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World History
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What were the saddest last words in history?
Julia A. Lange
Julia A. Lange, A wealth of useless facts
Answered 9h ago · Upvoted by Imanol Lizarralde, Phd. in History from University of the Basque Country (2011)
To me, the famous last words that bring me to tears are the ones spoken
by western film actor, John Wayne.


A black and white photo of western film actor, John Wayne (image: The Spectator)

John Wayne was born to his parents in 1907 in Winterset, Iowa. When he
was 9 years old his family moved to California, where his father took a
job as a pharmacist.

Wayne played football in high school and wrote for his school’s
newspaper. After he graduated, he applied to the U.S. Naval Academy, but
was denied. Instead, he went to University of Southern California (USC)
on a football scholarship. Sadly, Wayne broke his collarbone, ending his
sports career and forcing him to leave college due to a lack of funds.

Wayne’s coach at USC helped him get a job as a prop boy and extra on a western film set. There, Wayne developed his iconic demeanor. He started
off with uncredited roles, but soon started getting larger parts. In
1939, Wayne starred in his first Western Film, titled Stagecoach.

Wayne’s fame as a western star grew. He became sort of a
rough-and-tumble playboy with conservative views. Wayne married three
times and divorced twice. He had seven children among his marriages.
Wayne also had several affairs, including some high profile ones.

Wayne’s personality in real-life was described as very similar to the
one he portrayed on the screen. Wayne drank heavily and chain smoked cigarettes. This subsequently led him to being diagnosed with lung
cancer in 1964.

Wayne had a lung removed and underwent radiation treatments. But it
wasn’t enough to rid him of the cancer. Toward the end of his battle, he became weak, very sick, and started losing weight.

In 1979, John Wayne made his final public appearance at the Academy
Awards. Wayne, undergoing radiation treatments earlier in the day,
appeared exhausted. [1]

Soon after, his appearance at the Academy Awards, Wayne collapsed to the
floor and was rushed to the hospital, where he lived out his final days.

Family and friends surrounded Wayne as he perished away from his 15-year
battle with cancer.

On June 11, 1979, John Wayne died with some of his family by his side, including his son Patrick, and his daughter Aissa.

Aissa held Wayne’s hand and asked if he remembered who she was. Her
father was only semi-conscious.

Wayne replied, “Of course I know who you are. You’re my girl. I love you.”

He took his last breath soon after.


John Wayne with his daughter Aissa Wayne. (image: IMDb)

John Wayne’s last words showed the power of a father-daughter
relationship. Even though Wayne wasn’t fully there, he remembered his daughter.

Fathers, always be there for your daughters. It is important for a girl
to have that bond with their dad. It makes a difference.

[1] The Final Days of John Wayne

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