In 1976, Wayne starred in Don Siegel's The Shootist, also starring Lauren Bacall, Ron Howard and James Stewart. It was Wayne's final cinematic role, whose main character, J. B. Books, was dying of cancer, to which Wayne himself succumbed three years later.

Wayne's heavy-smoking habit was blamed for his cancer by Wayne and his wife Pilar Pallete. In a 2001 interview with Larry King, Powell's widow June Allyson stated that the cause of death was lung cancer due to his chain smoking. Hayward's cancer began as a lung tumor identified in March 1972 that later metastasized.

- Quora. Original question: “Who inherited John Wayne's fortune?” “John Wayne's will ensured that all seven of his children and his first wife (his second wife ԁıеԁ in 1961, per Find-a-Grave) received some compensation, either directly, or through trust funds, leaving them all with five and six-figure sums.