John Wayne - Illness

In 1964, Wayne was diagnosed with lung cancer, and underwent surgery to remove his entire left lung and two ribs. Despite rumors that the cancer was caused by filming The Conqueror in Utah where the US government had tested nuclear weapons (following which some of the cast and crew developed cancer), Wayne himself believed his five-pack-a-day cigarette habit was the cause.

Due to his enormous popularity, and his status as the most famous Republican star in Hollywood, wealthy Texas backers of the Republican Party asked Wayne to run for national office in 1968 as had his friend and fellow actor, Sen. George Murphy. He declined, joking that he did not believe the public would seriously consider an actor in the White House. He did support his friend Ronald Reagan's runs for Governor of California in 1966 and 1970, however. In 1968 Wayne was also reportedly asked to be conservative Democratic governor George Wallace's running mate in the presidential election; Wayne's response made headlines: "Wayne Wallace VP? Wayne Says 'B------t!'" (Films in Review, May, 1977).

Wayne was married three times, always to Spanish-speaking brides; to the late Josephine Alicia Saenz, Esperanza Baur(deceased), and Pilar Palette. He had four children with Josephine and three with Pilar, most notably producer, the late Michael Wayne, actor Patrick Wayne, and daughter Aissa Wayne who practices law in California. One of his grandsons(eldest son of daughter Melinda's seven children) is a Catholic Priest, Fr.Matt Munoz who said his first Mass at St. Edward the Confessor in Dana Point, CA.

His romance with Josie Saenz began when he was a college student and continued for seven years before their marriage. Miss Saenz was 15 or 16 at their first meeting at a dance at Balboa Pavilion. The daughter of a successful California businessman, Josie resisted considerable opposition from her family to maintain her relationship with Wayne.

In the years prior to his death, Wayne was romantically involved with his former secretary Pat Stacy.^[8]. She died of lung cancer in 1995, at the age of 57. In March 1978 Wayne underwent open-heart surgery to repair an artery damaged by a bout of pneumonia four years previously. Although he recovered, at Christmas 1978 he fell ill again, and in January of the following year underwent a nine-hour operation to remove his stomach, which was entirely cancerous.