Tommy Morrison was a professional boxer and actor who claimed to be a grand-nephew or distant relative of the legendary Hollywood star John Wayne. But how true was this claim and what was the real relationship between the two men? In this article, we will explore the facts and myths behind this intriguing story.
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The Claim: Tommy Morrison was John Wayne’s Grand-Nephew
Tommy Morrison, who was born in 1969 in Arkansas, had a successful boxing career that spanned from 1988 to 2009. He won the WBO heavyweight title in 1993 by defeating George Foreman and also starred alongside Sylvester Stallone in the 1990 film Rocky V as Tommy Gunn. He was known for his powerful left hooks and his nickname “The Duke”, which he said was based on his claim of being a grand-nephew or distant relative of John Wayne.
John Wayne, whose real name was Marion Morrison, was born in 1907 in Iowa and became one of the most iconic and influential actors in Hollywood history. He starred in over 170 films, mostly westerns and war movies, and won an Oscar for his role in True Grit in 1969. He died of cancer in 1979 at the age of 72.
According to Tommy Morrison, he was related to John Wayne through his father, Tim Morrison, who was the son of John Wayne’s younger brother Robert. Robert Morrison died in 1970, several years before John Wayne. Tommy Morrison said that he met John Wayne once when he was a child and that he inherited some of his traits, such as his toughness and charisma.
However, some sources have disputed Tommy Morrison’s claim of being a grand-nephew or distant relative of John Wayne. According to an article by The New York Times in 1996, John Wayne’s son Ethan Wayne said that he did not know whether he and Tommy Morrison were really related in any way or not. He said that he knew all of his first cousins and that Tommy Morrison was not one of them. He also said that he had never heard of Robert Morrison, John Wayne’s supposed younger brother.
According to another article by The Guardian in 2013, John Wayne’s family publicly stated that Tommy Morrison was not closely related to John Wayne and that he was a distant relative if they were related at all. They said that they did not know where Tommy Morrison got his claim from and that they did not endorse it.
According to Wikipedia, Tommy Morrison’s mother Diana was Native American (half Ponca and half Otoe) whereas his father Tim was of Irish ancestry. John Wayne’s parents were Clyde Leonard Morrison and Mary Alberta Brown, who were both of Scots-Irish descent. It is possible that Tommy Morrison and John Wayne shared some distant ancestors from Ireland, but there is no evidence that they were directly related through their fathers.
The Conclusion: Tommy Morrison’s claim was based on a myth
It seems that Tommy Morrison’s claim of being a grand-nephew or distant relative of John Wayne was based on a myth or a misunderstanding. There is no proof that John Wayne had a younger brother named Robert or that Robert had a son named Tim who fathered Tommy. There is also no proof that Tommy Morrison ever met John Wayne or inherited any of his traits. The only connection between the two men was their surname (Morrison) and their nickname (“The Duke”), which were both common among people of Irish origin.
Tommy Morrison died in 2013 at the age of 44 from sepsis, septic shock, multi-system organ failure and cardiac arrest. He had been diagnosed with HIV in 1996 and had a troubled life after his boxing career ended. He never gave up on his claim of being related to John Wayne, even though it was not supported by facts or by John Wayne’s family.
John Wayne remains one of the most revered and respected actors in American history. His legacy lives on through his films, his awards and his fans. He was not related to Tommy Morrison, but he may have inspired him to pursue his dreams of becoming a boxer and an actor.
