RIP The Final Impression

On this day 23 May death of Henrik Ibsen – John D. Rockefeller – Sterling Hayden – Anne Meara – Roger Moore – Eric Carle

Posted on 29 MayamThu, 23 May 2024 00:24:00 -05002024-05-23T00:24:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

#RIP #OTD in 1906 playwright (Brand, Peer Gynt, An Enemy of the People, A Doll’s House, Hedda Gabler, Ghosts, The Wild Duck, When We Dead Awaken, Rosmersholm, The Master Builder), Henrik Ibsen died at home in Kristiania (now Oslo), aged 78. Vår Frelsers gravlund, Oslo

On this day in 1937, oil magnate, investor, philanthropist, founder of the Standard Oil Company, the University of Chicago and Rockefeller University, John Davison Rockefeller died of arteriosclerosis at the Casements, his home in Ormond Beach, Florida at the age of 97. Born on 8 July 1839 in Richford, New York. He rose from his first job as an assistant bookkeeper to become perhaps the richest person who ever lived. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of modern philanthropy. In 1911, the Supreme Court of the United States found Standard Oil Company of New Jersey in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. As a result of the ruling Standard Oil was broken up into 34 new companies which included: Continental Oil, which became Conoco, now part of ConocoPhillips; Standard of Indiana, which became Amoco, now part of BP; Standard of California, which became Chevron; Standard of New Jersey, which became Esso (and later, Exxon), now part of ExxonMobil; Standard of New York, which became Mobil, now part of ExxonMobil; and Standard of Ohio, which became Sohio, now part of BP. Rockefeller married Laura Celestia “Cettie” Spelman (1864-1915 her death). The Rockefeller wealth, distributed through the foundations and trusts, continued to fund family philanthropic, commercial, and political aspirations throughout the 20th century. Grandson David Rockefeller was a leading New York banker, serving for over 20 years as CEO of Chase Manhattan (now part of JPMorgan Chase). Another grandson, Nelson A. Rockefeller, was Republican governor of New York and the 41st Vice President of the United States. A third grandson, Winthrop Rockefeller, served as Republican Governor of Arkansas. Great-grandson, John D. “Jay” Rockefeller IV is currently a Democratic Senator from West Virginia and a former governor of West Virginia, and another, Winthrop Paul Rockefeller, served ten years as Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas.

The Final Footprint – Rockefeller is interred next to his wife in the Rockefeller estate in Lake View Cemetery (known locally as Cleveland’s outdoor museum) in Cleveland, Ohio. The estate is marked by the Rockefeller Obelisk. His grave is marked by an individual upright stone marker. Other notable Final Footprints at Lake View include; James A. Garfield, Eliot Ness and Rod Serling.

#RIP #OTD in 1986 Marine Corps & OSS officer, actor (The Asphalt Jungle, Johnny Guitar, The Killing, Dr. Strangelove, The Godfather, The Long Goodbye), sailor, Sterling Hayden died; prostate cancer in Sausalito, California, aged 70. Cremated remains scattered in San Francisco Bay

#RIP #OTD in 2015 comedian, actress, with her husband Jerry Stiller, one-half of the prominent 1960s comedy team Stiller and Meara, mother of Ben Stiller, Anne Meara died from a stroke at her home in Manhattan, aged 85. Cremated remains scattered, Hessian Lake, Bear Mountain State Park, New York

Roger Moore
in 1973

On this day in 2017 actor Roger Moore died from prostrate cancer at his home in Crans-Montana, Switzerland at the age of 89. Born Roger George Moore on 14 October 1927 in Stockwell, London. Perhaps best known for playing Ian Fleming’s fictional British secret agent James Bond in seven feature films from 1973 to 1985.

Moore took over the role of Bond from Sean Connery in 1972, made his first appearance as 007 in Live and Let Die (1973), and went on to portray the spy in six more films until his retirement from the role in 1985. Appointed a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1991, Moore was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003 for “services to charity”. In 2007, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in television and in film. In 2008, the French government appointed Moore a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.

in 1971

as Beau Maverick, 1960

with Earl Green in The Saint

in 1973

Moore married four times. In 1946, aged 18, Moore married a fellow RADA student, the actress and ice skater Doorn Van Steyn (born Lucy Woodard), who was six years his senior.

In 1952, Moore met the Welsh singer Dorothy Squires, who was 12 years his senior, and Van Steyn and Moore divorced the following year. Squires and Moore were married in New York. They moved to the United States in 1954 to develop their careers, but tension developed in their marriage due to their age difference and Moore’s infatuation with starlet Dorothy Provine, and they moved back to the United Kingdom in 1961. Squires suffered a series of miscarriages during their marriage, and Moore later said the outcome of their marriage might have been different if they had been able to have children.

In their tempestuous relationship, Squires smashed a guitar over his head, and after learning of his affair with the Italian actress Luisa Mattioli, who became Moore’s third wife, Moore said, “She threw a brick through my window. She reached through the glass and grabbed my shirt and she cut her arms doing it…The police came and they said, ‘Madam, you’re bleeding’ and she said, ‘It’s my heart that’s bleeding’.”

at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival with wife Luisa Mattioli

In 1961, while filming The Rape of the Sabine Women in Italy, Moore left Squires for the Italian actress Mattioli. Moore and Mattioli lived together until 1969, when Squires finally granted him a divorce, after they had been separated for seven years. At Moore and Mattioli’s marriage in April 1969 at the Caxton Hall in Westminster, London, a crowd of 600 people was outside, with women screaming his name.

Moore and Mattioli separated in 1993 after Moore developed feelings for a Swedish-born Danish socialite, Kristina “Kiki” Tholstrup. Moore later described his prostate cancer diagnosis in 1993 as “life-changing”, which led him to reassess his life and marriage. Moore and Mattioli divorced in 2000. Moore subsequently married Tholstrup in 2002.

The Final Footprint

Moore’s final resting place is in Cimetière de Monaco. Other notable final footprints at Cimetière de Monaco include Josephine Baker.

#RIP #OTD in 2021 author, designer and illustrator of children’s books (The Very Hungry Caterpillar; The Grouchy Ladybug; Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me) Eric Carle died at his summer studio in Northampton, Massachusetts, from kidney failure, at the age of 91.

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Posted in Day in History, Extravagant Footprints, Film Footprints | Tagged Anne meara, Buried, Cemetery, Eric carle, Ground Burial, Henrik ibsen, History, John D. Rockefeller, Lake View Cemetery, Marker, Private Estates, Rockefeller Foundation, roger moore, Standard Oil, sterling hayden, Vår Frelsers gravlund | Leave a comment

On this day 22 May death of Alessandro Manzoni – Victor Hugo – Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory – Langston Hughes – Cecil Day-Lewis – Thurl Ravenscroft

Posted on 29 MayamWed, 22 May 2024 00:03:00 -05002024-05-22T00:03:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

Francesco Hayez – Ritratto di Alessandro Manzoni

On this day in 1873, poet and novelist Alessandro Manzoni died at the age of 88 of cerebral meningitis, a complication from a fall he took on 6 January while getting out of San Fedele church in Milan. Born Alessandro Francesco Tommaso Manzoni in Milan on 7 March 1785. Perhaps best known for the novel The Betrothed (I Promessi Sposi) (1827), generally ranked among the masterpieces of world literature. The novel is also a symbol of the Italian Risorgimento, both for its patriotic message and because it was a fundamental milestone in the development of the modern, unified Italian language. Manzoni married twice; Henriette Blondel and Teresa Borri.

The Final Footprint – Manzoni’s funeral was celebrated in the church of San Marco with almost royal pomp. His remains, after lying in state for some days, were followed to the Cimitero Monumentale in Milan by a vast cortege, including the royal princes and all the great officers of state. But his noblest monument was Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem, written to honour his memory. Verdi apparently was so stunned by Manzoni’s death that he was unable to attend the funeral, instead paying a solitary visit to the writer’s grave soon after. As a tribute, Verdi conceived the idea of writing a requiem mass for the first anniversary of Manzoni’s death. Verdi hand-picked his soloists and rehearsed a 100-piece orchestra and 120-voice for the premiere performance in Milan, on today’s date in 1874. In his letter to the mezzo Maria Waldmann, inviting her to participate in the premiere, Verdi wrote: “You would gain neither reputation nor money from it, but since this is something that will make history, certainly not because of the merit of the music, but because of the man to whom it is dedicated, I think it would be fine if, one, day, history would say: ‘On 22 May there was a great Requiem Mass for the anniversary of Manzoni’s death…” Other notable final footprints at Cimitero Monumetale di Milano include; Vladimir Horowitz, Amilcare Ponchielli, Salvatore Quasimodo, Arturo Toscanini, and Giuseppe Verdi.

On this day in 1885, poet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France, Victor Hugo died in Paris at the age of 83. Born Victor-Marie Hugo on 26 February 1802 in Besançon in the region of Franche-Comté. He was revered as a towering figure in literature and as a statesman who shaped the Third Republic and democracy in France. Outside France, his best-known works are the novels Les Misérables and Notre-Dame de Paris (known in English as The Hunchback of Notre-Dame). In France, Hugo is best known for his poetry, particularly Les Contemplations and La Légende des siècles, as well as for his novels. Hugo married Adèle Foucher (1822-1868 her death). Hugo had a great impact on the music world through the inspiration that his works provided for composers of the 19th and 20th century. Among the many operas based on his works are; Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia (1833), Verdi’s Rigoletto (1851) and Ernani (1844), and Ponchielli’s La Gioconda (1876). It was during the production of Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia, that Hugo met one of the performers, Juliette Drouet. She would leave her theatrical career to devote her life to Hugo as his lover, secretary and travelling companion. As I type this from my library, Hugo’s books, Les Misérables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame are within arms reach. Two of my favorite books.

The Final Footprint – Hugo is entombed in the Panthéon in Paris. His death generated intense national mourning and prompted the French government to dedicate the Panthéon as an homage to the great men, and eventually great women, of France. More than two million people joined his funeral procession in Paris from the Arc de Triomphe to the Panthéon.

Hugo left five sentences as his last will, to be officially published:

Je donne cinquante mille francs aux pauvres. Je veux être enterré dans leur corbillard.
Je refuse l’oraison de toutes les Églises. Je demande une prière à toutes les âmes.
Je crois en Dieu.

“I leave 50,000 francs to the poor. I want to be buried in their hearse.
I refuse [funeral] orations of all churches. I beg a prayer to all souls.
I believe in God.”

