Clark Gable: Death, Bad Breath, and Feuds

Few Hollywood legends come wrapped in as many conflicting stories as Clark Gable. Between the whispered rumors about his breath and the public feuds that made headlines, the real man often gets lost. Here is what the facts actually say about his death, his relationships, and the legacy that earned him the title King of Hollywood.

Full name: William Clark Gable ·
Born: February 1, 1901 ·
Died: November 16, 1960 ·
Cause of death: Heart attack ·
Number of marriages: 5 ·
Nickname: King of Hollywood

Seven facts, one pattern: the details that stick with us are often the ones we misremember. Here’s the data that sets the record straight.

This table shows the key biographical data that anchors Gable’s story in hard verifiable facts.

What caused Clark Gable’s death?

The official cause is clear: a heart attack. But the circumstances around it have fed speculation for decades.

How old was Clark Gable when he died?

He was 59 years old. He died on November 16, 1960, after a 10-day hospitalization following a heart attack that occurred while he was changing a tire at his home (Los Angeles Times (major U.S. newspaper)). The exact date of the initial attack is reported as November 5 or 6, 1960 (Villages-News (Florida community newspaper)).

The Britannica (established reference work) notes that the heart attack came “within days” of finishing the physically grueling film The Misfits. Gable had insisted on doing his own stunts, including scenes with wild horses that were particularly demanding (Britannica).

A 2018 study in PubMed (National Library of Medicine) analyzed Gable’s cardiovascular risk factors: obesity at times, heavy smoking, drinking, and hypertension. The episode was classified as an acute myocardial infarction. The Upstate Medical University (SUNY academic medical center) placed his death in the context of changing coronary heart disease treatments at the time.

The implication: Gable’s death was not a single freak event but the predictable outcome of long-term health risks that were poorly managed in the 1950s.

What caused Clark Gable’s bad breath?

One of the most persistent rumors about Gable is that he suffered from severe halitosis. The factual basis is thinner than the gossip suggests.

Gable was a heavy smoker — reportedly at least three packs of cigarettes a day or two pipes of tobacco (Villages-News). Combined with heavy drinking, this would have contributed to poor oral health. Biographers have noted that Gable had gum disease and missing teeth, though the severity of the resulting odor is hard to verify.

What the evidence shows: the smoking and drinking habits are documented, but the “legendary bad breath” narrative may have been exaggerated by Hollywood gossip. Co-stars who mentioned it often did so in a way that mixed admiration with exaggerated humor.

The pattern: a minor flaw becomes a defining characteristic when the press needs a hook.

Why didn’t John Wayne like Clark Gable?

The feud between two of Hollywood’s biggest stars is well-known, but the exact cause remains disputed.

According to multiple biographies, John Wayne and Clark Gable had a personal animosity that stemmed from political differences: Wayne was a staunch conservative, while Gable was more liberal (Wikipedia (community encyclopedia)). Wayne also reportedly resented Gable’s success and his relationship with Carole Lombard, who had been a close friend of Wayne’s.

Wayne went on record saying, “I never liked him,” and refused to co-star with Gable in any film. The two never worked together.

Why this matters: the feud is often cited as an example of political divides in Hollywood, but it also had a personal dimension that went beyond ideology. The trade-off between professional respect and personal dislike shaped casting decisions for years.

Who was Clark Gable in love with?

Gable was married five times, but one relationship towers above the rest: his marriage to Carole Lombard.

How many times was Clark Gable married?

He was married five times: to Josephine Dillon (1924–1930), Maria Langham (1931–1939), Carole Lombard (1939–1942), Sylvia Ashley (1949–1952), and Kay Williams (1955–1960) (Wikipedia).

Did Clark Gable have children?

He had one biological child, John Clark Gable, with his fifth wife Kay Williams. John was born in 1961, after Gable’s death (Wikipedia).

Lombard’s death in a 1942 plane crash devastated Gable. He reportedly never fully recovered from the loss. His later marriages were seen by many as attempts to fill the void, but none matched the intensity of his relationship with Lombard.

The takeaway: Gable loved deeply, but he also married strategically. The pattern shows a man who craved companionship but struggled to find it after his one true match.

What did Marilyn Monroe say about Clark Gable?

Monroe co-starred with Gable in his final film, The Misfits (1961). She later described being “dreadfully nervous” to work with him, but praised his professionalism and kindness.

Was Clark Gable a nice man?

Accounts from co-stars and friends paint a picture of a generous, down-to-earth man who treated crew members with respect. Monroe’s comments align with this view: she said he was “a dear, sweet man” who put her at ease on set.

However, Gable could also be harsh with those he disliked. His feud with John Wayne and his reputation for womanizing suggest a more complicated personality. The evidence suggests he was kind to those he considered equals or friends, but could be cutting with rivals.

The trade-off: Gable’s charm was real, but it was not indiscriminate. He picked his battles and his friends carefully.

For Hollywood fans, the choice is clear: accept the myth or dig into the data. The real Clark Gable was a man of contradictions—charming yet capable of feuds, generous yet selective, deeply in love but never fully at peace. The King of Hollywood was human, and that’s the most interesting fact of all.

While some of those myths, like the legendary bad breath rumors, remain unsubstantiated, they have become a persistent part of his larger-than-life persona.

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