Everyone loves a good story, especially one that tugs at the heartstrings and ends with a dramatic conversion. But sometimes, these tales are just that—stories. Recently, a viral post has been making the rounds, claiming that the legendary actor John Wayne had a dramatic religious conversion after receiving a heartfelt letter from a young girl. It’s a beautiful narrative, but let’s dive into the facts and see if this story holds up.
The tale goes like this: Robert Schuller’s teenage daughter, Cindy, lost her leg in a motorcycle accident. John Wayne, a fan of Schuller, sends her a comforting note. Cindy responds with a letter asking Wayne if he knows Jesus, urging him to convert. Conveniently, a visitor to her hospital room offers to deliver the letter as he’s dining with Wayne that night. Wayne reads the letter at dinner, is moved to tears, and declares he’s giving his heart to Jesus. Three weeks later, he dies, presumably to meet Cindy in heaven.
Here’s the reality check: John Wayne did convert to Roman Catholicism shortly before his death, but this happened two days before he passed away on June 11, 1979. His family confirms this significant and private moment, likely influenced by his first wife and their devout Catholic children. But this dramatic dinner scene? Highly unlikely. By April 9, 1979, Wayne was already in a frail state, making a surprise appearance at the Academy Awards to present Best Picture, looking visibly weakened. He was battling stomach cancer, which led to a nine-hour surgery removing his stomach and gall bladder. Post-surgery, Wayne wouldn’t have been keen on public dinners, dealing with the risk of a “dumping” incident—a common post-gastrectomy issue where the small intestine is directly connected to the esophagus.
The story’s mix-up doesn’t end there. Robert Schuller’s daughter did have a motorcycle accident, but her name is Carol, not Cindy. Carol spent months recovering in the hospital and did receive a note from John Wayne, but there’s no record of her writing back, nor of Wayne’s dramatic conversion sparked by her letter.
Picture the Duke in his last days: not the boisterous, larger-than-life cowboy, but a frail man, likely homebound, surrounded by loved ones, not out gallivanting at Newport Beach. The vibrant energy of John Wayne, the icon, was gone, replaced by the quiet, introspective final moments of a man at the end of his life.
So, while the image of a teary-eyed John Wayne declaring his newfound faith over dinner makes for a moving Facebook post, the truth is less cinematic. The real story of his quiet conversion, influenced by his family, is just as significant without the embellishments.
Remember, folks, always take these too-good-to-be-true stories with a grain of salt and a healthy dose of skepticism. And if an emotional conversion story involving a Hollywood legend seems a bit too perfect, it probably is. Enjoy the fiction, but let’s keep the facts straight—John Wayne’s final moments were his own, not a viral story waiting to happen.
Sources
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/waynes-whirled/
https://aleteia.org/2019/02/17/john-waynes-deathbed-conversion-to-christianity