John Wayne died in eight of his movies: 1  Reap the Wild Wind (1942) Octopus under water. 2  The Fighting Seabees (1944) Gunshot/explosion in a supreme sacrifice scene. 3  Wake of the Red Witch (1948) Drowning.  Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) Gunshot 1  wounds. The Alamo (1960) Speared/explosion.  The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) old age.