John Wayne died on June 11, 1979, at the UCLA Medical Center, the cause of death was?

Although he enrolled in a cancer vaccine study in an attempt to ward off the disease,Wayne died of stomach cancer on June 11, 1979, at the UCLA Medical Center, and was interred in the Pacific View Memorial Park cemetery in Corona del Mar, Newport Beach. According to his son Patrick and his grandson Matthew Muñoz, a priest in the California Diocese of Orange, he converted to Roman Catholicism shortly before his death.

More information: Rochman, Sue (Fall 2008). "The Duke's Final Showdown". CR (American Association for Cancer Research). Archived from the original on January 17, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2011.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

Test your knowledge

What are your thoughts on this subject?

22 Comments

Lorraine Russo

There are conflicting reports for the cause of death. He had lung cancer first and then died later of stomach cancer. He smoked 6 packs a day. I think both answers should be right.

Larry Hughes

There was some speculation that his cancer was a result of extended filming in areas contaminated by fallout for nuclear testing.

Cheryl Love

Book worm, smoking also causes gastric cancers. As lung cancer rarely metastasizes to the stomach, the stomach cancer was almost certainly a primary cancer.

Cheryl Love

Tom Knox, it is extremely rare for lung cancer to metastasize your the stomach. His stomach cancer was almost certainly a new primary. (I am a retired cancer researcher.)

Carl Belken

Larry Hughes, They trucked in tons of soil that was downwind of test sites to the Hollywood set that he was making a movie in to add realism to the movie. His co-star died young. Many of the crew members died of cancer.

Corey Taylor

"Now on the day that John Wayne died I found myself on the continental divide Tell me where do we go from here? ThinkI'll ride into Leadville and have a few beers Think of "Red River","Liberty Valence" can't believe the old man's gone." -Jimmy Buffett, 'incommunicado'

Tom Knox

I always heard it was lung cancer that metastasized into his stomach. Therefore, couldn't lung cancer be correct?

catmom

Idk that Joyn Wayne smoked 6 packs a day -- that's a lot!! That's 120 a day, that's insane. That is definitely an addition.

Char

Larry Hughes, that could have helped too

Char

Lorraine Russo, that's why I thought it was lung cancer..then it showed elsewhere

Char

I knew it was a cancer just missed where lol

Christy Jarrett

George Oliver Prince, that was a bit of information that was completely unnecessary.

finsfone

I agree that lung cancer is the culprit. They took part or all of his lung out around 1964. He was on a commercial for anti-smoking. In it, he claimed that he "Licked the Big C!"

Edie Koller

Bob Hope converted to Catholicism too before he died.

Book worm

very wrong...he had Lung Cancer. It is what ultimately killed him as that's where it started and metastasized elsewhere...I know full well as I'm a former LC patient myself...I just didn't smoke. And the Duke did...For those of us old enough to recall, he aired several commercials prior to departure on not smoking...he smoked for over 60 years...and it truly was the cause of his leaving this life. Sorry Quiz...get it right on this one...