Scottish Flag
On this day in 1094, King of Scots, Duncan II, died at the Battle of Mondoynes. Born Donnchad mac Maíl Coluim before c. 1060. Son of Malcolm III (Máel Coluim mac Donnchada) and his first wife Ingibiorg Finnsdottir, widow of Thorfinn Sigurdsson. About 1093–1094 Duncan married Uchtreda of Northumbria, daughter of Gospatric, Earl of Dunbar and Northumbria. Duncan deposed his uncle Donald III but reigned for only six months. He was succeeded by Donald III. 
I am very proud of my Scottish heritage. In My Defens, God Me Defend!
The Final Footprint – There are two, contradictory accounts about the burial place of Duncan II. One reports him buried at Dunfermline Abbey, the other at the isle of Iona at Iona Abbey. Dunfermline occupies the site of the ancient chancel and transepts of a large medieval Benedictine abbey, which was sacked in 1560 during the Scottish Reformation and permitted to fall into disrepair. Part of the old abbey church continued in use at that time and some parts of the abbey infrastructure still remain to this day. Dunfermline Abbey is one of Scotland’s most important cultural sites. The ancient burial ground at Iona Abbey, called the Rèilig Odhrain (Eng: Oran’s “burial place” or “cemetery”), contains the 12th century chapel of St Odhrán, restored at the same time as the Abbey itself. It contains a number of medieval grave monuments. The abbey graveyard contains the graves of many early Scottish Kings, as well as kings from Ireland, Norway and France. Iona became the burial site for the kings of Dál Riata and their successors. Other notable final footprints at Dunfermline include; Saint Margaret of Scotland, Edgar, Alexander I, David I, Malcolm IV, Alexander III, and Robert The Bruce.
On this day in 1981 Academy Award winning actor William Holden bled to death from a head wound suffered in a fall in his apartment in Santa Monica, California at the age of 63. Born William Franklin Beedle, Jr. in O’Fallon, Illinois on 17 April 1918. In my opinion, one of the most popular movie stars of all time, Holden was one of the biggest box office draws of the 1950s. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1953 for his role in Stalag 17, and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor for his role in the 1973 television film The Blue Knight. Holden starred in some of Hollywood’s most popular and critically acclaimed films, including such blockbusters as Sunset Boulevard, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Wild Bunch, Picnic, The Towering Inferno, and Network. He was named one of the “Top 10 Stars of the Year” six times (1954–1958, 1961). Holden married actress Ardis Ankerson (stage name Brenda Marshall) (1941 – 1971 divorce). They served as best man and matron of honor as the only guests at the wedding of Ronald Reagan and Nancy Davis. During the filming of Sabrina (1954), Audrey Hepburn and Holden became romantically involved. Holden met French actress Capucine in the early 1960s. The two starred in the films The Lion (1962) and The 7th Dawn (1964). They began a two-year affair. In 1972, Holden began a nine-year relationship with actress Stefanie Powers. My favorite Holden movies; Sabrina (1954), The Horse Soldiers (1959) and The Wild Bunch (1969).
The Final Footprint – Holden had dictated in his will that the Neptune Society cremate him and scatter his ashes in the Pacific Ocean. No funeral or memorial service was held, per his wishes. For his contribution to the film industry, Holden has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 1651 Vine Street. He also has a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
#RIP #OTD in 1990 actress (Mildred Pierce; The Unfaithful; The Arnelo Affair; Whiplash; Anatomy of a Murder; Stage Door; Our Miss Brooks; The Mothers-In-Law; Grease) Eve Arden died at home in Beverly Hills at age 82. Westwood Memorial Park, Westwood, California
On this day in 2003 actor Jonathan Brandis died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles from injuries sustained in a hanging, aged 27. Born Jonathan Gregory Brandis in Danbury, Connecticut on 13 April 1976.
Beginning his career as a child model, Brandis moved on to acting in commercials and subsequently won television and film roles. Brandis made his acting debut in 1982 as Kevin Buchanan on the soap opera One Life to Live. In 1990, he portrayed Bill Denbrough in the television miniseries It. Also in 1990, he starred as Bastian Bux in The NeverEnding Story II: The Next Chapter. In 1993, at the age of 17, he was cast in the role of teen prodigy Lucas Wolenczak on the NBC series seaQuest DSV. The character was popular among teenage viewers, and Brandis regularly appeared in teen magazines.
The Final Footprint – Brandis was found hanging in the hallway of his Los Angeles apartment. He was transported to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and died the following day of injuries sustained from the hanging.
Brandis did not leave a suicide note. After his death, friends reported that he had been depressed about his waning career and was reportedly disappointed when his appearance in the 2002 war drama Hart’s War, a role he hoped would revive his career, was significantly reduced in the film’s final cut. Brandis began drinking heavily and said that he intended to kill himself.
#RIP #OTD in 2007 novelist (A Kiss Before Dying, Rosemary’s Baby, The Stepford Wives, This Perfect Day, The Boys from Brazil, Sliver), playwright, songwriter Ira Levin died of a heart attack at his home in Manhattan aged 78. cremation
On this day in 2016, actress and centenarian Lupita Tovar died in Los Angeles at the age of 106. Born Guadalupe Natalia Tovar on 27 July 1910 Perhaps best known for her starring role in the 1931 Spanish language version of Drácula, filmed in Los Angeles by Universal Pictures at night using the same sets as the Bela Lugosi version, but with a different cast and director. She also starred in the 1932 film Santa, one of the first Mexican sound films, and one of the first commercial Spanish-language sound films.
Producer Paul Kohner proposed to Tovar over the phone—he had previously tried to give her a ring—and Tovar went to Czechoslovakia to meet him. They were married, by a rabbi, in Czechoslovakia on October 30, 1932, at Kohner’s parents’ home.
in film Santa
The Final Footprint
Tovar’s final resting place is at Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary in Culver City, California. Other notable Final Footprints at Hillside Memorial include; Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Neil Bogart, Cyd Charisse, Mickey Cohen, Lorne Greene, Monty Hall, Moe Howard, David Janssen, Al Jolson, Michael Landon, Leonard Nimoy, Suzanne Pleshette, Dinah Shore, and Shelley Winters.
And on this day in 2018, United States Army veteran, comic book writer, editor, publisher, and producer Stan Lee died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, at the age of 95. Born Stanley Martin Lieber on December 28, 1922 in Manhattan. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business to become Marvel Comics’ primary creative leader for two decades, leading its expansion from a small division of a publishing house to a multimedia corporation that dominated the comics industry.
In collaboration with others at Marvel—particularly co-writer/artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko—he co-created popular fictional characters, including superheroes Spider-Man, the X-Men, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk, Black Widow, the Fantastic Four, Black Panther, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Scarlet Witch and Ant-Man. He pioneered a more naturalistic approach to writing superhero comics in the 1960s, and in the 1970s he challenged the restrictions of the Comics Code Authority, indirectly leading to changes in its policies. In the 1980s he pursued the development of Marvel properties in other media, with mixed results. Following his retirement from Marvel in the 1990s, he remained a public figurehead for the company, and frequently made cameo appearances in films and television shows based on Marvel characters, on which he received an executive producer credit. Meanwhile, he continued independent creative ventures into his 90s, until his death in 2018.
The Final Footprint
His body was cremated and his cremated remains were given to his daughter.
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