Other notable Final Footprints at the Panthéon include: Louis Braille, Pierre and Marie Curie, Alexandre Dumas, André Malraux, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Voltaire, and Émile Zola.

#RIP #OTD in 1932 dramatist, folklorist, theatre manager, co-founder of the Irish Literary Theatre and the Abbey Theatre, Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory died at home in Galway, Ireland aged 80 from breast cancer. Bohermore Cemetery, Galway

By Carl van Vechten

On this day in 1967, poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, columnist, one of the earliest innovators of the then-new literary art form called jazz poetry, one of the leaders of the Harlem Renaissance, Langston Hughes died from complications after abdominal surgery, related to prostate cancer, in New York City, at the age of 65. First published in The Crisis in 1921, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”, which became Hughes’s signature poem, was collected in his first book of poetry The Weary Blues (1926). Hughes’s first and last published poems appeared in The Crisis. More of his poems were published in The Crisis than in any other journal. Hughes never married.

The Final Footprint – Hughes was cremated and his cremains are interred beneath a floor medallion in the middle of the foyer in the Arthur Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem. It is the entrance to an auditorium named for him. The design on the floor is an African cosmogram titled Rivers. The title is taken from, “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”. Within the center of the cosmogram is the line: “My soul has grown deep like the rivers”. The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University holds the Langston Hughes papers (1862–1980) and the Langston Hughes collection (1924–1969) containing letters, manuscripts, personal items, photographs, clippings, artworks, and objects that document the life of Hughes. The Langston Hughes Memorial Library on the campus of Lincoln University, as well as at the James Weldon Johnson Collection within the Yale University also hold archives of Hughes’ work.

On this day in 1972, poet, Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom from 1968 until his death in 1972, father of actor Daniel Day-Lewis, Cecil Day-Lewis died from pancreatic cancer, aged 68, at Lemmons, the Hertfordshire home of Kingsley Amis and Elizabeth Jane Howard, where he and his family were staying. Born in Ballintubbert, Athy/Stradbally border, County Laois (formerly known as Queen’s County), Ireland. Day-Lewis also wrote mystery stories under the pseudonym of Nicholas Blake. He married twice; Constance Mary King (1928–1951 divorce) and Jill Balcon (1951–1972 his death).

The Final Footprint – Day-Lewis was a great admirer of Thomas Hardy, and had arranged to be buried as close as possible to the author’s grave in Stinsford churchyard, Dorset, south west England.

His epitaph, taken from his poem Is it Far to Go?, reads:

Shall I be gone long?
For ever and a day.
To whom there belong?
Ask the stone to say.
Ask my song.

#RIP #OTD in 2005 actor (Tony the Tiger), bass singer (“You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”), Thurl Ravenscroft died in his home in Fullerton, California, from prostate cancer, aged 91. Memorial Gardens at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California

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Posted in Day in History, Extravagant Footprints, Literary Footprints, Political Footprints | Tagged alessandro manzoni, Arthur Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Cecil Day-Lewis, cimitero monumentale di milano, Crypts, Entomb, harlem renaissance, I Promessi Sposi, La Gioconda, langston hughes, Les Miserables, Lucrezia Borgia, Mausoleum, Paris, Rigoletto, riptff, stinsford churchyard, tff, the betrothed, the final footprint, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Pantheon, Thurl ravenscroft, verdi, Victor Hugo | 1 Comment

On this day 21 May death of Henry VI – Jane Addams – John Garfield – Lash LaRue – Katherine Dunham

Posted on 29 MayamTue, 21 May 2024 00:06:00 -05002024-05-21T00:06:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

On this day in 1471, King of England from 1422 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471, and disputed King of France from 1422 to 1453, Henry VI died in the Wakefield Tower of the Tower of London at the age of 49 of unknown cause. Born on 6 December 1421 at Windsor Castle. Henry was the only child and heir of King Henry V. He succeeded to the throne as King of England on his father’s death on 31 August 1422 at the age of nine months: the youngest person ever to succeed to the English throne. Two months later, on 21 October 1422, he became titular King of France upon his grandfather Charles VI‘s death in accordance with the Treaty of Troyes of 1420. His mother, Catherine of Valois, was then 20 years old. As Charles VI’s daughter, she was viewed with considerable suspicion by English nobles and prevented from playing a full role in her son’s upbringing. Contemporaneous accounts described him as peaceful and pious, not suited for the dynastic wars, such as the Wars of the Roses, which commenced during his reign. His periods of insanity and his inherent benevolence eventually required his wife, Margaret of Anjou, to assume control of his kingdom, which contributed to his own downfall, the collapse of the House of Lancaster, and the rise of the House of York. After a violent struggle between the houses of Lancaster and York, during which the Duke of York was killed by Margaret’s forces on 30 December 1460, Henry was deposed and imprisoned on 4 March 1461 by the Duke of York’s son, Edward of York, who became king, as Edward IV. By this point, Henry was suffering such a bout of madness that he was apparently laughing and singing while the Second Battle of St Albans raged, which secured his release. But Edward was still able to take the throne, though he failed to capture Henry and his queen, who fled to Scotland. During the first period of Edward IV’s reign, Lancastrian resistance continued mainly under the leadership of Queen Margaret and the few nobles still loyal to her in the northern counties of England and Wales. Henry, who had been safely hidden by Lancastrian allies in Scotland, Northumberland and Yorkshire was captured by King Edward in 1465 and subsequently held captive in the Tower of London. Queen Margaret, exiled in Scotland and later in France, was determined to win back the throne on behalf of her husband and son. By herself, there was little she could do. However, eventually Edward IV had a falling-out with two of his main supporters: Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, and his own younger brother George, Duke of Clarence. At the urging of King Louis XI of France they formed a secret alliance with Margaret. After marrying his daughter to Henry and Margaret’s son, Edward of Westminster, Warwick returned to England, forced Edward IV into exile, and restored Henry VI to the throne on 30 October 1470. However, by this time, years in hiding followed by years in captivity had taken their toll on Henry. Warwick and Clarence effectively ruled in his name. Henry’s return to the throne lasted less than six months. Warwick soon overreached himself by declaring war on Burgundy, whose ruler responded by giving Edward IV the assistance he needed to win back his throne by force. Edward IV returned to England in early 1471, after which he was reconciled with Clarence and killed Warwick at the Battle of Barnet. The Yorkists won a final decisive victory at the Battle of Tewkesbury on 4 May 1471, where Henry’s son Edward was killed. Henry may have been murdered upon the orders of Edward IV.

The Final Footprint – Henry VI was originally buried in Chertsey Abbey; then, in 1485, his body was moved to St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle, by Richard III. In 1590 William Shakespeare wrote a trilogy of plays about the life of Henry VI: Henry VI, Part 1, Henry VI, Part 2, and Henry VI, Part 3. His dead body and his ghost also appear in Richard III. Shakespeare’s portrayal of Henry is notable in that it does not mention the King’s madness. This is considered to have been a politically-advisable move so as to not risk offending Elizabeth I whose family was descended from Henry’s Lancastrian family. Instead Henry is portrayed as a pious and peaceful man ill-suited to the crown. He spends most of his time in contemplation of the Bible and expressing his wish to be anyone other than a king. Shakespeare’s Henry is weak-willed and easily influenced allowing his policies to be led by Margaret and her allies, and being unable to defend himself against York’s claim to the throne. Other notable final footprints at St. George’s Chapel include: Edward IV, Edward VII, Jane Seymour, Henry VIII, Charles I, George III, George IV, William IV, and George V.

#RIP #OTD in 1935 settlement activist, reformer, social worker, sociologist, public administrator, philosopher, author, co-founder of the ACLU, Jane Addams died in Chicago, aged 74. Cedarville, Cemetery, Cedarville, Illinois

#RIP #OTD 1952 actor (Four Daughters, Body and Soul, The Postman Always Rings Twice, Gentleman’s Agreement) John Garfield died from a heart attack in his sleep in New York City, aged 39. Westchester Hills Cemetery in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York

On this day in 1996, western motion picture star Lash LaRue died of emphysema at St Joseph’s Hospital in Burbank, California at the age of 74. Born Alfred LaRue on 14 June 1921 in Gretna in suburban Jefferson Parish near New Orleans, Louisiana, of Cajun ancestry. Known for his exceptional skill with a bull whip which he used to bring down the bad guys in his movies; thus his nickname, Lash. LaRue taught Harrison Ford how to use a whip for the Indiana Jones movies.

The Final Footprint – LaRue was cremated at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. Interesting cultural reference: In Quentin Tarantino’s film Pulp Fiction, the character Winston Wolf (Harvey Keitel) refers to Vincent Vega (John Travolta) as Lash LaRue and asks if he can keep his spurs from jingling and jangling.

Katherine Dunham
in 1956 by Phyllis twachtman

In Tropical Review, Martin Beck Theatre by Alfredo valenti

On this day in 2006, dancer, choreographer, author, educator, and social activist Katherine Dunham died in New York City at the age of 96. Born Katherine Mary Dunham on June 22, 1909 in Chicago. Dunham had one of the most successful dance careers in American and European theater of the 20th century, and directed her own dance company for many years. She has been called the “matriarch and queen mother of black dance.”

While a student at the University of Chicago, Dunham took leave and went to the Caribbean to study dance and ethnography. She later returned to graduate and submitted a master’s thesis in anthropology. She did not complete the other requirements for the degree, however, and realized that her professional calling was performance.

At the height of her career in the 1940s and 1950s, Dunham was renowned throughout Europe and Latin America and was widely popular in the United States, where The Washington Post called her “dancer Katherine the Great”. For almost 30 years she maintained the Katherine Dunham Dance Company, the only self-supported American black dance troupe at that time, and over her long career she choreographed more than ninety individual dances. Dunham was an innovator in African-American modern dance as well as a leader in the field of dance anthropology, or ethnochoreology.

in 1940, by Carl Van Vechten

Dunham married Jordis McCoo, a black postal worker, in 1931, but he did not share her interests and they gradually drifted apart, finally divorcing in 1938. About that time Dunham met and began to work with John Thomas Pratt, a Canadian who had become one of America’s most renowned costume and theatrical set designers. Pratt, who was white, shared Dunham’s interests in African-Caribbean cultures and was happy to put his talents in her service. After he became her artistic collaborator, they became romantically involved. In the summer of 1941, after the national tour of Cabin in the Sky ended, they went to Mexico, where inter-racial marriages were less controversial than in the United States, and engaged in a commitment ceremony on 20 July, which thereafter they gave as the date of their wedding. Dunham and Pratt married in 1949. From the beginning of their association, around 1938, Pratt designed the sets and every costume Dunham ever wore. He continued as her artistic collaborator until his death in 1986.

