On this day 24 June death of Lucrezia Borgia – Sarah Orne Jewett – Sissieretta Jones – Carlos Gardel – Jackie Gleason – Eli Wallach

Posted on 29 JunamMon, 24 Jun 2024 00:12:00 -05002024-06-24T00:12:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

Lucretia_Borgia_PinturicchioOn this day in 1519, daughter of Pope Alexander VI, Lady of Pesaro and Gradara, Duchess of Bisceglie and Princess of Salerno, Duchess of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio, Lucrezia Borgia died in Ferrara, Italy at the age of 39 from complications after giving birth to her eighth child, having had a lifelong history of complicated pregnancies and miscarriages.  Born in Subiaco, near Rome on 18 April 1480.  Her mother was Vannozza dei Cattanei, one of the mistresses of Lucrezia’s father, Rodrigo Borgia (Pope Alexander VI).  Her brothers included Cesare Borgia, Giovanni Borgia, and Gioffre Borgia.  Lucrezia’s family later came to epitomize the ruthless Machiavellian politics and sexual corruption characteristic of the Renaissance Papacy.  Lucrezia was cast as a femme fatale, a role she has been portrayed as in many artworks, novels, films and an opera.  Very little is known of Lucrezia, and the extent of her complicity in the political machinations of her father and brothers is unclear.  They certainly arranged several marriages for her to important or powerful men in order to advance their own political ambitions.  Lucrezia was married to Giovanni Sforza (Lord of Pesaro), Alfonso of Aragon (Duke of Bisceglie), and Alfonso I d’Este (Duke of Ferrara).  Tradition has it that Alfonso of Aragon was an illegitimate son of the King of Naples and that Lucrezia’s brother Cesare may have had him murdered after his political value waned.

lucretiaborgiaGrave_of_Duke_Alfonso_I_d'Este,_Lucretia_Borgia,_etc__-_Ferrara,_ItalyThe Final Footprint – Lucrezia was entombed in the convent of Corpus Domini.  On 15 October 1816, the Romantic poet Lord Byron visited the Ambrosian Library of Milan.  He was delighted by the letters between Borgia and her one-time lover, poet Pietro Bembo (“The prettiest love letters in the world”) and claimed to have managed to steal a lock of her hair (“the prettiest and fairest imaginable”) held on display.  Victor Hugo’s 1833 stage play Lucrèce Borgia, loosely based on the stories of Lucrezia, was transformed into a libretto by Felice Romani for Donizetti’s opera, Lucrezia Borgia (1834), first performed at La Scala, Milan, 26 December 1834.

#RIP #OTD in 1909 novelist, short story writer (The Country of the Pointed Firs), poet, Sarah Orne Jewett died in her South Berwick, Maine from a stroke aged 59. Portland Street Cemetery, South Berwick, Maine 

#RIP #OTD in 1933 soprano, called “The Black Patti” in reference to Italian opera singer Adelina Patti, Sissieretta
Jones died from cancer at the Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island aged 64-65. Grace Church Cemetery, Providence

#OTD #RIP in 1935 French-born Argentine singer, songwriter, composer and actor, the most prominent figure in the history of tango, «El Zorzal”, “The King of Tango” Carlos Gardel died in an airplane crash in Medellín, Columbia, aged 44. La Chacarita Cemetery in Buenos Aires

jackiegleasonjackiebioOn this day in 1987 comedian, actor and musician Jackie Gleason died at his home in Lauderhill, Florida at the age of 71.  Born Herbert Walton Gleason, Jr. on 26 February 1916 in either Bushwick or Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.  Perhaps best known for his role on television as Ralph Kramden in The Honeymooners and for The Jackie Gleason Show (1952-1970).  His most noted film roles were as Minnesota Fats in the drama film The Hustler (1961) starring Paul Newman, and as Buford T. Justice in the Smokey and the Bandit movie series.  Gleason married three times; Genevieve Halford (1936-1970 divorce), Beverly McKittrick (1970-1975 divorce) and Marilyn Taylor (1975-1987 his death).  His trademark phrases were “And away we go!” and “How sweet it is!”.  In my opinion, The Honymooners is, without question, the “Bang, Zoom” funniest show that ever aired on television.  And I will stand on Jerry Seinfeld’s coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that.  I remember watching The Jackie Gleason Show as a kid.  Gleason was hilarious in Smokey and the Bandit.

The Final Footprint – Gleason is entombed in a private mausoleum in Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Cemetery in Miami, Florida.  Engraved at the base of the mausoleum is his epitaph; “AND AWAY WE GO”.  A life-size statue of Gleason, in full uniform as bus driver Ralph Kramden, stands outside the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City.  Another statue stands at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in North Hollywood, California, showing Gleason in his famous “And away we go!” pose.  Local signs on the Brooklyn Bridge, which indicate to drivers that they are entering Brooklyn, have the Gleason phrase “How Sweet It Is!” as part of the sign.

th-16On this day in 2014, actor, graduate of the University of Texas, Eli Wallach died of natural causes at the age of 98 in Manhattan.  Born Eli Herschel Wallach on 7 December 1915 in Red Hook, Brooklyn.  Wallach’s  career spanned more than six decades, beginning in the late 1940s.  On stage, he often co-starred with his wife, Anne Jackson, becoming one of the best-known acting couples in the American theater.  Wallach initially studied method acting under Sanford Meisner, and later became a founding member of the Actors Studio, where he studied under Lee Strasberg.  His versatility gave him the ability to play a wide variety of different roles throughout his career, primarily as a supporting actor.

For his debut screen performance in Baby Doll, he won a BAFTA Award for Best Newcomer and a Golden Globe Award nomination. Among his other most famous roles are; Calvera in The Magnificent Seven (1960), Guido in The Misfits (1961), and Tuco in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), Don Altobello in The Godfather Part III, Cotton Weinberger in The Two Jakes (both 1990), and Arthur Abbott in The Holiday (2006).  One of America’s most prolific screen actors, Wallach remained active well into his nineties, with roles as recently as 2010 in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and The Ghost Writer.

Wallach received BAFTA Awards, Tony Awards and Emmy Awards for his work, and received an Academy Honorary Award at the second annual Governors Awards, presented on November 13, 2010. Wallach and Jackson were married from 1948 until his death.

The Final Footprint – Wallach was cremated.

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On this day 23 June death of Imogen Cunningham – Maureen O’Sullivan – Ed McMahon – Peter Falk – Bobby “Blue” Bland – Richard Matheson – Donald Hall

Posted on 29 JunamSun, 23 Jun 2024 00:06:00 -05002024-06-23T00:06:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

#RIP #OTD in 1976 photographer known for her botanical photography, nudes, and industrial landscapes, member of the California-based Group f/64, Imogen Cunningham died in San Francisco aged 93

#RIP #OTD in 1998 actress (Jane in Tarzan, The Thin Man, Anna Karenina, Pride and Prejudice, Hannah and Her Sisters, Peggy Sue Got Married, Stranded), mother of Mia Farrow, Maureen O’Sullivan died in Scottsdale, Arizona, of complications from heart surgery aged 87. Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery, Niskayuna, New York

On this day in 2009, United States Marine Corps veteran, comedian, game show host and announcer, “The Human Laugh Track”, “Toymaker to the King”,  Ed McMahon died at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles at the age of 86.  Born Edward Peter McMahon, Jr. on 6 March 1923 in Detroit, Michigan and raised in Lowell, Massuchusetts.  Perhpaps best known as Johnny Carson’s sidekick and the host of The Tonight Show from 1962 to 1992.  He also co-hosted the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  McMahon introduced each night’s episode of The Tonight Show with a drawn-out “Heeeeeere’s Johnny!” and served as the on air sounding board for Carson’s jokes.  McMahon was married three times; Alyce Ferrill (1945-1974 divorce), Victoria Valentine (1976-1989 divorce), Pam Hurn (1992-2009 his death).

