The Duke once opened up about how he came to have specific preferences when it came to preferences in his partners. The first of Wayne's three marriages started with Josephine Alicia Saenz, who had a Spanish American background.

In 1973 she moved out of their house; however, they were never legally separated or divorced. She has always made clear that they remained married until his death. In 1984, five years after Wayne's death, Pallete married Stephen Stewart, a municipal court judge.

John Wayne had an estate estimated at $6.5 Million at the time of his death in 1979, but based on the foundation his heirs created, that figure has grown to about $50 Million.