The Final Footprint

Dunham was cremated.

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Posted in Cowboy Footprints, Day in History, Extravagant Footprints, Film Footprints, Royal Footprints | Tagged Cremation, edward iv, Forest Lawn Memorial Park Glendale, Harrison Ford, Harvey Keitel, henry vi, John Travolta, katherine dunham, Lash LaRue, margaret of anjou, Pulp Fiction, Quentin Tarantino, riptff, shakespeare, st georges chapel, tff, the final footprint, the war of the roses, windsor castle | Leave a comment

On this day 20 May death of Christopher Columbus – Clara Schumann – Gilda Radner – Robin Gibb – Ray Manzarek

Posted on 29 MayamMon, 20 May 2024 00:09:00 -05002024-05-20T00:09:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

Posthumous portrait of Christopher Columbus by Sebastiano del Piombo.

On this day in 1506, explorer, colonizer, and navigator, Cristóbal Colón, Cristoforo Colombo, Christopher Columbus died in Valladolid, a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain at the age of 55. Born Cristoforo Colombo sometime between 25 August and 31 October 1451 in Genoa, Republic of Genoa, in present day Italy. The name Christopher Columbus is the Anglicisation of the Latin Christophorus Columbus. In Spanish, it is Cristóbal Colón. Columbus’s proposal to reach the East Indies by sailing westward, thereby opening new trade routes, appealed to the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, amid emerging western imperialism and economic competition. During his first voyage in 1492 (in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue), Columbus landed in the Bahamas archipelago, not Japan as he had intended. He made a total of four voyages, visiting the Greater and Lesser Antilles, as well as the Caribbean coast of Venezuela and Central America, claiming them for the Spanish Empire. Columbus was not the first European explorer to reach the Americas. His voyages were preceded by a Norse expedition led by Leif Ericson, some five centuries earlier. But it was Columbus’s voyages that led to lasting European contact with America and the resulting historical development of the Western world. Conventional wisdom has it that Columbus never admitted that he had reached a continent previously unknown to Europeans, and at his death, he was still convinced that his journeys had been along the east coast of Asia. Columbus called the inhabitants of the lands he visited indios (Spanish for “Indians”). See the comment below for additional perspective.

Tomb in Seville Cathedral. The remains are borne by kings of Castile, Leon, Aragon and Navarre.

The Final Footprint – A voyager in life, perhaps it is fitting that he became a voyager in death. Columbus was first interred at Valladolid, then at the monastery of La Cartuja in Seville (southern Spain) by the will of his son Diego, who had been governor of Hispaniola. In 1542 the remains were transferred to Colonial Santo Domingo, in the present-day Dominican Republic. In 1795, when France took over the entire island of Hispaniola, Columbus’ remains were moved to Havana, Cuba. After Cuba became independent following the Spanish-American War in 1898, the remains were moved back to Spain, to the Cathedral of Seville, where they were placed on an elaborate catafalque. However, a lead box bearing an inscription identifying “Don Christopher Columbus” and containing bone fragments and a bullet was discovered at The Columbus Lighthouse in Santo Domingo in 1877. To lay to rest claims that the wrong relics had been moved to Havana and that Columbus’ remains had been left buried in the cathedral at Santo Domingo, DNA samples of the corpse resting in Seville were taken in June 2003 (History Today August 2003) as well as other DNA samples from the remains of his brother Diego and younger son Fernando Colón. Initial observations suggested that the bones did not appear to belong to somebody with the physique or age at death associated with Columbus. DNA extraction proved difficult; only short fragments of mitochondrial DNA could be isolated. The mtDNA fragments matched corresponding DNA from Columbus’s brother, giving support that both individuals had shared the same mother. Such evidence, together with anthropologic and historic analyses led the researchers to conclude that the remains found in Seville belonged to Columbus. The authorities in Santo Domingo have never allowed the remains there to be exhumed, so it is unknown if any of those remains could be from Columbus’ body as well. The location of the Dominican remains is in “The Columbus Lighthouse” (Faro a Colón), in Santo Domingo.

#RIP #OTD in 1896 pianist, composer (Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 17; Three Romances for Violin and Piano), piano teacher, (wife of Robert Schumann) Clara Schumann died from a stroke in Frankfurt, aged 76. Alter Friedhof, Bonn

Gilda Radner
with husband, Gene Wilder, in the film Haunted Honeymoon, 1986

**On this day in 1989, comedian, writer, actress, and one of the seven original cast members of Saturday Night Live (SNL), Gilda Radner** died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles of ovarian cancer at the age of 42 with her husband Gene Wilder at her side. Born Gilda Susan Radner on June 28, 1946 in Detroit, Michigan. In her routines on SNL, Radner specialized in parodies of television stereotypes, including Roseanne Roseannadanna and “Baba Wawa”. She also portrayed those characters in her highly successful one-woman show on Broadway in 1979.

Radner’s SNL work established her as an iconic figure in the history of American comedy. Her autobiography dealt frankly with her life, work, and personal struggles, including those with the illness.

Radner met Wilder on the set of the Sidney Poitier film Hanky Panky (released in 1982), when the two worked together making the film. She described their first meeting as “love at first sight”. She was unable to control her attraction to Wilder as her marriage to guitarist G. E. Smith deteriorated. Radner went on to make a second film with Wilder, The Woman in Red (released in 1984), and their relationship grew. The two were married on September 18, 1984, in Saint-Tropez. The pair made a third film together, Haunted Honeymoon (1986) and remained married until her death in 1989.

Radner’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

The Final Footprint

News of her death broke as Steve Martin was rehearsing to act as the guest host for that night’s season finale of Saturday Night Live. Martin’s planned opening monologue was scrapped; in its place Martin, in tears, introduced a video clip of a 1978 sketch in which he and Radner had parodied Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse in a well-known dance routine from The Band Wagon (1953). After the clip, Martin said it reminded him of “how great she was and of how young I looked. Gilda, we miss you.”

Radner is interred in Long Ridge Union Cemetery in Stamford, Fairfield County, Connecticut.

Wilder, carried out her personal wish that information about her illness would help other cancer victims, founding and inspiring organizations that emphasize early diagnosis, hereditary factors and support for cancer victims.

#RIP #OTD in 2012 singer, songwriter, Bee Gees (“How Deep is Your Love”, “More than a Woman”, “Stayin’ Alive”, “You should be Dancing”), Robin Gibb died from liver/kidney failure brought on by colorectal cancer in London, aged 62. Saint Mary The Virgin Church, Thame, England

#RIP #OTD in 2013 keyboardist, songwriter (the Doors; “Light My Fire”, “People Are Strange”, “Break On Through (To the Other Side)”) Ray Manzarek died from bile duct cancer at a hospital in Rosenheim, Germany, at the age of 74. Cremation

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Posted in Day in History, Extravagant Footprints, Film Footprints | Tagged Buried, catafalque, Christopher Columbus, Crypts, Entomb, Ferdinand, gilda radner, Ground Burial, History, Isabella, Long Ridge Union Cemetery, riptff, tff, the final footprint | 1 Comment

On this day 19 May death of Anne Boleyn – Nathaniel Hawthorne – José Martí – T. E. Lawrence – Gabriele Münter – Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Posted on 29 MayamSun, 19 May 2024 00:15:00 -05002024-05-19T00:15:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

On this day in 1536, second wife of King Henry VIII and Marquess of Pembroke, Queen of England, Anne Boleyn was executed by beheading for high treason, adultery, incest and witchcraft, at the Tower of London. She was somewhere between 28 and 35 years old. Born in Norfolk at the Boleyn home at Blickling between 1501 and 1507. Henry’s marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the start of the English Reformation. Anne was the daughter of Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire, and his wife, Lady Elizabeth Howard, and was educated in the Netherlands and France, largely as a maid of honour to Claude of France. She returned to England in early 1522, to marry her Irish cousin James Butler, 9th Earl of Ormond; the marriage plans ended in failure and she secured a post at court as maid of honour to Henry VIII’s wife, Catherine of Aragon. In February/March 1526, Henry VIII began his pursuit of Anne. She resisted his attempts to seduce her, refusing to become his mistress – which her sister Mary had been. It soon became the one absorbing object of Henry’s desires to annul his marriage to Queen Catherine so he would be free to marry Anne. When it became clear that Pope Clement VII would not annul the marriage, the breaking of the power of the Catholic Church in England began. In 1532, Henry granted her the Marquessate of Pembroke. Henry and Anne married on 25 January 1533. On 23 May 1533, Thomas Cranmer declared Henry and Catherine’s marriage null and void; five days later, he declared Henry and Anne’s marriage to be good and valid. Shortly afterwards, the Pope decreed sentences of excommunication against Henry and Cranmer. As a result of this marriage and these excommunications, the first break between the Church of England and Rome took place and the Church of England was brought under the King’s control. Anne was crowned Queen of England on 1 June 1533. On 7 September, she gave birth to the future Queen Elizabeth I, whose gender disappointed Henry. He was not entirely discouraged, for he said that a son would surely follow and professed to love Elizabeth. Three miscarriages followed, and by March 1536, Henry was courting Jane Seymour. Henry had Anne investigated for high treason in April 1536. On 2 May she was arrested and sent to the Tower of London, where she was tried before a jury of peers – which included Henry Percy, her former betrothed, and her own uncle, Thomas Howard – and found guilty on 15 May. She was beheaded four days later. Modern historians view the charges against her as unconvincing. Henry commuted Anne’s sentence from burning to beheading, and rather than have a queen beheaded with the common axe, he brought an expert swordsman from Saint-Omer in France, to perform the execution. Shortly before dawn, she heard mass and swore on the eternal salvation of her soul, upon the Holy Sacraments, that she had never been unfaithful to the king. She ritually repeated this oath both immediately before and after receiving the sacrament of the Eucharist. She wore a red petticoat under a loose, dark grey gown of damask trimmed in fur and a mantle of ermine. Accompanied by two female attendants, Anne made her final walk from the Queen’s House to the scaffold. Anne climbed the scaffold and made a short speech to the crowd:

Good Christian people, I am come hither to die, for according to the law, and by the law I am judged to die, and therefore I will speak nothing against it. I am come hither to accuse no man, nor to speak anything of that, whereof I am accused and condemned to die, but I pray God save the king and send him long to reign over you, for a gentler nor a more merciful prince was there never: and to me he was ever a good, a gentle and sovereign lord. And if any person will meddle of my cause, I require them to judge the best. And thus I take my leave of the world and of you all, and I heartily desire you all to pray for me. O Lord have mercy on me, to God I commend my soul.