The Final Footprint – McMahon was cremated.

#RIP #OTD in 2011 film and television actor (Columbo, The In-Laws, A Woman Under the Influence) Peter Falk died from pneumonia at his home in Beverly Hills aged 83. Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles

On this day in 2013 blues singer, the Lion of the Blues, the Sinatra of the Blues, Bobby “Blue” Bland died at his home in Germantown, Tennessee at the age of 83. Born Robert Calvin Brooks on January 27, 1930 in Barretville, Tennessee.

Bland developed a sound that mixed gospel with the blues and R&B. He was among the great storytellers of blues and soul music. Bland was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1981, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992, and the Memphis Music Hall of Fame in 2012. He received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.

Bland, 1974

The Final Footprint

Bland is interred in Memorial Park Cemetery in Memphis. Other notable final footprints at Memorial Park include; Isaac Hayes, Sam Phillips, Charlie Rich, and Bob Welch.

#RIP #OTD in 2013 author (I Am Legend, “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet”, “Steel”, “Duel”, Hell House What Dreams May Come), screenwriter Richard Matheson died at his home in Los Angeles aged 87. Cremation

#RIP #OTD in 2018 14th poet laureate of the US, writer, editor, literary critic, husband of poet Jane Kenyon, Donald Hall died, at the age of 89 at his home in Wilmot, New Hampshire. Proctor Cemetery, Andover, New Hampshire

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Day in History 22 June – Judy Garland – Fred Astaire – George Carlin – James Horner – Vinnie Paul

Posted on 29 JunamSat, 22 Jun 2024 00:18:00 -05002024-06-22T00:18:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

On this day in 1969, actress and singer, mother of actress Lorna Luft, mother of singer/actress Liza Minnelli, Judy Garland, died from an accidental overdose of barbiturates at her Chelsea, London home at the age of 47.  Born Frances Ethel Gumm on 10 June 1922 in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.  Perhaps best remembered for her role as Dorothy Gale in Victor Fleming‘s The Wizard of Oz (1939), based on L. Frank Baum’s novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), and her unforgettable performance singing the Academy Award-winning song “Over the Rainbow”.  Her post Oz career was highlighted by her vaudeville-style, two-a-day engagement at Broadway’s newly refurbished Palace Theatre.  The 19-week engagement was considered a huge triumph and garnered Garland a Special Tony Award.  Also notable was her Oscar nominated performance in the 1954 musical remake of the 1937 film, A Star is Born.  Garland was married five times; David Rose (1941-1944 divorce), Vincent Minnelli (1945-1951 divorce), Sid Luft (1952-1965 divorce), Mark Herron (1965-1969 divorce) and Mickey Deans (1969-1969 her death).

The Final Footprint – Garland was initially entombed in the mausoleum at Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum in Hartsdale, New York.  Other notable Final Footprints at Ferncliff include:  Aaliyah, Joan Crawford, Oscar Hammerstein II, Jerome Kern, Thelonious Monk, and Ed Sullivan.  In addition, John Lennon and Nelson Rockefeller were cremated at Ferncliff.  In January 2017, Garland’s family had her remains relocated to Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood.  The move will ensure that Garland’s family will someday be with her.  Other notable Final Footprints at Hollywood Forever include: Mel Blanc (yes, his epitaph is “That’s All Folks!”), Chris Cornell, Cecil B. DeMille, Victor Fleming, Joan Hackett, John Huston, Jayne Mansfield’s cenotaph, Hattie McDaniel‘s cenotaph, Tyrone Power, Nelson Riddle, Mickey Rooney, Bugsy Siegel, Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer, Rudolph Valentino, Fay Wray, and Anton Yelchin.

Fred Astaire

Astaire, Fred - Never Get Rich.jpg

In You’ll Never Get Rich (1941)

On this day in 1987, dancer, singer, actor, choreographer, Fred Astaire died of pneumonia in Los Angeles at the age of 88. Born Frederick Austerlitz on May 10, 1899 in Omaha, Nebraska. In my opinion, he is one of the most influential dancers in the history of film and television musicals.

His stage and subsequent film and television careers spanned a total of 76 years, during which he starred in more than 10 Broadway and London musicals, made 31 musical films, 4 television specials, and issued numerous recordings. As a dancer, he is best remembered for his sense of rhythm, his perfectionism, and as the dancing partner and on-screen romantic interest of Ginger Rogers, with whom he co-starred in a series of ten Hollywood musicals. 

Gene Kelly, another renowned star of filmed dance, said that “the history of dance on film begins with Astaire.” Later, he asserted that Astaire was “the only one of today’s dancers who will be remembered.”

with Adele Astaire in 1921

with Ginger Rogers in Top Hat (1935)

An RKO publicity still of with Rogers dancing to “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” in Roberta (1935)

With Eleanor Powell in Broadway Melody of 1940

With Rita Hayworth in You Were Never Lovelier (1942)

In Daddy Long Legs (1955)

dancing on the walls and ceiling for “You’re All the World to Me” from Royal Wedding (1951)

in Second Chorus (1940)

Astaire’s hand and foot prints at Grauman’s Chinese Theater

Plaque honoring Astaire in Lismore, Waterford, Ireland

Always immaculately turned out, he and Cary Grant were the best dressed actors in American movies. Astaire remained a male fashion icon even into his later years, eschewing his trademark top hat, white tie, and tails (for which he never really cared) in favor of a breezy casual style of tailored sports jackets, colored shirts and slacks—the latter usually held up by the idiosyncratic use of an old tie or silk scarf in place of a belt.

Astaire married 25-year-old Phyllis Potter in 1933 (formerly Phyllis Livingston Baker; born 1908, died September 13, 1954), a Boston-born New York socialite and former wife of Eliphalet Nott Potter III (1906–1981), after pursuing her ardently for about two years, and despite his mother and sister’s objections. Phyllis’s death from lung cancer, at the age of 46, ended 21 years of a marriage and left Astaire devastated. Astaire attempted to drop out of the film Daddy Long Legs (1955), which he was in the process of filming, offering to pay the production costs to date, but was persuaded to stay.

On June 24, 1980, at the age of 81, he married a second time. Robyn Smith (born August 14, 1944), was 45 years his junior and a jockey who rode for Alfred G. Vanderbilt II and appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated July 31, 1972.

His friend, David Niven, described him as “a pixie—timid, always warm-hearted, with a penchant for schoolboy jokes.” Astaire was a lifelong golf and thoroughbred horse racing enthusiast. In 1946 his horse Triplicate won the Hollywood Gold Cup and San Juan Capistrano Handicap. He remained physically active well into his eighties. 

Shortly before his death, Astaire said: “I didn’t want to leave this world without knowing who my descendant was, thank you Michael”—referring to Michael Jackson.

The Final Footprint

His body was buried at Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery in Chatsworth, California. One of his last requests was to thank his fans for their years of support. His old dance partner, Ginger Rogers is interred there as well.

Astaire’s life has never been portrayed on film. He always refused permission for such portrayals, saying, “However much they offer me—and offers come in all the time—I shall not sell.” Astaire’s will included a clause requesting that no such portrayal ever take place; he commented, “It is there because I have no particular desire to have my life misinterpreted, which it would be.”

