Wyatt Earp's (Kurt Russell) wife, Mattie (Dana Wheeler-Nicholson), had an unceremonious exit from Tombstone, but what happened to the real-life woman after leaving Arizona is even more tragic. Tombstone is based on a true story, and while it does take some creative liberties, most of the film is accurate to the true story of the Earp family and Doc Holliday's time in the Arizona Territory. Some of the facts incorporated into the movie include Tombstone's Cowboys gang, which was a real group of outlaws, and different parts of Wyatt's story. While it was largely accurate, Tombstone brushed over one important story: Mattie Earp's.
Wyatt Earp's common-law wife, meaning they were considered married because they lived together but never had an official and legal wedding, was born Celia Blaylock (via Mattie: Wyatt Earp's Secret Second Wife). She was born on a farm, but ran away as a teenager and began using Mattie as an alias. Mattie met Wyatt Earp while she was working as a prostitute in Dodge City, Kansas, in 1876, just three years before the Earps went to Tombstone. The two fell in love and ran away together, but their romance wouldn't last, and Mattie's story would end in tragedy.
Wyatt Earp Left Mattie For Josephine Marcus, His Fourth And Final Wife
Wyatt & Josephine Were Married Until Wyatt's Death In 1929
As the ending of Tombstone showed, Wyatt Earp didn't stay married to Mattie long. Instead, Wyatt married his fourth wife, Josephine Marcus (played by Dana Delany), after leaving Mattie on the train with the rest of the Earp family in April 1882. According to some sources, Mattie was waiting for a telegram from Wyatt that was supposed to tell her where to meet her husband, but it never arrived (via Legends of America). Afterward, Mattie moved to Globe, Arizona, and became a prostitute again. Josephine and Wyatt would remain married for the next 47 years, until Wyatt's death in 1929.
Mattie Tragically Died In 1888 & Tombstone Foreshadowed How
Mattie Died Of Opium Poisoning, Which Was Ruled A Suicide
Unfortunately, Mattie's life after Wyatt left her was filled with much more tragedy to come. In 1888, six years after Wyatt and Josephine were married, Mattie died of opium poisoning in Pinal, Arizona (via Arizona Department of Health Services). Dr. Thomas H. Kennaird ruled that Mattie's death was a suicide, though some have speculated that it may have been an accidental overdose. Mattie struggled with an addiction to opium ever since she arrived in Tombstone and was given a prescription for laudanum, a solution of opium that was used to treat headaches until the 20th century. Her affliction eventually caused her death.
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Though Tombstone didn't actually show Mattie's life after Wyatt left her or her death, the film did foreshadow the end of her story. Throughout Tombstone, as soon as she got off the train, Mattie was using and became addicted to laudanum, the same medicine that would eventually cause her death. Mattie's addiction actually caused problems between her and Wyatt in the film, like when Wyatt tried to convince her to go easy after seeing her drinking laudanum in bed. Though it didn't tell the whole story of Celia "Mattie" Baylock, Tombstone handled her tragic end with a lot of respect.
Sources: Mattie: Wyatt Earp's Secret Second Wife, Legends of America, Arizona Department of Health Services
Tombstone is a Western film loosely based on true events. When a group of outlaws known as the Cowboys ride into a town and slay several police officers for revenge for the death of two of their gang members, word of their misdeeds reaches the ears of a retired lawman. Gathering a group together, the new vigilantes will defend the town and aim to end the terror of the Cowboys.
Director George P. Cosmatos , Kevin Jarre
Release Date December 25, 1993
Writers Kevin Jarre
Runtime 130 minutes
Budget $25 million
English (US) ·