John Wayne's Granddaughter Sings Tribute Song 'God Bless John Wayne'

May 30, 2020

Jennifer Wayne performed God Bless John Wayne, an original song she wrote about her grandfather John Wayne at his tribute, which happened on the day that would have been his 100th birthday in 2007. John was born on May 26, 1907, and died on June 11, 1979, at the age of 72.

More than four decades have passed since Marion Mitchell Morrison, who would later be known as John "The Duke" Wayne, died of cancer, a condition he battled since the mid-1960s. What started out as lung cancer eventually metastasized into aggressively malignant tumors that spread to his stomach, states Villages News.

One of his granddaughters, Jennifer Wayne wrote God Bless John Wayne, an original song about her grandfather which she performed at his tribute event in 2007. The event happened on the very day that would have been his 100th birthday.

In an interview with Risen Magazine when asked what growing up with an iconic grandfather was like, she said: 

"You know, a lot of people ask me that and I really don’t know how to answer because that’s just always what I’ve known.  But there’s a funny story about that."

For over three decades, Wayne starred in countless blockbuster films. Best known for his Westerns, Wayne had starring roles in True Grit, Stagecoach, The High and the Mighty and countless other gems of the silver screen.

She went on to share that when she was younger she would watch her grandfather on AMC and thought that everyone could watch their grandfathers on TV. "When I was little, I would always ask the other kids, 'What channel is your grandpa on?'"

During his life, Wayne had seven children. Wayne’s marriage with his first wife, Josephine, produced four kids: Michael, Mary, Patrick and Melinda. Wayne had another 3 kids with his third wife, Pilar. Their names are Alissa, John Ethan and Marisa. In addition to sharing remarkably similar physical attributes, all three of Wayne’s sons shared their father’s love of film.

While granddaughter Jennifer Wayne may not have ever met her grandfather, she says she nonetheless draws inspiration from him. Her favorite quote from him is,

“Courage is being scared to death, but saddling up anyway.”

What are your favorite John Wayne movies? Let us know in the comments and be sure to pass this on to others, especially John Wayne fans!