John Wayne under knife again

Press, 4 May 1979, Page 5

John Wayne under knife again

NZPA-Reuter Los Angeles The veteran film star, John Wayne was back in hospital yesterday having had an operation to remove an intestinal blockage less than four months after surgeons took out his cancerridden stomach and gall bladder.

Doctors operated to remove the blockage on Wednesday after the 71-year-old actor, who played the tough guy in more than 200 films, complained of abdominal pains.

A hospital spokesman said the actor was resting comfortably and that his condition was stable. It was expected that Wayne would stay there for i three days, but it was impossible to say if his condii tion was serious or not, i according to the spokesman. Wayne began his. fight with cancer 14 years ago i when he had a cancerous portion of his left lung removed. He gave up smoking after the-operation and said. '“I have licked the big C.” He underwent open-heart j

’surgery 13 months ago, am

had his stomach removed on January 12, this year. His chief surgeon afterwards that there Tas no evidence the cancer found in Wayne’s stomach had spread to other parts of his body. Wayne spent a few days in hospital last month with bronchitis.

His last fall-length film, made in 1976, was “The I Shootist,” in which he played an elderly gun-fighter dying of cancef. Wayne, who is separated from his Peruvian-born third 1 wife, Pilar, spent.last weekend with members of his family and the actress, Maureen O’Hara, who appeared

with him in. “The Quiet Man,” in his Californian home at Newport Beach. “We spent three happy days laughing and reminiscing,” iMiss O’Hara said yesterday.