On this day in 2008, stand-up comedian, social critic, satirist, actor and writer/author, George Carlin died of heart failure at Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica at the age of 71.  Born George Denis Patrick Carlin on 12 May 1937 in New York City.

In my opinion, one of the most important and influential stand-up comics of all time, he was once dubbed “the dean of counterculture comedians”. He was well known for his dark comedy and reflections on politics, the English language, psychology, religion, and various taboo subjects. His “seven dirty words” routine was central to the 1978 U.S. Supreme Court case F.C.C. v. Pacifica Foundation, in which a 5–4 decision affirmed the government’s power to censor indecent material on the public airwaves.

The first of Carlin’s 14 stand-up comedy specials for HBO was filmed in 1977. From the late 1980s onward, his routines focused on sociocultural criticism of American society. He often commented on American political issues and satirized the negative aspects of American culture. He was a frequent performer and guest host on The Tonight Show during the three-decade Johnny Carson era and hosted the first episode of Saturday Night Live in 1975. His final comedy special, It’s Bad for Ya, was filmed less than four months before his death. In 2008, he was posthumously awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Carlin met Brenda Hosbrook in August 1960 while touring in Dayton, Ohio. They were married at her parents’ home in Dayton on June 3, 1961. The two renewed their wedding vows in Las Vegas in 1971. Hosbrook died of liver cancer on May 11, 1997, the day before Carlin’s 60th birthday. Six months later, Carlin met Hollywood-based comedy writer Sally Wade, and later described it as “love at first sight” but admitted that he was hesitant to act on his feelings so soon after his wife’s death. He eventually married Wade in a private and unregistered ceremony on June 24, 1998. The marriage lasted until Carlin’s death in 2008, two days before their 10-year anniversary.

In a 2008 interview, Carlin stated that using cannabis, LSD, and mescaline had helped him cope with events in his personal life. He also stated several times that he had battled addictions to alcohol, Vicodin, and cocaine, and spent some time in a rehab facility in late 2004. Although born to a Catholic family, he vocally rejected religion in all of its forms, and frequently criticized and mocked it in his comedy routines.

The Final Footprint –  In accordance with his wishes he was cremated, his cremated remains were scattered, and no public or religious services of any kind were held.

#RIP #OTD in 2015 composer (Titanic, Avatar, Aliens, Field of Dreams, Apollo 13, Braveheart, A Beautiful Mind, House of Sand and Fog, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Legends of the Fall) James Horner died in a single-fatality plane crash in Los Padres National Forest, California, aged 61. Cremation

On this day in 2018, musician, songwriter, producer, drummer, Vinnie Paul died at his Las Vegas home from a dilated cardiomyopathy and coronary artery disease, at the age of 54. Born Vincent Paul Abbott on March 11, 1964 in Abilene, Texas. Perhaps best known for being the drummer and co-founder of the heavy metal band Pantera. He was a member of Hellyeah for 12 years from 2006 until his death in 2018. He also co-founded the heavy metal band Damageplan in 2003 with his younger brother, Dimebag Darrell.

The Final Footprint

News of his death was initially released on the official Pantera Facebook page, stating only his association with the bands Pantera, Damageplan, and Hellyeah, along with a statement requesting that the privacy of his family be respected. Five days before his death, Abbott’s final performance took place at The Vinyl at the Hard Rock Hotel and Resort in Las Vegas. Following his death, tributes from all over the metal community began pouring in, including members of Black Sabbath, Guns N’ Roses, Metallica, Megadeth, Alice in Chains, Lamb of God, Periphery, Slipknot, the Acacia Strain, In Flames, and many others. He is buried beside his mother, Carolyn, and brother, Darrell, at Moore Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Arlington, Texas.

#RIP #OTD in 2020 screenwriter (Car Wash, The Wiz), director (St. Elmo’s Fire, The Lost Boys, Falling Down, The Client, Batman Forever, 8mm, Flatliners, A Time to Kill), Joel Schumacher died from cancer in New York City

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On this day 21 June death of Niccolò Machiavelli – Bertha von Suttner – Maureen Connolly – John Lee Hooker – Leon Uris

Posted on 29 JunamFri, 21 Jun 2024 00:45:00 -05002024-06-21T00:45:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

Niccolo_Machiavelli-partOn this day in 1527, Italian historian, politician, diplomat, philosopher, humanist and writer based in Florence during the Renaissance, Niccolò Machiavelli died in Florence at the age of 58.  Born Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli on 3 May 1469 in Florence.  He was for many years an official in the Florentine Republic, with responsibilities in diplomatic and military affairs.  He was a founder of modern political science, and more specifically political ethics.  He also wrote comedies, carnival songs, and poetry.  His personal correspondence is renowned in the Italian language.  He was Secretary to the Second Chancery of the Republic of Florence from 1498 to 1512, when the Medici were out of power.  He wrote his masterpiece, The Prince, after the Medici had recovered power and he no longer held a position of responsibility in Florence.  His moral and ethical beliefs led to the creation of the word machiavellianism which has since been used to describe one of the three dark triad personalities in psychology.

niccolomachiavellitombThe Final Footprint –  He was entombed at the Church of Santa Croce in Florence, Italy.  An epitaph honoring him is inscribed on his monument.  The Latin legend reads: TANTO NOMINI NULLUM PAR ELOGIUM (“so great a name (has) no adequate praise” or “no eulogy (would be appropriate to) such a great name”).  Santa Croce is the burial place of some of the most famous Italians and is known also as the Temple of the Italian Glories (Tempio dell’Itale Glorie).  Other notable final footprints at Santa Croce include Michelangelo, Ugo Foscolo, Galileo, and Rossini.

#RIP #OTD in 1914 Austrian-Bohemian pacifist, novelist (Die Waffen nieder! (Lay Down Your Arms!)), the second female Nobel laureate, the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, Bertha von Suttner died of cancer in Vienna aged 71. Hauptfriedhof, Gotha, Germany 

#RIP #OTD in 1969, first woman to win all 4 Grand Slam tennis tournaments in a calendar year (1953), 9x Grand Slam champ, Maureen Connolly died from ovarian cancer in Dallas aged 34. Sparkman Hillcrest Memorial Park, Dallas

On this day in 2001, Grammy winning blues guitarist, singer and songwriter, King of the Boogie, John Lee Hooker, died in Los Altos, California at the age of 83.  Born on 22 August 1917 in Coahoma County, Mississippi.  Hooker performed his own unique style of what was originally closest to Delta blues; a ‘talking blues’ style that was his trademark and his own unique genre of the blues, often incorporating the boogie-woogie piano style and a driving rhythm into his masterful and idiosyncratic blues guitar and singing.  His best known songs include “Boogie Chillen'” (1948), “I’m in the Mood” (1951) and “Boom Boom” (1962), the first two reaching R&B #1 in the Billboard charts.  Hooker appeared and sang in the John Landis film, The Blues Brothers (1980), starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd.  His songs have been covered my many artists including;  Buddy Guy, Cream, AC/DC, ZZ Top, Led Zeppelin, Tom Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, The Yardbirds, The Animals, The Doors, George Thorogood, R. L. Burnside and The J. Geils Band.

The Final Footprint – Hooker is entombed in Chapel of the Chimes Columbarium and Mausoleum in Oakland, California.  His crypt is marked by a bronze plaque with his likeness and the epitaph; KING OF THE BOOGIE.

