On this day in 1909, English poet, playwright, novelist, and critic Algernon Charles Swinburne died at The Pines, 11 Putney Hill, Putney, London at the age of 72. Born at 7 Chester Street, Grosvenor Place, London, on 5 April 1837. He devised the poetic form called the roundel, a variation of the French Rondeau form. In addition, he wrote several novels, and contributed to the famous Eleventh Edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in every year from 1903 to 1907 and again in 1909. Author H. P. Lovecraft considered that Swinburne was “the only real poet in either England or America after the death of Mr. Edgar Allan Poe.”
The Final Footprint – Swinburne was buried at St. Boniface Church, Bonchurch on the Isle of Wight.
#RIP #OTD in 1931 writer, poet (The Prophet), visual artist, philosopher, Kahlil Gibran died at St. Vincent’s Hospital, Manhattan from cirrhosis of the liver, aged 48. The Gibran Museum in Bsharri, Lebanon
#RIP #OTD in 1954, along with brother Louis, manufacturer of photography equipment & the Cinématographe motion picture system, filmmaker, Auguste Lumière died in Lyon, France, aged 91. Family tomb, New Guillotière Cemetery, Lyon
On this day in 1965, dancer, actress and courtesan Carolina “La Belle” Otero died in her apartment at the Hotel Novelty in Nice, France. Born Agustina Otero Iglesias on 4 November 1868 in Valga, Pontevedra, Galicia (Spain). She reportedly married an Italian nobleman, Count Guglielmo 1882, but found a sponsor in 1888 who moved with her to Marseille in order to promote her dancing career in France. She soon left him and created the character of La Belle Otero and became the star of Les Folies Bèrgere productions in Paris. Soon she was one of the most sought after women in Europe, serving as a courtesan to wealthy and powerful men. Apparently her lovers included; Prince Albert I of Monaco, King Edward VII of the United Kingdom, Kings of Serbia, and Kings of Spain as well as Russian Grand Dukes Peter and Nicholas, the Duke of Westminster and writer Gabriele D’Annunzio. Allegedly, duels were fought over her and some of her lovers committed suicide after the affairs ended. It was once said that her extraordinarily dark black eyes were so captivating that they were “of such intensity that it was impossible not to be detained before them.” Otero said, “Women have one mission in life: to be beautiful. When one gets old, one must learn how to break mirrors.”
The Final Footprint – Otero is interred in Cimetiére du Château in Nice. Gaston Leroux is interred there as well.
#RIP #OTD in 1966 writer (Decline and Fall, A Handful of Dust, Brideshead Revisited, Sword of Honour) Evelyn Waugh died of heart failure at his home in Combe Florey, Somerset, England, aged 62. The Anglican churchyard of the Church of St Peter & St Paul, Combe Florey.
On this day in 1979, Italian composer, pianist, conductor and academic Nino Rota died from a coronary thrombosis at the age of 67 in Rome. Born Giovanni Rota Rinaldi on 3 December 1911 in Milan, Italy. Perhaps best known for his film scores, notably for the films of Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti and Franco Zeffirelli. He will forever be remembered for his film scores for the first two films of Francis Ford Coppola‘s Godfather trilogy, receiving the Academy Award for Best Original Score for The Godfather Part II (1974).
The Final Footprint – Rota shares a simple gravesite with his mother Ernesta, his brother Luigi, and his cousins Maria and Titina. The gravesite is at Cimitero Verano in Rome. The entrance near the gravesite is Portonaccio. There is a marble grave marker which lists the names of those interred. Special thanks to Nina Rota, Mr. Rota’s daughter, for her assistance. For more on Nino Rota visit his website – http://www.ninorota.com/.
| Sam Kinison | |
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 with Rodney Dangerfield |
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On this day in 1992, comedian and actor Sam Kinison died at the age of 38 after his white 1989 Pontiac Trans Am was struck head-on on U.S. Route 95, 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Interstate 40 and around 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Needles, California, by a pickup truck driven by someone who had been drinking alcohol. The pickup truck crossed the center line of the roadway and went into Kinison’s lane.
Born Samuel Burl Kinison on December 8, 1953 in Yakima, Washington. He was known for his intense, harsh and politically incorrect humor. A former Pentecostal preacher, he performed stand-up routines that were most often characterized by an intense style, similar to charismatic preachers, and punctuated by his trademark scream.