In a 1,318 line poem, written in French, two weeks after Anne’s death, Lancelot de Carle provides a moving account of her last words and their effect on the crowd:

She gracefully addressed the people from the scaffold with a voice somewhat overcome by weakness, but which gathered strength as she went on. She begged her hearers to forgive her if she had not used them all with becoming gentleness, and asked for their prayers. It was needless, she said, to relate why she was there, but she prayed the Judge of all the world to have compassion on those who had condemned her, and she begged them to pray for the King, in whom she had always found great kindness, fear of God, and love of his subjects. The spectators could not refrain from tears.

Lancelot de Carle, a secretary to the French Ambassador, Antoine de Castelnau, was in London in May 1536, and was an eyewitness to her trial and execution. The poem, Épistre Contenant le Procès Criminel Faict à l’Encontre de la Royne Anne Boullant d’Angleterre, (A Letter Containing the Criminal Charges Laid Against Queen Anne Boleyn of England), provides a detailed account of Anne’s early life and the circumstances relating to her arrest, trial and execution. It is thought that Anne avoided criticising Henry to save Elizabeth and her family from further consequences, but even under such extreme pressure Anne did not confess guilt, in fact subtly implying her innocence, in her appeal to historians who “will meddle of my cause”. The ermine mantle was removed and Anne lifted off her headdress, tucking her hair under a coif. After a brief farewell to her weeping ladies and a request for prayers, she kneeled down and one of her ladies tied a blindfold over her eyes. She knelt upright, in the French style of executions. Her final prayer consisted of her repeating continually, “Jesu receive my soul; O Lord God have pity on my soul.”

The Final Footprint – The execution consisted of a single stroke. She was then buried in an unmarked grave in the Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula. Her skeleton was identified during renovations of the chapel in 1876 and Anne’s resting place is now marked in the marble floor. Following the coronation of her daughter, Elizabeth, as queen, Anne was venerated as a martyr and heroine of the English Reformation. Over the centuries, she has inspired or been mentioned in numerous artistic and cultural works. As a result, she has retained her hold on the popular imagination. Anne has been called “the most influential and important queen consort England has ever had”, since she provided the occasion for Henry VIII to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, and declare his independence from Rome. Many legends and fantastic stories about Anne Boleyn have survived over the centuries. One is that she was secretly buried in Salle Church in Norfolk under a black slab near the tombs of her Boleyn ancestors. Her body was said to have rested in an Essex church on its journey to Norfolk. Another is that her heart, at her request, was buried in Erwarton (Arwarton) Church, Suffolk by her uncle Sir Philip Parker. In 18th-century Sicily, the peasants of the village of Nicolosi believed that Anne Boleyn, for having made Henry VIII a heretic, was condemned to burn for eternity inside Mount Etna. This legend was often told for the benefit of foreign travelers. A number of people have claimed to have seen Anne’s ghost at Hever Castle, Blickling Hall, Salle Church, Tower of London, and Marwell Hall. The most famous account of her reputed sighting has been described by paranormal researcher Hans Holzer. In 1864, Major General J.D. Dundas of the 60th Rifles regiment was quartered in the Tower of London. As he was looking out the window of his quarters, he noticed a guard below in the courtyard, in front of the lodgings where Anne had been imprisoned, behaving strangely. He appeared to challenge something, which to the General “looked like a whitish, female figure sliding towards the soldier”. The guard charged through the form with his bayonet, then fainted. Only the General’s testimony and corroboration at the court-martial saved the guard from a lengthy prison sentence for having fainted while on duty. In 1960, Canon W. S. Pakenham-Walsh, vicar of Sulgrave, Northamptonshire, reported having conversations with Anne. Other notable final footprints at the Chapel include: Lady Jane Grey, William Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings; Margaret, Countess of Salisbury, the last of the Plantagenet dynasty; Queen Catherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII; Jane Boleyn, Viscountess Rochford; and Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex.

On this day in 1864, novelist, dark romantic, and short story writer Nathaniel Hawthorne died in his sleep in Plymouth, New Hampshire, at the age of 59. Born on July 4, 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. His ancestors include John Hathorne, the only judge involved in the Salem witch trials who never repented of his actions. He entered Bowdoin College in 1821 and graduated in 1825. He published his first work in 1828, the novel Fanshawe; he later tried to suppress it, feeling that it was not equal to the standard of his later work. He published several short stories in periodicals, which he collected in 1837 as Twice-Told Tales. The next year, he became engaged to Sophia Peabody. He worked at the Boston Custom House and joined Brook Farm, a transcendentalist community, before marrying Peabody in 1842. The couple moved to The Old Manse in Concord, Massachusetts, later moving to Salem, the Berkshires, then to The Wayside in Concord. The Scarlet Letter was published in 1850, followed by a succession of other novels. A political appointment as consul took Hawthorne and family to Europe before their return to Concord in 1860.

Much of Hawthorne’s writing centers on New England, many works featuring moral metaphors with an anti-Puritan inspiration. His fiction works are considered part of the Romantic movement and, more specifically, dark romanticism. His themes often center on the inherent evil and sin of humanity, and his works often have moral messages and psychological complexity. His published works include novels, short stories, and a biography of his college friend Franklin Pierce, the 14th President of the United States.

The Final Footprint

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote a tribute poem to Hawthorne published in 1866 called “The Bells of Lynn”. Hawthorne was buried on what is now known as “Authors’ Ridge” in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Concord, Massachusetts. Pallbearers included Longfellow, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Bronson Alcott, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., James Thomas Fields, and Edwin Percy Whipple. Emerson wrote of the funeral: “I thought there was a tragic element in the event, that might be more fully rendered—in the painful solitude of the man, which, I suppose, could no longer be endured, & he died of it.” His wife Sophia and daughter Una were originally buried in England. However, in June 2006, they were reinterred in plots adjacent to Hawthorne. Other notable final footprints at Sleepy Hollow include; Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.

#RIP #OTD in 1895 Cuban nationalist, poet, philosopher, essayist, journalist, translator, professor, publisher, Cuban national hero, José Martí died during the Battle of Dos Ríos, Cuba, aged 42. Cementerio Santa Ifigenia, Santiago de Cuba

On this day in 1935, archaeologist, army officer, diplomat, and writer T. E. Lawrence died from injuries in a motorcycle crash in Dorset close to his cottage Clouds Hill, near Wareham, England, at the age of 46 . Born Thomas Edward Lawrence on 16 August 1888 in Tremadog, Carnarvonshire, Wales. He was renowned for his liaison role during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign and the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire during the First World War. The breadth and variety of his activities and associations, and his ability to describe them vividly in writing, earned him international fame as Lawrence of Arabia—a title used for the 1962 film based on his wartime activities.

Soon after the outbreak of war, he volunteered for the British Army and was stationed in Egypt. In 1916, he was sent to Arabia on an intelligence mission and quickly became involved with the Arab Revolt as a liaison to the Arab forces, along with other British officers. He worked closely with Emir Faisal, a leader of the revolt, and he participated in and sometimes led military activities against the Ottoman armed forces, culminating in the capture of Damascus in October 1918.

After the war, Lawrence joined the Foreign Office, working with the British government and with Faisal. In 1922, he retreated from public life and spent the years until 1935 serving as an enlisted man, mostly in the Royal Air Force, with a brief stint in the Army. During this time, he published his best-known work Seven Pillars of Wisdom, an autobiographical account of his participation in the Arab Revolt. He also translated books into English and wrote The Mint, which was published posthumously and detailed his time in the Royal Air Force working as an ordinary aircraftman. He corresponded extensively and was friendly with well-known artists, writers, and politicians. For the Royal Air Force, he participated in the development of rescue motorboats.

The Final Footprint

Memorial near the crash site which is found south of his cottage at Clouds Hill, Wareham, Dorset

He is interred in the separate burial ground of St Nicholas’ Church, Moreton. Mourners included Winston, E. M. Forster, Lady Astor, and Lawrence’s youngest brother Arnold.

#RIP #OTD in 1962 expressionist painter who studied and lived with the painter Wassily Kandinsky, a founding member of the expressionist group Der Blaue Reiter, Gabriele Münter died at home in Murnau am Staffelsee, Germany aged 85

On this day in 1994, wife of the 35th President of the United States, First Lady of the United States, fashion icon, editor, Jackie, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis died in her sleep from cancer at her apartment in New York City at the age of 64. Born Jacqueline Lee Bouvier on 28 July 1929 in Southampton, New York. She is remembered for her contributions to the arts and preservation of historic architecture, her style, elegance and grace.

Jackie married John F. Kennedy on 12 September 1953. They had four children; Arabella (23 August 1956 – 23 August 1956), Caroline Bouvier (27 November 1957 – ), John Fitzgerald Jr. (25 November 1960 – 16 July 1999), and Patrick Bouvier (7 August 1963 – 9 August 1963). Jackie proved to be a very popular First Lady. When the Kennedys visited France, Jackie so impressed the public that President Kennedy remarked; “I am the man who accompanied Jacqueline Kennedy to Paris — and I have enjoyed it!” Jackie’s steadiness and courage during and after JFK’s assassination and funeral won her admiration around the world. Lady Jeanne Campbell reported back to The London Evening Standard: “Jacqueline Kennedy has given the American people… one thing they have always lacked: Majesty.” During an interview with Theodore H. White of Life magazine she compared the Kennedy years in the White House to King Arthur’s mythical Camelot, commenting that the President often played the title song of Lerner and Loewe‘s musical recording before retiring to bed. She also quoted Queen Guinevere from the musical, trying to express how the loss felt. Following Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination on 6 June 1968, Jackie apparently began to fear for the safety of her children. Perhaps this was a factor in her decision to marry Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis; seeking the privacy and protection his vast wealth provided. They married on 20 October 1968 on his private island Skorpios in the Ionian Sea.