#RIP #OTD in 2003 US Marine Corps veteran, author (Exodus, Trinity, Topaz) Leon Uris died of kidney failure at his Long Island home on Shelter Island in 2003, aged 78. Quantico National Cemetery, Quantico, Virginia

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On this day 20 June death of Bugsy Siegel – Jim Shoulders – LeRoy Neiman – Miriam Shapiro

Posted on 29 JunamThu, 20 Jun 2024 00:30:00 -05002024-06-20T00:30:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

On this day in 1947, gangster Bugsy Siegel was shot to death in the Beverly Hills home of his girlfriend, Virginia Hill, at the age of 41.  Born Benjamin Siegelbaum on 28 February 1906 in in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to a poor Jewish family from Letychiv, Podolia Governorate of the Russian Empire, in modern Ukraine.  Siegel played a major role behind the development of metropolitan Las Vegas.  During his youth, Siegel befriended Meyer Lansky.  In 1930, Lansky and Siegel built ties to Charles “Lucky” Luciano and Frank Costello, future bosses of the Genovese crime family.  Siegel became a bootlegger and was associated with Albert “Mad Hatter” Anastasia.  Siegel was involved in bootlegging in New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia.  Siegel and Anastasia, together with Vito Genovese and Joe Adonis, were the four gunmen who shot New York mob boss Joe Masseria to death on Luciano’s orders on 15 April 1931, formally ending the Castellammarese War.  On September 10 of that year, Luciano hired four trigger men from the Lansky-Siegel gang to murder Masseria’s rival, Salvatore Maranzano, cementing Luciano’s rise to the top of the U.S. Mafia and marking the birth of modern American organized crime.  Lansky and Siegel assisted in Luciano’s brief alliance with Dutch Schultz.  Siegel was sent to California in 1937 to develop syndicate gambling rackets.  He soon became involved in, and eventually took over, the development of the Flamingo casino and hotel on what would become the Las Vegas Strip.  The project was completed although the large cost overruns and revenue shortfall may have tried the patience of his mob investors, leading to his killing.  Siegel was married to Esta Krakower (1929-1947 his death).

The Final Footprint – Siegel is entombed in the Beth Olam Mausoleum at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood.  In the Bialystoker Synagogue on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Siegel is memorialized by a Yahrtzeit (remembrance) plaque that marks his death date so mourners can say Kaddish for the anniversary.  A bronze memorial plaque was placed at the Flamingo near the wedding chapel.  In Mario Puzo’s The Godfather (1969) and the 1972 film adaptation by Francis Ford Coppola, the character of Moe Greene, played by Alex Rocco, appears to be heavily based on Siegel.  Although Greene’s death is not described in the novel, in the film he is shot through the eye, evoking Siegel’s death.  Additionally, Puzo’s and Coppola’s sequel, The Godfather Part II (1974) adds a new character related to Greene, Hyman Roth, who appears to be based upon Siegel’s partner Lansky.  Sergio Leone’s film Once Upon a Time in America (1984) appears to be loosely based upon the lives of Siegel and Lansky.  Siegel has been portrayed in films and television by Harvey Keitel, Armand Assante, Eric Roberts and, perhaps most memorably, by Warren Beatty in Barry Levinson’s Bugsy (1991), also featuring Annette Bening as Virginia Hill, Keitel as Mickey Cohen and Ben Kingsley as Lansky.  Other notable Final Footprints at Hollywood Forever include; Mel Blanc (yes, his epitaph is “That’s All Folks!”), Chris Cornell, Cecil B. DeMille, Victor Fleming, Judy Garland, Joan Hackett, John Huston, Jayne Mansfield’s cenotaph, Hattie McDaniel‘s cenotaph, Tyrone Power, Nelson Riddle, Mickey Rooney, Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer, Rudolph Valentino, Fay Wray, and Anton Yelchin

jimshouldersOn this day in 2007, cowboy, rodeo athlete, 5x All Around Pro Rodeo Cowboy, 16x World Champion, Pro Rodeo Hall of Famer, National Cowboy Hall of Famer, “the Babe Ruth of Rodeo”, rancher, Jim Shoulders died of heart disease at the age of 79 in Henryetta, Oklahoma.  Born 13 May 1928 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The Final Footprint – Shoulders is interred in New Sonoro Cemetery in Henryetta.

On this day in 2012 artist LeRoy Neiman died in New York City at the age of 91. Born LeRoy Leslie Runquist on June 8, 1921 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Perhaps best known for his brilliantly colored, expressionist paintings and screenprints of athletes, musicians, and sporting events.

Neiman married Janet Byrne in 1957. They lived in New York City, their home base for over five decades, until Neiman’s death. Their residence, inside a New York City landmark, the Hotel des Artistes over the Café des Artistes on West 67th Street, originally intended for painters, is made up of double-height rooms that overlook Central Park. Norman Rockwell once lived there, as well as celebrities Rudolph Valentino, Noël Coward, CNN founder Reese Schonfeld and former mayor John Lindsay. Neiman’s painting studio, offices, and home are on one floor, his archives on another, his penthouse at the top.

The Final Footprint

He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York City. Other notable Final Footprints at Woodlawn include; Irving Berlin, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Fiorello La Guardia, Rowland Macy, Bat Masterson, Herman Melville, J. C. Penney, and Joseph Pulitzer.

#RIP #OTD in 2015 painter, sculptor, printmaker, a pioneer of feminist art, a leader of the Pattern and Decoration art movement, Miriam Shapiro died in Hampton Bays, New York, aged 91. Green River Cemetery, East Hampton, New York

#RIP #OTD in 2015 painter, sculptor, printmaker, a pioneer of feminist art, a leader of the Pattern and Decoration art movement, Miriam Shapiro died in Hampton Bays, New York, aged 91. Green River Cemetery, East Hampton, New York

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On this day 19 June death of J. M. Barrie – Julius and Ethel Rosenberg – Sam Giancana – James Gandolfini – Anton Yelchin – Ian Holm

Posted on 29 JunamWed, 19 Jun 2024 00:21:00 -05002024-06-19T00:21:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

On this day in 1937, author and dramatist, J. M. Barrie died of pneumonia in London at the age of 77.  Born James Matthew Barrie on 9 May 1860 in  in Kirriemuir, Angus, Scotland.  Perhaps best remembered as the author of Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up (1904) the play about the ageless boy and an ordinary girl named Wendy who have adventures in the fantasy setting of Neverland.  The play was developed by Barrie into the 1911 novel Peter and Wendy.   George Bernard Shaw described the play as “ostensibly a holiday entertainment for children but really a play for grown-up people.”

When he was 6 years old, Barrie’s next-older brother David (his mother’s favourite) died two days before his 14th birthday in an ice-skating accident.  This left his mother devastated, and Barrie tried to fill David’s place in his mother’s attentions, even wearing David’s clothes and whistling in the manner that he did.  Barrie’s mother apparently found comfort in the fact that her dead son would remain a boy forever, never to grow up and leave her.  Barrie married Mary Ansell (1894-1909 divorce).  They had no children.  Before his death, he gave the rights to the Peter Pan works to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, which continues to benefit from them as Peter Pan has been adapted many times.  My favorite adaptation is Steven Spielberg’s Hook (1991) with Robin Williams as a grown up Peter.

The Final Footprint – Barrie is interred in the Barrie and Ogilivie family plot in Kirriemuir Cemetery.  The family plot is marked by three large upright markers.  A bronze Peter Pan statue was erected in Kensington Gardens, London.  Barrie was portrayed in the semi-biographical film, Finding Neverland (2004), by Johnny Depp.  The film was nominated for an Oscar, as was Depp, and also stars Kate Winslet and Hoffman.  Neverland Valley Ranch was named by Michael Jackson after Barrie’s Neverland.

