Editing Jesse Owens (section)

===Death===
[[File:Grave of Jesse Owens (1913–1980) at Oak Woods Cemetery, Chicago 1.jpg|thumb|right|Owens's grave at Oak Woods Cemetery]]

Owens was a pack-a-day [[Tobacco smoking|cigarette smoker]] for 35 years, starting at age 32.<ref name="Nelson2013">{{cite book|author=Murry R. Nelson|title=American Sports: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas &#91;4 Volumes&#93;: A History of Icons, Idols, and Ideas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tfTXAQAAQBAJ&q=jesse+owens+started+smoking+32&pg=PA987|year=2013|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-0-313-39753-0|page=987}}</ref> Beginning in December 1979, he was hospitalized on and off with an extremely aggressive and [[drug-resistant]] type of [[lung cancer]]. He died of the disease at age 66 in [[Tucson, Arizona]], on March 31, 1980, with his wife and other family members at his bedside.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0912.html |title=Jesse Owens Dies Of Cancer At 66: Hero of the 1936 Berlin Olympics |work=The New York Times |date=April 1, 1980 |access-date=August 5, 2013}}</ref> He was buried next to the Lake of Memories at [[Oak Woods Cemetery]] in Chicago, near where his children and extended family still lived. The grave is inscribed:
{{Blockquote|Jesse Owens. Olympic Champion. 1936. Athlete and humanitarian. A master of the spirit as well as the mechanics of sports. A winner who knew that winning was not everything. He showed extraordinary love for his family and friends. His achievements have shown us all the promise of America. His faith in America inspired countless others to do their best for themselves and their country. September 12, 1913 – March 31, 1980.}}

President Jimmy Carter issued a tribute to Owens, stating: "Perhaps no athlete better symbolized the human struggle against tyranny, poverty and racial bigotry."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=J. Y. |date=April 1, 1980 |title=Olympic Track Great Jesse Owens Is Dead at 66 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1980/04/01/olympic-track-great-jesse-owens-is-dead-at-66/51f3910e-2d63-4370-991c-151a7e86b076/ |access-date=August 14, 2022 |newspaper=The Washington Post |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>