The Final Footprint – Jackie is interred next to JFK in Arlington National Cemetery. Her grave is marked by a flat granite engraved marker that matches her husband’s. Jackie’s legacy has been memorialized in various aspects of American culture and she is frequently alluded to and depicted in various forms of popular culture, including books, films, television series, cartoon series, video games and music. Other notable Final Footprints at Arlington include; Space Shuttle Challenger, Space Shuttle Columbia, Medgar Evers, Dashiell Hammett, JFK, RFK, Edward Kennedy, Malcolm Kilduff, Jr., Lee Marvin, and Audie Murphy.

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Posted in American Icon, Day in History, Extravagant Footprints, Literary Footprints, Political Footprints | Tagged Anne Boleyn, Aristotle Onassis, Arlington National Cemetery, Buried, Cementerio Santa Ifigenia, Cemetery, chapel of st peter ad vincula, Elizabeth I, Ground Burial, Henry VIII, History, jackie O, Jacqueline Bouvier, Jacqueline Kennedy, JFK, John F Kennedy, Jose marti, nathaniel hawthorne, riptff, Robert F Kennedy, salle church, Skorpios island, sleepy hollow cemetery, t e lawrence, tff, the final footprint, tower of london | 1 Comment

On this day 18 May death of Pauline Viardot – Gustav Mahler – Mt. Saint Helens – Jill Ireland – Elizabeth Montgomery – Alexander Godunov – Chris Cornell – Charles Grodin – Jim Brown

Posted on 29 MayamSat, 18 May 2024 00:03:00 -05002024-05-18T00:03:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

#RIP #OTD in 1910 mezzo-soprano, pedagogue, composer (operas Cendrillon, Le dernier sorcier) Pauline Viardot died in Paris, aged 88. Montmartre Cemetery, Paris

#RIP #OTD in 1911 Romantic composer (Das Lied von der Erde, Symphonies 1-10) Gustav Mahler died at the Löw sanatorium in Vienna, aged 50. Grinzing cemetery, Vienna

On this day in 1980, Mt. Saint Helens erupted killing 57 people including, USGS volcanologist David A. Johnston, Reid Blackburn, a National Geographic photographer. and innskeeper Harry R. Truman. Mount St. Helens is an active stratovolcano located in Skamania County, Washington, 96 miles south of Seattle, Washington and 50 miles northeast of Portland, Oregon. The catastrophic eruption produced an eruption column that reached 80,000 feet into the atmosphere and volcanic mudslides that reached the Columbia River, nearly 50 miles away; deposited ash in 11 U. S. states and parts of Canada; destroyed 4 billion board feet of timber, 250 homes, 47 bridges, 15 miles of railways, and 185 miles of highway.

The Final Footprint – The Johnston Ridge Observatory was built near the site of Johnston’s camp on that morning and is named in his honour. A memorial located at the observatory lists the names of the 57 people believed to have been killed by the eruption.

#RIP #OTD in 1990 actress (The Valachi Papers, The Mechanic), singer Jill Ireland died; breast cancer; her Malibu CA home, aged 54. Cremated remains placed in a cane buried with husband Charles Bronson at Brownsville Cemetery, West Windsor, Vermont

#RIP #OTD in 1995 actress (Bewitched, A Case of Rape, The Legend of Lizzie Borden) Elizabeth Montgomery died from cancer at her Beverly Hills home, aged 62. Cremation

#RIP #OTD in 1995 ballet dancer (Bolshoi Ballet Premier danseur), actor (Witness, The Money Pit, Die Hard) Alexander Godunov died from hepatitis secondary to chronic alcoholism at his home in Shoreham Towers, West Hollywood, aged 45. Cremated remains scattered in the Pacific

On this day in 2017, musician, singer and songwriter Chris Cornell died from suicide by hanging at the MGM Grand in Detroit, at the age of 52. Born Christopher John Cornell (né Boyle) on July 20, 1964 in Seattle. Perhaps best known as the lead vocalist for the rock bands Soundgarden and Audioslave. Cornell was also known for his numerous solo works and soundtrack contributions since 1991, and as the founder and frontman for Temple of the Dog, the one-off tribute band dedicated to his late friend Andrew Wood.

In my opinion, Cornell is one of the chief architects of the 1990s grunge movement, and is well known for his extensive catalog as a songwriter, his nearly four-octave vocal range, and his powerful vocal belting technique. He released four solo studio albums, Euphoria Morning (1999), Carry On (2007), Scream (2009), Higher Truth (2015) and the live album Songbook (2011). Cornell received a Golden Globe Award nomination for his song “The Keeper”, which appeared in the 2011 film Machine Gun Preacher, and co-wrote and performed the theme song to the James Bond film Casino Royale (2006), “You Know My Name”. His last solo release before his death was the charity single “The Promise”, written for the ending credits for the 2016 film of the same name. He was nominated for 16 Grammy Awards and won three.

In 1985, Cornell started dating Susan Silver, the manager of Alice in Chains, Soundgarden and Screaming Trees, and they got married in 1990. He and Silver divorced in 2004. In 2004, he married Vicky Karayiannis, a Paris-based American publicist of Greek heritage.

The Final Footprint

Cornell’s body was cremated on May 23, 2017. His funeral took place on May 26, 2017, at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles. The ceremony began with the cemetery’s speakers playing Audioslave’s “Like a Stone”, as well as Cornell’s last solo song released before his death, “The Promise”. Chester Bennington performed Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”. At the end of the funeral, Temple of the Dog’s song “All Night Thing” accompanied mourners as they exited. Cornell’s cremains were placed next to his friend Johnny Ramone’s cenotaph statue at Hollywood Forever.

Seattle’s Space Needle observation tower went dark from 9:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. PST on May 18, 2017, in honor of Cornell and his contributions to the city’s music scene. In the same night, Ann Wilson paid tribute to Cornell singing Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun” on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Pearl Jam released a tribute on their website with a picture of Cornell entitled “Chris”. Cornell’s Audioslave bandmate, Tom Morello, wrote a poem in tribute to him. Alice in Chains paid tribute with a photo of Cornell on their social media pages with the caption, “We are heartbroken”. Faith No More changed the homepage of the band’s official website to a tribute to Cornell after his death.

The Seattle Mariners held a pregame tribute to Cornell prior to their game against the Chicago White Sox on May 19 with a moment of silence and videoboard tribute to Cornell. Oakland Athletics’s player Trevor Plouffe changed his walk-up music to “Black Hole Sun” to honor Cornell. Linkin Park dedicated their performance of “One More Light” on Jimmy Kimmel’s show, in tribute to Cornell. During the 2017 Billboard Music Awards, Imagine Dragons’ lead singer, Dan Reynolds, paid tribute to Cornell remembering his life and career and asking for a moment of silence as a photo of Cornell filled television screens at home and the monitors in the venue. On May 23, 2017, Norah Jones performed a solo piano cover of “Black Hole Sun” at Detroit’s Fox Theatre, the theatre Chris last performed in. On April 14, 2018, Ann Wilson and Jerry Cantrell paid tribute to him during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony with a rendition of Soundgarden’s “Black Hole Sun”. At the end of the performance, a photo of Cornell was displayed on a screen behind the stage and Cantrell turned around and raised his fist saluting Cornell. U2 dedicated the song “Running to Stand Still” to Cornell at their May 20, 2017 concert at the Rose Bowl. Before that concert began, “Black Hole Sun” played over the PA. One year later, they saluted Cornell with a snippet of “Black Hole Sun” during their concert in Inglewood, Calif., on May 16, 2018. Guns N’ Roses paid tribute to Cornell on their Not In This Lifetime… Tour. Since May 27, 2017, “Black Hole Sun” is played at every concert, and “You Know My Name” is the outro song of every show and gets played after the encore of the band.

Other notable Final Footprints at Hollywood Forever include; Mel Blanc (yes, his epitaph is “That’s All Folks!”), 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, Fay Wray, and Anton Yelchin.

#RIP #OTD in 2021 actor (Rosemary’s Baby, The Heartbreak Kid, Catch-22, King Kong, Heaven Can Wait, An Imperfect Murder), comedian, author, Charles Grodin died from multiple myeloma at his home in Wilton, Connecticut aged 86. Adath Jeshurun Cemetery, Allison Park, Pennsylvania

#RIP #OTD in 2023 American football running back , civil rights activist, actor (The Dirty Dozen, Ice Station Zebra, 100 Rifles, Take a Hard Ride, The Running Man), Jim Brown died at his home in Los Angeles aged 87. Evergreen Memorial Cemetery, Brunswick, Georgia

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Posted in Day in History | Tagged alexander godunov, chris cornell, elizabeth Montgomery, gustav mahler, hollywood forever cemetery, jill ireland, Johnston Ridge Observatory, memorial, Mt. Saint Helens, Pauline viardot, riptff, tff, the final footprint, volcanic eruption | Leave a comment

Day in History 17 May – Dorothy Levitt – Seabiscuit – Frank Gorshin – Donna Summer – Guy Clark – Vangelis

Posted on 29 MayamFri, 17 May 2024 00:15:00 -05002024-05-17T00:15:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

#RIP #OTD in 1922 the first British woman racing driver, holder of the world’s first water speed record, the women’s world land speed record holder, author, journalist Dorothy Levitt died; morphine overdose in Marylebone, London, aged 40. Brighton Jewish Cemetery, England

On this day in 1947, champion Thoroughbred racehorse, Seabiscuit died in his stall at Ridgewood Ranch near Willits, California at the age of 13. Foaled 23 May 1933 from the mare Swing On and sired by Hard Tack, a son of Man o’ War. Seabiscuit was named for his father, as hardtack or “sea biscuit” is the name for a type of cracker eaten by sailors. The bay colt grew up on Claiborne Farm in Paris, Kentucky. Seabiscuit became an unlikely champion and a symbol of hope to many Americans during the Great Depression. In the “Match of the Century” on 1 November 1938, Seabiscuit ran against Triple Crown winner War Admiral in a match race. Seabiscuit won by four clear lengths. He was named the 1938 Horse of the Year and at the time of his retirement, he was racing’s all-time leading money winner. Seabiscuit became the subject of a 1949 film, The Story of Seabiscuit; a 2001 book, Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand; and a 2003 film, Seabiscuit starring Jeff Bridges and Chris Cooper, which was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

The Final Footprint – Seabiscuit was interred at an undisclosed location at Ridgewood Ranch. Bronze statues of Seasbiscuit have been erected in his honour at Ridgewood Ranch and at Santa Anita Park, a racetrack in Arcadia, California.