On this day in 1953 American citizens who were convicted of spying on behalf of the Soviet Union in 1951, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed by the federal government of the United States in 1953 in the Sing Sing correctional facility in Ossining, New York, at the ages of 35 and 37. Julius Rosenberg was born on May 12, 1918, in Manhattan. Ethel Greenglass was born on September 25, 1915 in Manhattan. The couple were accused of providing top-secret information about radar, sonar, jet propulsion engines, and valuable nuclear weapon designs.  At that time, the United States was the only country in the world with nuclear weapons. 

The Rosenbergs’ sons, Michael and Robert Meeropol and other defenders, maintained that Julius and Ethel were innocent of spying on their country and were victims of Cold War paranoia. After the fall of the Soviet Union, much information concerning them was declassified, including a trove of decoded Soviet cables, code-named VENONA, which detailed Julius’s role as a courier and recruiter for the Soviets and Ethel’s role as an accessory. In 2008 the National Archives of the United States published most of the grand jury testimony related to the prosecution of the Rosenbergs; it revealed that Ethel had not been directly involved in activities, though still acted as an accessory, and had full knowledge of Julius’s espionage activity and played the main role in the recruitment of her brother for atomic espionage.

Jean-Paul Sartre described the trial as

“a legal lynching which smears with blood a whole nation. By killing the Rosenbergs, you have quite simply tried to halt the progress of science by human sacrifice. Magic, witch-hunts, autos-da-fé, sacrifices – we are here getting to the point: your country is sick with fear … you are afraid of the shadow of your own bomb.”

Others, including Jean Cocteau, Albert Einstein, Nelson Algren, Bertolt Brecht, Dashiell Hammett, Frida Kahlo, and Diego Rivera, protested the position of the American government in what the French termed the US Dreyfus affair. Einstein pleaded with President Truman to pardon the Rosenbergs. In May 1951, Pablo Picasso wrote for the communist French newspaper L’Humanité, “The hours count. The minutes count. Do not let this crime against humanity take place.” The all-black labor union International Longshoremen’s Association Local 968 stopped working for a day in protest. Cinema artists such as Fritz Lang registered their protest. Pope Pius XII appealed to President Dwight D. Eisenhower to spare the couple, but Eisenhower refused on February 11, 1953.

The Final Footprint

The funeral services were held in Brooklyn on June 21. Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were buried at Wellwood Cemetery, a Jewish cemetery in Pinelawn, New York. The Times reported that 500 people attended, while some 10,000 stood outside:

The bodies had been brought from Sing Sing prison by the national “Rosenberg committee” which undertook the funeral arrangements, and an all-night vigil was held in one of the largest mortuary chapels in Brooklyn. Many hundreds of people filed past the biers. Most of them clearly regarded the Rosenbergs as martyred heroes and more than 500 mourners attended to-day’s services, while a crowd estimated at 10,000 stood outside in burning heat. Mr. Bloch [their counsel], who delivered one of the main orations, bitterly exclaimed that America was “living under the heel of a military dictator garbed in civilian attire”: the Rosenbergs were “Sweet. Tender. And Intelligent” and the course they took was one of “courage and heroism.”

  • The E. L. Doctorow novel The Book of Daniel (1971) is based on the Rosenberg case as seen through the eyes of a (fictionalized) son. Doctorow wrote the screenplay of the Sidney Lumet film Daniel, starring Timothy Hutton.
  • The main character in Sylvia Plath’s novel The Bell Jar is morbidly interested in the Rosenbergs’ case. The novel begins with the sentence, “It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn’t know what I was doing in New York.”
  • Images of the Rosenbergs are engraved on a memorial in Havana, Cuba. The accompanying caption says they were murdered.
  • The song “Julius and Ethel” by Bob Dylan is based on the Rosenberg case.

samgiancanasambioOn this day in 1975, Sicilian American mobster and boss of the Chicago Outfit from 1957–1966, “Momo”, “Mooney”, “Sam the Cigar”, “Sammy”, Sam Giancana died from multiple gunshot wounds in his home in Oak Park, Illinois at the age of 67.  Giancana was killed shortly before he was scheduled to appear before a U. S. Senate committee investigating supposed CIA and Cosa Nostra collusion in plots to assassinate President John F. Kennedy.  Born Salvatore Giangana to Sicilian immigrants in Little Italy, Chicago.

The Final Footprint – Giancana was entombed next to his wife Angelina in the Giancana family private mausoleum in Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois.

JamesGandolfiniSept11TIFFOn this day in 2013, actor James Gandolfini died of an apparent heart attack in Rome at the age of 51.  Born James Joseph Gandolfini, Jr. on 18 September 1961 in Westwood, New Jersey.  Perhaps best known for his role in The Sopranos as Tony Soprano, a troubled crime boss struggling to balance his family life and career in the Mafia.  Gandolfini garnered enormous praise for this role, winning both the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series three times.

The Final Footprint – Gandolfini’s funeral service was held on 27 June 2013 at the Episcopal Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in Morningside Heights, New York City.  He was cremated.

Anton Yelchin

Anton Yelchin Deauville 2011.jpg

at the Deauville American Film Festival in September 2011

And on this day in 2016 actor Anton Yelchin died at his home in Studio City, Los Angeles when his car accidentally pinned him against a fence, at the age of 27. Born Anton Viktorovich Yelchin on March 11, 1989 in Leningrad, now Saint Petersburg. Perhaps best known as Pavel Chekov in three Star Trek films: the first film, Star Trek (2009); the first sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness (2013); and the posthumously released Star Trek Beyond (2016). He was also known for his work in independent cinema.

Born to a Russian Jewish family, Yelchin relocated to the United States, where he began performing in the late 1990s, appearing in several television and film roles. His role for Steven Spielberg’s miniseries Taken was significant in furthering his career. He starred in multiple television series, including Huff and the posthumously released Trollhunters. 

at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival

at the Deauville American Film Festival in September 2011

The Final Footprint

The producers of Star Trek said the role of Chekov would not be recast and the character would be written out of any subsequent films. Star Trek Beyond was dedicated to Yelchin, as well as to Leonard Nimoy, who had passed away between the release of Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond.

He was featured in the “In Memoriam” section during the 89th Academy Awards.

In October 2017, a bronze statue of Yelchin was erected at his grave in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Celebrities present at the unveiling ceremony included Jennifer Lawrence, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, J. J. Abrams, Emile Hirsch, Demi Moore, Jon Voight, Drake Doremus and Jeremy Saulnier. Saldana spoke at the ceremony, paying tribute to Yelchin: “It is a bittersweet moment, because we’re here for Anton, and he’s not here with us. But, it alleviates my heart knowing that we’ll keep him alive. We’re going to keep remembering him in the hopes that by practicing all the things he believed in and remembering all the love that he gave us, and all the joy he gave us, we’re able to just keep him here with us.”

Other notable Final Footprints at Hollywood Forever include; Mel Blanc (yes, his epitaph is “That’s All Folks!”), Chris Cornell, Cecil B. DeMille, Victor Fleming, Judy Garland, Joan Hackett, John Huston, Jayne Mansfield’s cenotaph, Hattie McDaniel‘s cenotaph, Tyrone Power, Nelson Riddle, Mickey Rooney, Bugsy Siegel, Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer, Rudolph Valentino, and Fay Wray.