Kinison was married to Patricia Adkins (1975–1980) and Terry Marze (1981–1989). He began a relationship with dancer Malika Souiri toward the end of his marriage with Marze. On April 4, 1992, six days before his death, Kinison married Souiri at the Candlelight Chapel in Las Vegas. They honeymooned in Hawaii for five days before returning home to Los Angeles on April 10 to prepare for a show that night at the Riverside Resort Hotel and Casino in Laughlin, Nevada.
Kinison was found lying between the seats of his car at the scene of the collision. His brother and the others told him to lie down and he did with his best friend, Carl LaBove, who had been in the following van, holding his head in his hands. Initially, Kinison appeared to have suffered no serious injuries, but within minutes he suddenly said to no one in particular, “I don’t want to die. I don’t want to die.” LaBove later said, “it was as if he was having a conversation, talking to someone else, some unseen person.” Then there was a pause as if Kinison was listening to the other person speak. Then he asked “But why?” and after another pause LaBove heard him clearly say: “Okay, okay, okay.’ LaBove said, “The last ‘okay’ was so soft and at peace … Whatever voice was talking to him gave him the right answer and he just relaxed with it. He said it so sweet, like he was talking to someone he loved.” Kinison then lost consciousness. Efforts to resuscitate him failed. Kinison died at the scene from internal injuries. An autopsy found that he had suffered numerous traumatic injuries, including a dislocated neck, a torn aorta, and torn blood vessels in his abdominal cavity, which caused his death within minutes of the collision. Malika Souiri was rendered unconscious by the collision, but survived the accident with a mild concussion.
The Final Footprint
Kinison is interred with family members at the Memorial Park Cemetery in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His grave marker includes the unattributed quote: “In another time and place he would have been called prophet.”
On this day in 2003, singer (“The Loco-Motion”) Little Eva died from cervical cancer in Kinston, North Carolina, at the age of 59. Born Eva Narcissus Boyd on June 29, 1943 in Belhaven, North Carolina. At the age of fifteen she moved to the Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn, New York. As a teenager, she worked as a maid and earned extra money as a babysitter for songwriters Carole King and Gerry Goffin. Boyd’s other single recordings were “Keep Your Hands Off My Baby,” “Let’s Turkey Trot,” and a remake of the Bing Crosby standard “Swinging on a Star,” recorded with Big Dee Irwin (though Boyd was not credited on the label). Boyd also recorded the song “Makin’ With the Magilla” for an episode of the 1964 Hanna-Barbera cartoon series The Magilla Gorilla Show.
In 1963, American Bandstand signed her with Dick Clark’s Caravan of Stars national U.S. tour and she was set to perform for the tour’s 15th show scheduled for the night of November 22, 1963 at the Memorial Auditorium in Dallas, Texas when suddenly the Friday evening event was cancelled moments after U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated while touring Dallas in an open car caravan.
She continued to tour and record throughout the sixties, but her commercial potential plummeted after 1964. She retired from the music industry in 1971. She never owned the rights to her recordings. Although the prevailing rumor in the 1970s was that she had received only $50 for “The Loco-Motion,” it seems $50 was actually her weekly salary at the time she made her records (an increase of $15 from what Goffin and King had been paying her as nanny). Penniless, she returned with her three young children to North Carolina, where they lived in obscurity.
Interviewed in 1988 after the success of the Kylie Minogue recording of “The Loco-Motion”, Boyd stated that she did not like the new version; however, its then-current popularity allowed her to make a comeback in show business.
She returned to live performing with other artists of her era on the cabaret and oldies circuits. She also occasionally recorded new songs.
The only existing footage of Little Eva performing “Loco-Motion” is a small clip from the ABC 1960s live show Shindig! wherein she sang a short version of the clip along with the famous dance steps. She also sang “Let’s Turkey Trot” and the Exciters’ song “I Want You to Be My Boy” in the same episode. This TV show was one of her final performances until 1988, when she began performing in concerts with Bobby Vee and other singers. In a 1991 Richard Nader concert, she performed “Loco-Motion” and “Keep Your Hands Off My Baby”. The concert was partially documented on videotape.
The Final Footprint
She is interred in Black Bottom Cemetery in Belhaven. Her gravesite was sparsely marked until July 2008, when a report by WRAL-TV of Raleigh, North Carolina highlighted deteriorating conditions at the cemetery and efforts by the city of Belhaven to have it restored. A simple white cross had marked the site until a new gravestone was unveiled in November of that year. Her new grey gravestone has the image of a steam locomotive prominently engraved on the front and the epitaph reads: “Singing with the Angels”.
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