#RIP #OTD in 2005 actor (The Riddler on Batman), comedian, impressionist, Frank Gorshin died from lung cancer in a Burbank, California hospital, aged 72. Calvary Catholic Cemetery in the Hazelwood section of Pittsburgh

On this day in 2012, singer, songwriter, and painter, “Queen of Disco”, Donna Summer died at her home in Naples, Florida from lung cancer at the age of 63. Born LaDonna Adrian Gaines on 31 December 1948 in Boston. Summer gained prominence during the disco era of the late 1970s. A five-time Grammy Award winner, she was the first artist to have three consecutive double albums reach No. 1 on the United States Billboard album chart and charted four number-one singles in the United States within a 12-month period. Summer has reportedly sold over 140 million records, making her one of the world’s best-selling artists of all time. A partial list of hit songs she sung include; “Love to Love You Baby”, “I Feel Love”, “Last Dance”, “MacArthur Park”, “Heaven Knows”, “Hot Stuff”, “Bad Girls”, “Dim All the Lights”, “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)” (duet with Barbra Streisand), and “On the Radio”. “Last Dance” won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Original Song on the “Thank God It’s Friday” movie soundtrack. At the time of her death, Summer was married to Brooklyn Dreams singer Bruce Sudano.

The Final Footprint – Summer’s funeral service was held in Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee on the afternoon of 23 May 2012. Summer is interred in the Harpeth Hills Memory Gardens cemetery in Nashville. In 2013, Summer was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Guy Clark
at the 2009 Newport Folk Festival

On this day in 2016, singer and songwriter Guy Clark died in Nashville, Tennessee at the age of 74 from lymphoma. Born Guy Charles Clark on November 6, 1941 in Monahans, Texas. He released more than twenty albums, and his songs have been recorded by artists including Jerry Jeff Walker, Jimmy Buffett, Lyle Lovett, Ricky Skaggs, Steve Wariner, and Rodney Crowell. He won the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Folk Album: My Favorite Picture of You.

Clark was born in Monahans, Texas, and eventually settled in Nashville, where he helped create the progressive country and outlaw country genres. His songs “L.A. Freeway” and “Desperados Waiting for a Train” that helped launch his career were covered by numerous performers. The New York Times described him as “a king of the Texas troubadours”, declaring his body of work “was as indelible as that of anyone working in the Americana idiom in the last decades of the 20th century”.

The Final Footprint

Memorial at Northern Rivers Memorial Park, South Gundurimba, Lismore City, New South Wales, Australia

Clark was reportedly too tall to fit in a casket arranged so family and friends could view his remains one final time before he was to be cremated. The funeral home had to remove his boots, and still the top of his head was pressed against one end of the box. Clark’s final wish was to have his cremains incorporated into a sculpture by Santa Fe – based singer/songwriter and artist Terry Allen. Following a picking session in Nashville around a homemade altar outfitted with Clark’s boots and favorite photos, close friends — including musicians Verlon Tompson, Rodney Crowell and Steve Earle — boarded a tour bus for “Guy’s last road trip” and headed to Santa Fe. Upon arrival in Santa Fe another vigil at Allen’s home where Ely and fellow artists Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill, Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen, Jack Ingram and painter Paul Milosevich paid their respects. That included a green chili enchilada and tamale dinner with toasts of wine, Topo Chico and Keen’s Honey Pils.

That, near about is the best ever final footprint.

#RIP #OTD in 2022 keyboardist, composer (Chariots of Fire, Blade Runner, Missing, Antarctica, The Bounty), Vangelis died of heart failure/COVID-19 at a hospital in Paris aged 79. Cremation

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Posted in American Icon, Athletic Footprints, Day in History, Musical Footprints | Tagged Brighton Jewish cemetery, Buried, calvary catholic cemetery, donna summer, Dorothy levitt, frank gorshin, Ground Burial, guy clark, harpeth hills memory garden, History, horse racing, interment, Ridgewood Ranch, riptff, Santa Anita Park, Seabiscuit, tff, the final footprint, Thoroughbred horse, Vangelis, War Admiral | Leave a comment

Day in History 16 May – Grace Elliott – Django Reinhardt – James Agee – Andy Kaufman – Sammy Davis, Jr. – Jim Henson – Ronnie James Dio

Posted on 29 MayamThu, 16 May 2024 00:39:00 -05002024-05-16T00:39:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

#RIP #OTD in 1823 Scottish courtesan (Duke of Orléans, George IV), writer (Ma Vie sous la Révolution), spy resident in Paris during the French Revolution, Grace Elliott died at Ville d’Avray, France aged 68-69. Père Lachaise Cemetery

#RIP #OTD in 1953 jazz guitarist, composer (“Minor Swing”, “Daphne”, “Belleville”, “Djangology”, “Swing ’42”, “Nuages”) Django Reinhardt died from a brain hemorrhage in Samois-sur-Seine, France, aged 43. Cimetiere de Samois-sur-Seine.

#RIP #OTD in 1955 author (A Death in the Family, Let Us Now Praise Famous Men), journalist, poet, screenwriter (The African Queen, The Night of the Hunter), film critic, James Agee died from a heart attack in New York City, aged 45. Agee Family Farm Cemetery Hillsdale, New York

On this day in 1984, entertainer, actor, writer, and performance artist Andy Kaufman supposedly died of lung cancer in Los Angeles, at the age of 35. Born Andrew Geoffrey Kaufman on January 17, 1949 in New York City. While often called a comedian, Kaufman described himself instead as a “song and dance man”. He disdained telling jokes and engaging in comedy as it was traditionally understood, once saying in a rare introspective interview, “I am not a comic, I have never told a joke. … The comedian’s promise is that he will go out there and make you laugh with him… My only promise is that I will try to entertain you as best I can.”

After working in small comedy clubs in the early 1970s, Kaufman came to the attention of a wider audience in 1975, when he was invited to perform portions of his act on the first season of Saturday Night Live. His Foreign Man character was the basis of his performance as Latka Gravas on the hit television show Taxi from 1978 until 1983. During this time, he continued to tour comedy clubs and theaters in a series of unique performance art/comedy shows, sometimes appearing as himself and sometimes as obnoxiously rude lounge singer Tony Clifton. He was also a frequent guest on sketch comedy and late-night talk shows, particularly Late Night with David Letterman. In 1982, Kaufman brought his professional wrestling villain act to Letterman’s show by way of a staged encounter with Jerry “The King” Lawler of the Continental Wrestling Association (although the fact that the altercation was planned in advance was not publicly disclosed for over a decade).

The Final Footprint

Kaufman often spoke of faking his own death as a grand hoax, with rumors persisting, often fueled by sporadic appearances of Kaufman’s character Tony Clifton at comedy clubs after his death. In 2013, responding to rumors following the appearance of an actress who claimed to be Kaufman’s daughter and that he was still alive, Los Angeles County Coroner’s office re-released Kaufman’s death certificate to confirm he was indeed deceased and buried at Beth David Cemetery. Other notable final footprints at Beth David include; Sidney Lumet, Doc Pomus, and Abe Vigoda.

On this day in 1990, entertainer, singer, dancer, actor, member of the Rat Pack, Sammy Davis, Jr. died in Beverly Hills from throat cancer at the age of 64. Born Samuel George Davis, Jr. on 8 December 1925 in Harlem. Davis converted to Judaism in 1955. In 1959, he became a member of the famous “Rat Pack”, led by his friend Frank Sinatra, which included Dean Martin, Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford. Davis dated actress Kim Novak before his first marriage. He married three times: Loray White (1958-1959 divorce), May Britt (1960-1968 divorce) and Altovise Gore (1970-1990 his death). Davis was awarded the Spingarn Medal by the NAACP, and was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award for his television performances. He was the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 1987, and in 2001, he was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Final Footprint – Davis is interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California. His grave is marked by a flat bronze individual marker with the inscription “THE ENTERTAINER” HE DID IT ALL and YOUR LOVING WIFE ALTOVISE AND FATHER OF TRACEY, MARK, JEFF, MANNY. A nearby white marble statue has the name DAVIS engraved at the bottom. Other notable Final Footprints at Forest Lawn Glendale include; L. Frank Baum, Humphrey Bogart, Lon Chaney, Nat King Cole, Dorothy Dandridge, Jean Harlow, Sam Cooke, Walt Disney, Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Michael Jackson, Carole Lombard, Tom Mix, Casey Stengel, Jimmy Stewart, Elizabeth Taylor, and Spencer Tracy.

#RIP #OTD in 1990 puppeteer (The Muppets), animator, cartoonist, actor, inventor, filmmaker (The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth) Jim Henson died at New York–Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan from streptococcal toxic shock syndrome, aged 53. Cremated remains scattered near Taos in New Mexico

Ronnie James Dio
performing in Chicago in 2009

On this day in 2010, singer, songwriter and musician Ronnie James Dio died in Los Angeles of stomach cancer at the age of 67. Born Ronald James Padavona on July 10, 1942 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He fronted and/or founded numerous groups including Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Dio, and Heaven & Hell. He is credited with popularizing the “metal horns” hand gesture in metal culture and was known for his medieval-themed lyrics. Dio possessed a powerful versatile vocal range capable of singing both hard rock and lighter ballads.

Explanations vary for how Padavona adopted the stage name “Dio”. One story is that Dio was a reference to mafia member Johnny Dio. Another has it that Padavona’s grandmother said he had a gift from God and should be called “Dio” (“God” in Italian).

Dio’s first wife was Loretta Berardi (born 1941). After divorcing Berardi, he married Wendy Gaxiola (born 1945) who also served as his manager.

The Final Footprint

A public memorial service was held on May 30, 2010 at The Hall of Liberty, Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles. The hall was filled to capacity, with many more fans sitting outside the hall watching the memorial on multiple giant screens on both the east and south sides of the hall. Friends, family, and former and current band mates of Dio gave speeches and performed. On the screen was an accompanying documentary covering Dio’s career from his early days with Elf to his final project with Heaven & Hell. Dio is entombed at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills. Other notable final footprints at Hollywood Hills include; Gene Autry, Albert “Cubby” Broccoli, David Carradine, Scatman Crothers, Bette Davis, Sandra Dee, Michael Clarke Duncan, Carrie Fisher, Bobby Fuller, Andy Gibb, Michael Hutchence, Jill Ireland, Al Jarreau, Buster Keaton, Lemmy Kilmister, 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.