#RIP #OTD in 2020 actor (Chariots of Fire, Alien, The Fifth Element, The Aviator, The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit), Ian Holm died in hospital in London at the age of 88. Highgate Cemetery, London

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On this day 18 June death of Djuna Barnes – Larry Doby – Jack Buck – Clarence Clemons – Vera Lynn

Posted on 29 JunamTue, 18 Jun 2024 00:51:00 -05002024-06-18T00:51:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

DjunabarnesOn this day in 1982, writer Djuna Barnes died in New York City at the age of 90.  Born in a log cabin on Storm King Mountain, near Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York on 12 June 1892.  In my opinion, Barnes played an important part in the development of 20th-century English-language modernist writing and was one of the key figures in 1920s and ’30s bohemian Paris after filling a similar role in the Greenwich Village of the teens.  Her novel Nightwood became a cult work of modern fiction, helped by an introduction by T. S. Eliot. It stands out today for its portrayal of lesbian themes and its distinctive writing style.  As a roman à clef, the novel features a thinly veiled portrait of Barnes in the character of Nora Flood, whereas Nora’s lover Robin Vote is a composite of Thelma Wood and the Baroness Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven.  Since Barnes’ death, interest in her work has grown and many of her books are back in print.  Barnes apparently said she was not a lesbian, she just loved Thelma.

The Final Footprint – Barnes was cremated and her cremains were scattered in Greenwich Village.

Larry_Doby_1953On this day in 2003, Hall of Fame baseball player Larry Doby died in Montclair, New Jersey at the age of 79.  Born on 13 December 1923 in Camden, South Carolina.  Doby was the second black player to play in the modern major leagues and the first to do so in the American League.  A center fielder, Doby appeared in seven All-Star games and finished second in the 1954 American League MVP voting.  Appointed manager of the Chicago White Sox in 1978, Doby was the second African-American to lead a Major League club.  He signed with the Cleveland Indians eleven weeks after Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier by signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers of the National League.

The Final Footprint – Doby was cremated.  When Doby died, President George W. Bush released the following statement;

“Larry Doby was a good and honorable man, and a tremendous athlete and manager. He had a profound influence on the game of baseball, and he will be missed. As the first African American player in the American League, he helped lead the Cleveland Indians to their last World Series title in 1948, became a nine-time All-Star and was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1998. Laura joins me in sending our condolences to Larry’s family during this difficult time.”

Requiescat in pace.

JackbuckOn this day in 2002, United States Army veteran, American Hall of Fame sportscaster, best known for his work announcing Major League Baseball games of the St. Louis Cardinals, the father of Fox Sports lead NFL and MLB announcer Joe Buck, Jack Buck died in St. Louis’s Barnes-Jewish Hospital from a combination of illnesses at the age of 77.  Born John Francis Buck 21 August 1924 in Holyoke, Massachusetts.

The Final Footprint – Within two hours of his death, fans were leaving flowers at the base of his bust outside Busch Stadium even though it was the middle of the night.  The flags at St. Louis City Hall and the St. Louis County Government Center were lowered to half-staff, the local television news anchors all wore black suits for the next several days, and a public visitation was held in the stadium before the next Cardinal’s game after his death, with free admission to the game for all the mourners who filed past his coffin.  Buck was interred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in south St. Louis County.  Requiescat in pace.

Clarence_Clemons_Nov_20,_2009On this day in 2011, The Big Man, American musician and actor, from 1972 until his death a prominent member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band playing the tenor saxophone, Clarence Clemons died from complications caused by a stroke in West Palm Beach, Florida at the age of 69.  Born Clarence Anicholas Clemons, Jr. on 11 January 1942 in Norfolk County (later the city of Chesapeake), Virginia.

The Final Footprint – Clemons was cremated and his cremated remains were scattered in Hawaii.  Requiescat in pace

#RIP #OTD in 2020 singer (“We’ll Meet Again”, “The White Cliffs of Dover”, “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square”, “There’ll Always Be an England”), the Forces’ Sweetheart, Vera Lynn  died at her home in Ditchling, East Sussex, England, aged 103. St. Margaret’s Churchyard, Ditchling

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On this day 17 June death of Mumtaz Mahal – Kate Smith – Cyd Charisse – Rodney King – Gloria Vanderbilt

Posted on 29 JunamMon, 17 Jun 2024 00:33:00 -05002024-06-17T00:33:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

On this day in 1631, Empress consort of the Mughal Empire Mumtaz Mahal (Persian: ممتاز محل ) died in Burhanpur, Deccan (present-day Madhya Pradesh), during the birth of her fourteenth child, at the age of 38. Born Arjumand Banu on 27 April 1593 in Agra, India. She was the Empress consort from 19 January 1628 to 17 June 1631 as the chief consort of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The Taj Mahal in Agra, often cited as one of the Wonders of the World, was commissioned by her husband to act as her tomb.

Mumtaz Mahal was born to a family of Persian nobility. She was the daughter of Abu’l-Hasan Asaf Khan, a wealthy Persian noble who held high office in the Mughal Empire, and the niece of Empress Nur Jahan, the chief wife of Emperor Jahangir and the power behind the emperor. She was married at the age of 19 on 30 April 1612 to Prince Khurram, later known by his regnal name Shah Jahan, who conferred upon her the title “Mumtaz Mahal” (Persian: the exalted one of the palace). Although betrothed to Shah Jahan since 1607, she ultimately became his second wife in 1612.

The Final Footprint

Her body was buried at Burhanpur in a walled pleasure garden known as Zainabad originally constructed by Shah Jahan’s uncle Daniyal on the bank of the Tapti River. The contemporary court chroniclers paid an unusual amount of attention to Mumtaz Mahal’s death and Shah Jahan’s grief at her demise. In the immediate aftermath of his bereavement, the emperor was reportedly inconsolable. Apparently, after her death, he went into secluded mourning for a year. When he appeared again, his hair had turned white, his back was bent, and his face worn. Mumtaz’s eldest daughter, Jahanara Begum, gradually brought her father out of grief and took her mother’s place at court.

Burhanpur was never intended by her husband as his wife’s final resting spot. As a result, her body was disinterred in December 1631 and transported in a golden casket escorted by her son Shah Shuja and the deceased empress’s head lady-in-waiting back to Agra. There it was interred in a small building on the banks of the Yamuna River. Shah Jahan stayed behind in Burhanpur to conclude the military campaign that had originally brought him to the region. While there, he began planning the design and construction of a suitable mausoleum and funerary garden in Agra for his wife. It was a task that would take 22 years to complete: the Taj Mahal.

The Taj Mahal was commissioned by Shah Jahan to be built as a mausoleum for Mumtaz Mahal. It is seen as an embodiment of undying love and marital devotion. English poet Sir Edwin Arnold describes it as “Not a piece of architecture, as other buildings are, but the proud passion of an emperor’s love wrought in living stones.” The bodies of Mumtaz and Shah Jahan are placed in a relatively plain crypt beneath the inner chamber with their faces turned to the right and towards Mecca.

The Ninety Nine Names of God are found as calligraphic inscriptions on the sides of the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal in the crypt including, “O Noble, O Magnificent, O Majestic, O Unique, O Eternal, O Glorious…”. There are many theories about the origin of the name of this tomb and one of them suggests that ‘Taj’ is an abbreviation of the name Mumtaz. European travelers, such as François Bernier, who observed its construction, were among the first to call it the Taj Mahal. Since it is unlikely that they came up with the name, it is suggested that they might have picked it up from the locals of Agra who called the Empress ‘Taj Mahal’ and thought the tomb was named after her and the name began to be used interchangeably. However, there is no firm evidence to suggest this. Shah Jahan had not intended to entomb another person in the Taj Mahal; however, Aurangzeb had Shah Jahan buried next to the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal rather than build a separate tomb for his father. This is evident from the asymmetrical placement of Shah Jahan’s grave on one side of his wife’s grave which is in the centre.

