving treatment at UCLA Medical Center. He was laid to rest in the Pacific View Memorial Park Cemetery in Newport Beach, on a hillside overlooking the ocean, a location that was kept a secret for many years.
Since guards prevented supporters from attending his funeral, many people were unable to determine the location of his tomb for years. For twenty years, his tomb was unmarked, and his farewell ceremony remained a private affair.
The cemetery kept his grave’s location a secret out of consideration for his family. Nonetheless, anyone familiar with the internet can simply follow a detailed itinerary to the precise location where the “Duke” was buried.
Over the course of six weeks, more than 7,000 people visited Jim Tipton’s website, which is devoted to locating the graves of famous people, in an effort to locate Wayne’s ultimate resting place. He states:
“It’s not some ghoulish, morbid thing. It’s more about remembering the person as they lived. You go there because you respected the person and their life.”
REMEMBERING THEIR DAD
Wayne is known for more than simply the enormous influence his movies have on people’s lives. His children cherish his memories and pay tribute to him as the amazing father he was.
Ethan recalls a loving father who would constantly pick him up, give him a kiss on the head, and express his love for him.
His other kids remember their father’s kindness and love, and they all have stories about how even the tiniest things he did changed their lives. Among these were taking them to the set of his films and playing golf with them.
PROTECTING HIS LEGACY
When he came under fire for stating that he believed in “white supremacy” in an interview with Playboy in 1971, his children defended him for a variety of reasons, including the fact that he was a father.
His children stood up for him even though his remarks on the topic sparked controversy in many quarters. They clarified that he was anything but a racist and that he was more of a people guy.
Ethan revealed that Wayne thought everyone should have equal opportunities and made personalized judgments about each person. He remembered how Wayne had employed and collaborated with individuals of many races, creeds, and sexual orientations to contextualize his argument.
A SIMPLE HEADSTONE FOR A NOT-SO-SIMPLE MAN
A bronze plaque depicting Wayne riding a horse while a U.S. flag flutters in the wind now marks the Duke’s final resting place. A passage from his notorious Playboy interview appears on the monument.
According to his son Ethan, they wanted him to rest in peace; thus, they didn’t want to build a shrine. He added that no one would want their loved ones’ graves to be trampled underfoot; therefore, they made the decision out of consideration for other individuals who have loved ones buried there.
He also acknowledges that he has frequently discovered flowers on Wayne’s grave, showing that his admirers continue to remember and pay tribute to him even after his death.
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