A tribute monument of Dio in Kavarna, Bulgaria

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Posted in Day in History, Film Footprints, Musical Footprints | Tagged Buried, Cemetery, flat marker, Forest Lawn Memorial Park Glendale, Frank Sinatra, Ground Burial, History, Inscription, marble statue, Rat Pack, riptff, ronnie james dio, Sammy Davis Jr, Statue, tff, the final footprint | Leave a comment

On this day 15 May death of Emily Dickinson – Edward Hopper – June Carter Cash

Posted on 29 MayamWed, 15 May 2024 00:03:00 -05002024-05-15T00:03:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

On this day in 1886, renowned poet, Emily Dickinson died at her home in Amherst, Massachusetts at the age of 55. Born Emily Elizabeth Dickinson on 10 December 1830 in Amherst. She led a mostly introverted and reclusive life and never married. Fewer than a dozen of her poems were published during her lifetime. Those that were, were usually heavily edited to fit the conventional poetic rules of the time. Dickinson’s poems were unique for that era as they featured short lines, no titles, slant rhyme and unconventional capitalization and punctuation. After Dickinson’s death, her sister Lavinia, kept her promise and burned most of the poet’s correspondence. Fortunatley though, Dickinson had left no instructions about the forty notebooks and loose sheets gathered in a locked chest. The notebooks and loose sheets contained almost 1800 poems. Lavinia recognized the poems’ worth and decided they must be published. Today Dickinson is considered one of the most important poets and an important part of American culture. One of my favorite poets. Lately, my own poetry has been influenced by Dickinson. Here is her poem Wild Nights – Wild Nights! (249);

Wild Nights – Wild Nights!

Were I with thee

Wild Nights should be

Our luxury

Futile – the winds –

To a heart in port –

Done with the compass –

Done with the chart!

Rowing in Eden –

Ah, the sea!

Might I moor – Tonight –

In thee!

The Final Footprint – Dickinson is interred in the Dickinson family private estate in West Cemetery in Amherst. Her grave is marked by an upright stone marker. She requested Emily Brontë’s “No Coward Soul is Mine” be read at her funeral.

No coward soul is mine,
No trembler in the world’s storm-troubled sphere:
I see Heaven’s glories shine,
And Faith shines equal, arming me from Fear.O God within my breast,
Almighty, ever-present Deity!
Life — that in me has rest,
As I — undying Life — have power in Thee!
Vain are the thousand creeds
That move men’s hearts: unutterably vain;
Worthless as withered weeds,
Or idlest froth amid the boundless main…
With wide-embracing love
Thy Spirit animates eternal years,
Pervades and broods above,
Changes, sustains, dissolves, creates, and rears.
Though earth and moon were gone,
And suns and universes ceased to be,
And Thou wert left alone,
Every existence would exist in Thee.
There is not room for Death,
Nor atom that his might could render void:
Thou — Thou art Being and Breath,
And what Thou art may never be destroyed.

On this day in 1967, realist painter Edward Hopper died in his studio near Washington Square, Manhattan at the age of 84. Born on July 22, 1882 in Upper Nyack, New York. While he was most popularly known for his oil paintings, he was equally proficient as a watercolorist and printmaker in etching. Both in his urban and rural scenes, his spare and finely calculated renderings reflected his personal vision of modern American life.

Summer Interior

Night on the El Train (1918)

By 1923, Hopper’s slow climb finally produced a breakthrough. He re-encountered Josephine Nivison, an artist and former student of Robert Henri, during a summer painting trip in Gloucester, Massachusetts. They were opposites: she was short, open, gregarious, sociable, and liberal, while he was tall, secretive, shy, quiet, introspective, and conservative. They married a year later. She remarked famously, “Sometimes talking to Eddie is just like dropping a stone in a well, except that it doesn’t thump when it hits bottom.“ She subordinated her career to his and shared his reclusive life style. The rest of their lives revolved around their spare walk-up apartment in the city and their summers in South Truro on Cape Cod. She managed his career and his interviews, was his primary model, and was his life companion.

House by the Railroad

Hopper’s The House by the Railroad inspired the look of the Bates house in Alfred Hitchcock’s film Psycho. The painting is a fanciful portrait of the Second Empire Victorian home at 18 Conger Avenue in Haverstraw, New York.

The Final Footprint

He was interred in his family’s plot at Oak Hill Cemetery in Nyack, New York. Josephine died ten months later. Josephine bequeathed their joint collection of more than three thousand works to the Whitney Museum of American Art. Other significant paintings by Hopper are held by the Museum of Modern Art in New York, The Des Moines Art Center, and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Nighthawks (1942)

On this day in 2003, singer, dancer, songwriter, actress, comedian, author, member of the Carter Family and wife of Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash died in Nashville of complications following heart-valve replacement surgery, in the company of her family at the age of 73. Born Valerie June Carter in Maces Spring, Virginia, to Maybelle Carter and Ezra Carter. She played the guitar, banjo, harmonica, and autoharp, and acted in several films and television shows. Of course my favorite song that she wrote is “Ring of Fire”. Carter won five Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Christian Music Hall of Fame in 2009. Carter was married three times: Carl Smith (1952-1956); Edwin “Rip” Nix (1957-1966); then in 1968, Cash proposed to Carter during a live performance at the London Ice House in London, Ontario, Canada. They married on 1 March in Franklin, Kentucky, and remained married until her death, just four months before Cash died.

The Final Footprint – Johnny and June are buried together in Hendersonville Memory Gardens near their home in Hendersonville, Tennessee. Their graves are marked by full ledger companion markers. Other notable final footprints at Hendersonville Memory Gardens include; “Mother” Maybelle Carter, Helen Carter, Anita Carter, Ferlin Husky, Merle Kilgore, and Sheb Wooley.

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Posted in Artistic Footprints, Day in History, Literary Footprints, Musical Footprints | Tagged Buried, Cemetery, edward hopper, Emily Dickinson, Estates, Ground Burial, hendersonville memory gardens, Inscription, june carter cash, poetry, Private Estates, riptff, tff, the final footprint, upright marker, West Cemetery | 1 Comment

On this day 14 May death of Fanny Mendelssohn – Billie Burke – Rita Hayworth – Marjory Stoneman Douglas – Frank Sinatra – B. B. King – Powers Boothe – Tom Wolfe – Tim Conway

Posted on 29 MayamTue, 14 May 2024 00:03:00 -05002024-05-14T00:03:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

#RIP #OTD in 1847 composer and pianist of the early Romantic era Fanny Mendelssohn died from a stroke in Berlin aged 41. Cemetery of the Dreifaltigkeitsgemeinde, Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, Berlin

#RIP #OTD in 1970 actress (Glinda the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz, Merrily We Live) Billie Burke died in Los Angeles of natural causes, at the age of 85. Kensico Cemetery, Valhalla, Westchester County, New York

On this day in 1987, dancer and actress, beauty icon, Rita Hayworth died from complications of Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 68 in New York City. Born Margarita Carmen Cansino on 17 October 1918 in Brooklyn. Hayworth achieved fame during the 1940s as one of the era’s top stars. Appearing first as Rita Cansino, she agreed to change her name to Rita Hayworth and her natural dark brown hair color to dark red to attract a greater range of roles. Her appeal led to her being featured on the cover of Life magazine five times, beginning in 1940. She appeared in a total of 61 films over 37 years. Hayworth married five times, apparently none of them happily; Edward C. Judson (1937–1942 divorce), Orson Welles
(1943–1948 divorce), Prince Aly Khan (1949–1953 divorce), Dick Haymes (1953–1955 divorce), James Hill (1958–1961 divorce).

The Final Footprint – A funeral service was held on 19 May 1987, at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills. Pallbearers included actors Ricardo Montalbán, Glenn Ford, Don Ameche, agent Budd Burton Moss, and the choreographer Hermes Pan. She was interred in Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City. Her headstone includes the inscription: “To yesterday’s companionship and tomorrow’s reunion.” Hayworth’s pin-up poster is portrayed in Stephen King’s novella Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption (1982), and was later brought to the screen in the film The Shawshank Redemption (1994) directed by Frank Darabont (which itself features a video clip of Hayworth in Gilda, shown as a film the prisoners are watching). Other notable final footprints at Holy Cross include; John Candy, Bing Crosby, Jimmy Durante, John Ford, Chick Hearn, Bela Lugosi, Al Martino, Audrey Meadows, Ricardo Montalbán, Evelyn Nesbit, Hermes Pan, Chris Penn, Jo Stafford, and Sharon Tate.

#RIP #OTD in 1998 journalist, author (The Everglades: River of Grass (1947)), women’s suffrage advocate, Everglades conservationist, Marjory Stoneman Douglas died; Coconut Grove, Miami, aged 108. Cremated remains scattered in the

On this day in 1998, legendary and iconic singer and actor; Academy Award winner, Grammy Award winner, producer, director, conductor, member of the Rat Pack, Ol’ Blue Eyes, The Chairman of the Board, The Voice, Frankie, Frank Sinatra died at 10:50 P.M. on a Thursday at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, with his wife Barbara by his side, at the age of 82. Born Francis Albert Sinatra on 12 December 1915 in Hoboken, New Jersey. Oh my, where to begin. This could take awhile. Sinatra is perhaps my favorite entertainer.

Sinatra was the only child of Italian immigrants Natalie Della “Dolly” Garaventa and Antonino Martino “Marty” Sinatra and was raised Catholic. His mother was from Northern Italy and his father was Sicilian. He left high school without graduating.

Sinatra began his musical career in the swing era first with bandleader Harry James and then with bandleader Tommy Dorsey. Sinatra became unhappy with his contract with Dorsey which awarded Dorsey one-third of Sinatra’s lifetime earnings from entertainment. Dorsey let Sinatra out of his contract which sparked rumours of Sinatra’s involment with the Mafia. A newspaper reported that Chicago mob boss, Sam Giancana coerced Dorsey. The incident was later fictionalized in Mario Puzo’s The Godfather. Sinatra went on to become a successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, becoming the idol of the “bobby soxers”. His career had stalled by the 1950s, but it was reborn in 1954 after he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (for his performance as Private Angelo Maggio in From Here to Eternity (1953). This incident was later fictionalized in The Godfather as well. Sinatra received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his role as Frankie Machine in The Man with the Golden Arm (1955), and he recevied critical acclaim for his performance as Captain Bennett Marco in The Manchurian Candidate.