On this day in 1986 singer Kate Smith died from complictions of diabetes in Raleigh, North Carolina at the age of 79.  Born Kathryn Elizabeth Smith on 1 May 1907 in Greenville, Virginia.  She was a popular icon of the Depression and World War II eras.  Perhaps best known for her rendition of Irving Berlin’s God Bless America, which was played during the seventh inning stretch of most New York Yankee home games from 2009 until April 2019, when the practice was discontinued amid controversy surrounding her 1931 recordings of “That’s Why Darkies Were Born” and “Pickaninny Heaven.” A statue of Smith oustide the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers stadium was removed on April 21, 2019. Her family responded by denying the racism allegations. Those against the discontinuation of using Kate Smith’s works have cited the satirical nature of the song “That’s Why Darkies Were Born”, and the fact that it was also popularized by Paul Robeson. The song “Pickaninny Heaven” is from the movie Hello, Everybody!, one of whose writers was Fannie Hurst, a well-known advocate for African American equality.

Smith called for racial tolerance in 1945 in an address on CBS Radio, saying, “Race hatreds, social prejudices, religious bigotry, they are the diseases that eat away the fibers of peace.” She went on to say that it is up to us to tolerate one another in order to achieve peace.

Smith never married.

The Final Footprint – Smith is entombed in a private mausoleum at Saint Agnes Cemetery in Lake Placid, New York.  Requiescat in pace.

Cyd Charisse
Cyd Charisse - 1949.jpg

On this day in 2008, dancer and actress Cyd Charisse died of a heart attack at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles at the age of 86. Born Tula Ellice Finklea on March 8, 1922 in Amarillo, Texas.

After recovering from polio as a child and studying ballet, Charisse entered films in the 1940s. Her roles usually focused on her abilities as a dancer, and she was paired with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly; her films include Singin’ in the Rain (1952), The Band Wagon (1953), Brigadoon with Kelly and Van Johnson (1954) and Silk Stockings (1957). She stopped dancing in films in the late 1950s, but continued acting in film and television, and in 1992 made her Broadway debut. In her later years, she discussed the history of the Hollywood musical in documentaries, and was featured in That’s Entertainment! III in 1994. She was awarded the National Medal of the Arts and Humanities in 2006.

Charisse’s first husband, whose surname she kept, was Nico Charisse (March 1906 – April 1970). They were married in 1939 and had a son before divorcing in 1947. In 1948, Charisse married singer Tony Martin, and remained married until her death in 2008. They had a son, Tony Martin, Jr. (August 28, 1950 – April 10, 2011).

The Final Footprint

Charisse in 1987, by Allan Warren

Her cremains are inurned at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery, a Jewish cemetery in Culver City, California, following a Methodist ceremony. Other notable Final Footprints at Hillside Memorial include; Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Lorne Greene, Moe Howard, Al Jolson, Michael Landon, Leonard Nimoy, Suzanne Pleshette, Dinah Shore, and Shelley Winters.

On this day in 2012 construction worker turned writer Rodney King died in his swimming pool at his home in Rialto, California, from an accidental drowning at the age of 47. Born Rodney Glen King on April 2, 1965 in Sacramento, California. Perhaps best known for surviving an act of police brutality by the Los Angeles Police Department. On March 3, 1991, King was beaten by LAPD officers after a high-speed chase during his arrest for drunk driving on I-210. A civilian, George Holliday, filmed the incident from his nearby balcony and sent the footage to local news station KTLA. The footage clearly showed an unarmed King on the ground being beaten after initially evading arrest. The incident was covered by news media around the world and caused a public furor.

At a press conference, announcing the fourteen officers involved would be disciplined and three would face criminal charges, Los Angeles police chief Daryl Gates said: “We believe the officers used excessive force taking him into custody. In our review we find that officers struck him with batons between fifty-three and fifty-six times.” No charges were filed against the 25-year-old King. On his release he spoke to reporters from his wheelchair, with his injuries evident: a broken right leg in a cast, his face badly cut and swollen, bruises on his body and a burn area to his chest where he had been jolted with a 50,000-volt stun gun. He described how he had knelt, spread his hands out and tried to move slowly so as not to make any ‘stupid move’, being hit across the face by a billy club and shocked. He said he was scared for his life as they drew down on him. (Dallas chief of police William Rathburn ordered that all police watch the video as an instructional tape on how not to behave.)

Four officers were eventually tried on charges of use of police brutality. Of these, three were acquitted, and the jury failed to reach a verdict on one charge for the fourth. Within hours of the acquittals, the 1992 Los Angeles riots started, sparked by outrage among racial minorities over the trial’s verdict and related, longstanding social issues. The rioting lasted six days and killed 63 people with 2,383 more injured; it ended only after the California Army National Guard, the United States Army and the United States Marine Corps provided reinforcements to re-establish control. The federal government prosecuted a separate civil rights case, obtaining grand jury indictments of the four officers for violations of King’s civil rights. Their trial in a federal district court ended on April 16, 1993, with two of the officers being found guilty and sentenced to serve prison terms. The other two were acquitted of the charges. In a separate civil lawsuit in 1994, the city of Los Angeles awarded King $3.8 million in damages.

In 2012, King was found dead in his swimming pool two months after publishing his memoir; the coroner found evidence of alcohol and other drugs in his system and ruled these and his history of heart problems had likely resulted in an accidental drowning.

The Final Footprint

King died 28 years to the day after his father, Ronald King, was found dead in his bathtub in 1984. Rev. Al Sharpton delivered the eulogy at King’s funeral. King is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles County, California. Other notable final footprints at Hollywood Hills include; Gene Autry, Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, David Carradine, Scatman Crothers, Bette Davis, Sandra Dee, Ronnie James Dio, Michael Clarke Duncan, Carrie Fisher, Bobby Fuller, Andy Gibb, Michael Hutchence, Jill Ireland, Al Jarreau, Buster Keaton, Lemmy Kilmister, Rodney King, Jack LaLanne, Nicolette Larson, Liberace, Strother Martin, Jayne Meadows, Brittany Murphy, Ricky Nelson, Bill Paxton, Brock Peters, Freddie Prinze, Lou Rawls, Debbie Reynolds, Telly Savalas, John Singleton, Lee Van Cleef, and Paul Walker.

#RIP #OTD in 2019 artist, author, actress, fashion designer, heiress, socialite Gloria Vanderbilt died at her home in Manhattan of stomach cancer, aged 95. Cooper plot in the Vanderbilt Family Cemetery on Staten Island, New York

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On this day 16 June death of George Reeves – Brian Piccolo – Nicholas Ray – Kristen Pfaff – Mel Allen

Posted on 29 JunamSun, 16 Jun 2024 00:51:00 -05002024-06-16T00:51:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

On this day in 1959, actor George Reeves died from a gunshot wound to the head in the upstairs bedroom of his home in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles, at the age of 45. Born George Keefer Brewer on January 5, 1914 in Woolstock, Iowa. Perhaps best known for his role as Superman in the 1952-1958 television program Adventures of Superman.

While studying acting at the Pasadena Playhouse, Reeves met his future wife, Ellanora Needles. They married on September 22, 1940, in San Gabriel, California, at the Church of Our Savior. They had no children and divorced 10 years later. He had a romantic relationship with a married ex-showgirl eight years his senior, Toni Mannix, wife of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer general manager Eddie Mannix. Reeves and Toni Mannix split in 1958, and Reeves announced his engagement to society playgirl Leonore Lemmon. Reeves was apparently scheduled to marry Lemmon on June 19 and then spend their honeymoon in Tijuana.

