Though John Wayne, the legendary Hollywood actor, passed away in 1979, he left behind a unique request regarding his final resting place. Despite his fame, Wayne wished for his grave to remain unmarked, save for a meaningful inscription. Wayne was a global sensation during Hollywood’s golden age, captivating audiences with his roles in numerous westerns and war films. His illustrious career began in the silent film era of the 1920s, and he eventually became a leading figure in the industry.

Over the span of his career, Wayne appeared in an impressive 179 productions, earning his place as a top box-office draw for three decades. In recognition of his significant contribution to cinema, the American Film Institute honored him in 1999 as one of the greatest male stars in classic American cinema. Despite his efforts to fight cancer, including participating in a vaccine study, Wayne succumbed to stomach cancer at the age of 72 at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.

In a personal revelation, Wayne’s son, Patrick, and his grandson, Matthew Muñoz, who is a priest, shared that the actor embraced Roman Catholicism shortly before his death. His family disclosed that Wayne desired his tombstone to bear the phrase “Feo, Fuerte y Formal,” a Spanish epitaph that he interpreted as “ugly, strong, and dignified.”

For two decades, his grave remained unmarked, honoring his wish for simplicity. It was not until 1999 that his resting place was finally marked with a moving quote, encapsulating the spirit of a man who epitomized strength and dignity both on screen and in his personal life.

His grave, which was unmarked for 20 years, was marked in 1999 with a poignant quote.

It read: “Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight, very clean. It’s perfect when it arrives, and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we’ve learned something from yesterday.”

Initially, after Wayne’s death, his family held a private funeral only for family and friends for the actor, with security personnel keeping the eyes of the public away.

Before adding the quote to the headstone, Wayne’s son Ethan told the Los Angeles Times that disclosing the location publicly would be disrespectful to the families of others buried there.

“You want him to rest in peace,” he said. “We didn’t want to make a shrine. It’s more out of respect for the people that are out there. They don’t want their loved ones’ graves trampled on.”

However, according to Purple Clover, his family feared that a marked grave could attract vandalism from Left-wing protesters, but his family identified his grave with a simple bronze marker.

By 1998, the Wayne family had installed a bronze plaque featuring a cowboy on horseback riding through the Old West, a touching nod to his iconic roles in classic American Westerns.

Ethan later acknowledged the public’s affection for his father and felt it was fitting to finally honour that connection.