Sinatra was an original member of the Holmby Hills Rat Pack along with, Judy Garland, Lauren Bacall, Sid Luft, Humphrey Bogart, Swifty Lazar, Nathaniel Benchley, David Niven, Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, George Cukor, Cary Grant, Rex Harrison, and Jimmy Van Heusen. The 1960’s version of the Rat Pack included Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Joey Bishop, and Peter Lawford. Reportedly Marilyn Monroe, Angie Dickinson, Juliet Prowse, and Shirley MacLaine were often referred to as the “Rat Pack Mascots”. This version of the Rat Pack did not use that term to describe themselves. They referred to the group as The Summit or The Clan.

My favorite Sinatra albums include; In the Wee Small Hours, Songs for Swingin’ Lovers, Come Fly with Me, Only the Lonely and Nice ‘n’ Easy, Ring-A-Ding-Ding, Sinatra at the Sands, Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim, and September of My Years. Sinatra was honored at the Kennedy Center Honors in 1983 and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Ronald Reagan in 1985 and the Congressional Gold Medal in 1997. Sinatra was also the recipient of eleven Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Trustees Award, Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Sinatra was married four times: Nancy Barbato (1939-1951 divorce), Ava Gardner (1951-1957 divorce), Mia Farrow (1966-1968 divorce, and Barbara Blakeley Marx (1976-1998 his death).

The Final Footprint – The night after Sinatra’s death, the lights on the Empire State Building in New York City were turned blue, the lights at the Las Vegas Strip were dimmed in his honor, and the casinos stopped spinning for a minute.

Sinatra’s funeral was held at the Roman Catholic Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills, California, on May 20, 1998, with 400 mourners in attendance and thousands of fans outside. Gregory Peck, Tony Bennett, and Sinatra’s son, Frank Jr., addressed the mourners, who included many notable people from film and entertainment. Sinatra was buried in a blue business suit with mementos from family members—cherry-flavored Life Savers, Tootsie Rolls, a bottle of Jack Daniel’s, a pack of Camel cigarettes, a Zippo lighter, stuffed toys, a dog biscuit, and a roll of dimes that he always carried—next to his parents in section B-8 of Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City, California. Frank Jr. was interred there when he died in 2016.

His grave is marked with an individual engraved flat granite marker. The inscription reads: THE BEST IS YET TO COME and the term of endearment BELOVED HUSBAND AND FATHER. Other notable final footprints at Desert Memorial include; Sonny Bono, Frederick Loewe, and Jimmy Van Heusen.

B.B. King
at the 2009 North Sea Jazz Festival

On this day in 2015, blues singer, electric guitarist, songwriter, and record producer, The King of the Blues, B. B. King died in Las Vegas from congestive heart failure and complications from diabetes at the age of 89. Born Riley B. King on September 16, 1925 in Itta Bena, Mississippi. King introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending and shimmering vibrato that influenced many later electric blues guitarists.

In my opinion, he is one of the most influential blues musicians of all time, earning the nickname one of the “Three Kings of Orient Are” along with Albert King and Freddie King. King was known for performing tirelessly throughout his musical career, appearing at more than 200 concerts per year on average into his 70s.

King playing his favorite guitar, Lucille, in the 1980s

King at Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto, in May 2007

President Obama and King singing “Sweet Home Chicago” on February 21, 2012

King was married twice, to Martha Lee Denton, November 1946 to 1952, and to Sue Carol Hall, 1958 to 1966. The failure of both marriages has been attributed to the heavy demands made by King’s 250 performances a year.

King’s favorite singer was Frank Sinatra. In his autobiography he spoke about how he was a “Sinatra nut” and how he went to bed every night listening to Sinatra’s classic album In the Wee Small Hours. During the 1960s Sinatra had arranged for King to play at the main clubs in Las Vegas. He credited Sinatra for opening doors to black entertainers who were not given the chance to play in “white-dominated” venues.

The Final Footprint

On May 27, 2015, King’s body was flown to Memphis. A funeral procession went down Beale Street, with a brass band marching in front of the hearse, playing “When the Saints Go Marching In”. Thousands lined the streets to pay their last respects. His body was then driven down Route 61 to his hometown of Indianola, Mississippi. He was laid in repose at the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center, in Indianola, for people to view his open casket. The funeral took place at the Bell Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Indianola, on May 30. He was buried at the B.B. King Museum.

Powers Boothe

On this day in 2017, actor Powers Boothe died from pancreatic cancer in Los Angeles at the age of 68. Born Powers Allen Boothe in Snyder, Texas on June 1, 1948. Some of his most notable roles include his Emmy-winning portrayal of Jim Jones in Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones and his turns as TV detective Philip Marlowe in the 1980s, Cy Tolliver on Deadwood, “Curly Bill” Brocious in Tombstone, Vice-President and subsequently President Noah Daniels on 24, and Lamar Wyatt in Nashville.

Boothe married his college sweetheart Pam Cole in 1969 and they remained married until his death.

The Final Footprint

Boothe is buried in Deadwood Cemetery, in Deadwood, Texas.

On this day in 2018, author and journalist Tom Wolfe died from an infection in Manhattan, at the age of 88. Born Thomas Kennerly Wolfe Jr. on March 2, 1930 in Richmond, Virginia. Perhaps best known for his association with New Journalism, a style of news writing and journalism developed in the 1960s and 1970s that incorporated literary techniques.

Wolfe began his career as a regional newspaper reporter in the 1950s, achieving national prominence in the 1960s following the publication of such best-selling books as The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test (a highly experimental account of Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters) and two collections of articles and essays, Radical Chic & Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers and The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby. In 1979, he published the influential book The Right Stuff about the Mercury Seven astronauts, which was made into a 1983 film of the same name directed by Philip Kaufman.

His first novel, The Bonfire of the Vanities, published in 1987, was met with critical acclaim and also became a commercial success. It was adapted as a major motion picture of the same name directed by Brian De Palma.

The Final Footprint

Wolfe is interred at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.

On this day in 2019, actor, comedian, writer, and director Tim Conway died from complications of normal pressure hydrocephalus in Los Angeles, at the age of 85. Born Thomas Daniel Conway on December 15, 1933 in . Willoughby, Ohio. From 1966 to 2012 he appeared in more than 20 TV shows, TV series and films. Among his more notable roles: Ensign Parker in the 1960s World War II TV situation comedy McHale’s Navy; as a regular cast member (1975–1978) on the TV comedy The Carol Burnett Show where he portrayed his recurrent iconic characters Mister Tudball, the Oldest Man and the Dumb Private; co-starred with Don Knotts in several films (1979–80); was the title character in the Dorf series of eight sports comedy direct-to-video films (1987–1996); and provided the voice of Barnacle Boy in the animated series SpongeBob SquarePants (1999–2012). Twice, in 1970 and in 1980–1981, he had his own TV series.

Conway was admired for his ability to depart from scripts with humorous ad libs and gestures, which frequently caused others in the skit to break character while attempting to control their surprise and laughter. He won six Primetime Emmy Awards during his career, four of which were awarded for The Carol Burnett Show, including one for writing.

Conway was married to Mary Anne Dalton from 1961 until 1978. He was married to Char Fusco from May 18, 1984 until his death.

The Final Footprint

Conway was cremated and his cremated remains are inurned at Westwood Village Memorial Park in Los Angeles. Other notable final footprints at Westwood include; Ray Bradbury, Sammy Cahn, Truman Capote, James Coburn, Rodney Dangerfield, Farrah Fawcett, Eva Gabor, Hugh Hefner, Florence Henderson, Brian Keith, Gene Kelly, Don Knotts, Burt Lancaster, Peter Lawford, Peggy Lee, Janet Leigh, Jack Lemmon, Sondra Locke, Robert Loggia, Karl Malden, Dean Martin, Walter Mathau, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Montgomery, Carroll O’Connor, Roy Orbison, Bettie Page, Buddy Rich, George C. Scott, Dorothy Stratten, Joe Weider, Billy Wilder, Carl Wilson, Natalie Wood, and Frank Zappa.

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Posted in American Icon, Day in History, Extravagant Footprints, Film Footprints, Musical Footprints | Tagged Ava Gardner, B B King, Buried, Cemetery, culver city, Frank Sinatra, History, hollywood cemetery, Holy Cross Cemetery, Inscription, Mario Puzo, Marker, powers boothe, Rat Pack, riptff, rita hayworth, term of endearment, tff, the final footprint, The Godfather, tim conway, tom wolfe, Westwood Memorial Park | 1 Comment

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On this day 23 May death of Henrik Ibsen – John D. Rockefeller – Sterling Hayden – Anne Meara – Roger Moore – Eric Carle

The Final Footprint

On this day 22 May death of Alessandro Manzoni – Victor Hugo – Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory – Langston Hughes – Cecil Day-Lewis – Thurl Ravenscroft

Shall I be gone long?
For ever and a day.
To whom there belong?
Ask the stone to say.
Ask my song.

On this day 21 May death of Henry VI – Jane Addams – John Garfield – Lash LaRue – Katherine Dunham

The Final Footprint

On this day 20 May death of Christopher Columbus – Clara Schumann – Gilda Radner – Robin Gibb – Ray Manzarek

The Final Footprint

On this day 19 May death of Anne Boleyn – Nathaniel Hawthorne – José Martí – T. E. Lawrence – Gabriele Münter – Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

The Final Footprint

The Final Footprint

On this day 18 May death of Pauline Viardot – Gustav Mahler – Mt. Saint Helens – Jill Ireland – Elizabeth Montgomery – Alexander Godunov – Chris Cornell – Charles Grodin – Jim Brown

The Final Footprint

Day in History 17 May – Dorothy Levitt – Seabiscuit – Frank Gorshin – Donna Summer – Guy Clark – Vangelis

Day in History 16 May – Grace Elliott – Django Reinhardt – James Agee – Andy Kaufman – Sammy Davis, Jr. – Jim Henson – Ronnie James Dio

The Final Footprint

The Final Footprint

On this day 15 May death of Emily Dickinson – Edward Hopper – June Carter Cash

The Final Footprint

On this day 14 May death of Fanny Mendelssohn – Billie Burke – Rita Hayworth – Marjory Stoneman Douglas – Frank Sinatra – B. B. King – Powers Boothe – Tom Wolfe – Tim Conway

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