The Final Footprint

Reeves was cremated and his cremated remains are inurned at Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum in Altadena, California. In 1960, Reeves was awarded a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard for his contributions to the TV industry. In 1985, he was posthumously named one of the honorees by DC Comics in the company’s 50th anniversary publication Fifty Who Made DC Great.

#RIP #OTD in 1970 professional football player, running back for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL), Brian Piccolo died from embryonal cell carcinoma, aged 26. Saint Mary Catholic Cemetery in Evergreen Park, Illinois

#RIP #OTD in 1979 film director (Rebel Without a Cause, They Live By Night, In A Lonely Place, Johnny Guitar, Bigger Than Life, King of Kings, We Can’t Go Home Again), screenwriter, actor, Nicholas Ray died from heart failure in New York City aged 67. Cremated remains Oak Grove Cemetery in La Crosse, Wisconsin

#RIP #OTD in 1994 musician, bassist for rock band Hole, Kristen Pfaff died in her Seattle apartment from a heroin overdose, aged 27. Forest Lawn Cemetery in Buffalo, New York

On this day in 1996, sportscaster, “The Voice of the New York Yankees”, Mel Allen died of heart failure in Greenwich, Connecticut at the age of 83.  Born Melvin Allen Israel (Hebrew name: Mordechai ben Yehuda Aliah) on 14 February 1913 in Birmingham, Alabama.  Allen graduated from the University of Alabama and obtained a law degree from Alabama as well.  He became Arch McDonald‘s partner on radio broadcasts for the Yankees and the New York Giants in 1939.  The following season he became lead broadcaster for both teams.  After World War II, Allen began doing Yankees games exclusively.  He eventually called 22 World Series on radio and television and 24 All-Star Games.  Allen served as mentor to a young Curt Gowdy who was partnered with Allen for two seasons.  Allen’s catchphrases were;  “Hello there, everybody!” to start a game, “How a-bout that?!” or “Going, going, gone!” on home runs and “Three and two. What’ll he do?”  Allen never married.

The Final Footprint – Allen is interred in Beth-el Cemetery in Stamford, Connecticut.  His grave is marked by an individual raised engraved granite marker.  On 25 July 1998, the Yankees dedicated a plaque in his memory for Monument Park at Yankee Stadium.  The plaque calls him “A Yankee institution, a national treasure” and includes his line, “How about that?”    Monument Park is an open-air museum containing a collection of monuments, plaques, and retired numbers honoring distinguished members of the Yankees.  Other notable Yankees whose final footprints include memorialization in Monument Park; Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth, George Steinbrenner, Roger Maris, Thurman Munson, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, Phil Rizzuto, Billy Martin, Bob Sheppard, and Casey Stengel.

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On this day 15 June death of Ella Fitzgerald – John B. Connally – Casey Kasem – Franco Zeffirelli

Posted on 29 JunamSat, 15 Jun 2024 00:06:00 -05002024-06-15T00:06:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

On this day in 1996, Grammy Award winning singer, “The First Lady of Song”, “Lady Ella”, Ella Fitzgerald died from complications of diabetes at her home in Beverly Hills at the age of 79.  Born Ella Jane Fitzgerald on 25 April 1917 in Newport News, Virginia.  In my opinion, she is one of the most notable interpreters of the Great American Songbook.  She made her singing debut at 17 on 21 November 1934 at the Apollo Theater in Harlem.  Perhaps best known for her series of “song book” recordings, collectively considered a cornerstone of 20th century recorded music.  They are;

  • Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Songbook (1956)
  • Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers & Hart Songbook (1956)
  • Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Songbook (1957)
  • Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Songbook (1958)
  • Ella Fitzgerald Sings the George and Ira Gershwin Songbook (1959)
  • Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Harold Arlen Songbook (1961)
  • Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Jerome Kern Songbook (1963)
  • Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Johnny Mercer Songbook (1964)

Fitzgerald married three times; Benny Kornegay (1941-1943 annulled), Ray Brown (1947-1953 divorce), and possibly Thor Einar Larsen in 1957.  Bing Crosby summed it up; “Man, woman, or child, Ella is the greatest.”

The Final Footprint – Fitzgerald is entombed in the Sunset Memorial Garden Mausoleum, Sanctuary of the Bells, in Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California.  Other notable Final Footprints at Inglewood Park include; Ray Charles, Betty Grable, Etta James, Robert Kardashian, Gypsy Rose Lee, Billy Preston, Cesar Romero, Big Mama Thornton, T-Bone Walker, and Syreeta Wright.

John_ConnallyOn this day in 1993, graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, U.S. Navy veteran, influential American politician, 39th governor of Texas, Secretary of the Navy under President John F. Kennedy, Secretary of the Treasury under President Richard M. Nixon, John B. Connally died  of pulmonary fibrosis at the age of 76, in Houston.  Born John Bowden Connally on 27 February 1917 in Floresville, Texas.  While he was Governor in 1963, Connally was a passenger in the car in which President Kennedy was assassinated.  Connally was seriously wounded during the shooting.

John_B__Connally_tombstone_IMG_2144The Final Footprint – His funeral was held at the First United Methodist Church of Austin where he and his wife, Nellie Connally, had been members since their days living one block to the south in the Texas Governors Mansion, 1963–1969.  The Connallys are interred at the Texas State Cemetery in Austin.  Other notable final footprints at Texas State Cemetery include; Stephen F. Austin, J. Frank Dobie, Barbara Jordan, Tom Landry (cenotaph), James A. Michener (cenotaph), Ann Richards, Edwin “Bud” Shrake, Big Foot Wallace, and Walter Prescott Webb.

On this day in 2014, disc jockey, music historian, radio personality, actor and voice actor Casey Kasem died at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Gig Harbor, Washington at the age of 82. Born Kemal Amin Kasem on April 27, 1932 in Detroit, Michigan. Perhaps best known as the host of several music radio countdown programs, notably American Top 40 from 1970 until his retirement in 2009, and being the first actor to voice Norville “Shaggy” Rogers in the Scooby-Doo franchise from 1969 to 1997, and again from 2002 until 2009.

Kasem co-founded the American Top 40 franchise in 1970, hosting it from its inception to 1988, and again from 1998 to 2004. Between January 1989 and early 1998, he was the host of Casey’s Top 40, Casey’s Hot 20 and Casey’s Countdown. From 1998 to 2009, Kasem also hosted two adult contemporary spinoffs of American Top 40: American Top 20 and American Top 10. He helped found the American Video Awards in 1983 and continued to co-produce and host it until its final show in 1987.

Kasem was married to Linda Myers from 1972 to 1979.

with wife Jean at the 1993 Emmy Awards

Kasem was married to actress Jean Thompson from 1980 until his death.

The Final Footprint

Reportedly, Kasem wanted to be buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale. Jean had him interred in an unmarked grave at Vestre Gravlund, a cemetery in the Frogner borough of Oslo, Norway on December 16, 2014.

#RIP #OTD 2019 director (Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, La Traviata, Pagliacci, Tea with Mussolini) Franco Zeffirelli died at his home in Rome, at the age of 96. Cimitero Monumentale Delle Porte Sante, Florence

#RIP #OTD in 2023 actress (Women in Love; A Touch of Class; Mary, Queen of Scots; Hedda; The Incredible Sarah; House Calls; Stevie; Hopscotch; Elizabeth is Missing), English politician, Glenda Jackson died at her Blackheath, London home aged 87 Continue reading →



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