Actor John Wayne becomes a Christian because of a note from the daughter of Dr. Robert Schuller–Fiction!
Summary of eRumor:
This is an inspirational story about the time when a daughter of Dr. Robert Schuller of the Crystal Cathedral in California experienced a motorcycle accident that resulted in the loss of her leg. “Cindy” Schuller is said to have received a hand-written note from John Wayne saying that he was sorry to hear about the accident and that he hoped she’d be all right. She wrote a note back to him asking if he knew Jesus and, if not, encouraging him to meet him so John Wayne would be in heaven. She learned that a man who came to visit her was going to have dinner that night with John Wayne, so she asked him to hand-deliver her note. According to the story, he did and with tears in his eyes, John Wayne told the man to report back to Cindy that he had accepted Jesus and would see her in heaven. The email then says that was 3 weeks before Wayne died.
The Truth:
This is an unusual one because those who would have first-hand knowledge of the story do not remember it. The name of Dr. Schuller’s daughter who experienced the accident and the loss of her leg is Carol, not Cindy. She tells TruthOrFiction.com that there was a communication from John Wayne after her accident, but says she was so “out of it” that she doesn’t remember if she sent a note back to him and, if she did, does not know whether he made a spiritual decision as a result of it. In a sermon titled “Joy…God’s Gift To You” that was delivered two years after Carol’s accident, Dr. Schuller said that John Wayne did send an autographed picture to Carol with the inscription, “Be Happy, You’re Loved!” The timing of the note in the eRumor is incorrect. The eRumor says John Wayne died three weeks afterwards. Carol Schuller’s accident was in 1978. John Wayne died in June of 1979.