#RIP #OTD in 1974 civil rights organizer, mother of Martin Luther King Jr, choir director of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Alberta Williams King was shot in the church and died at Grady Hospital, aged 69. South-View Cemetery in Atlanta
#OTD #RIP 1984 playwright (The Children’s Hour, The Little Foxes, The Autumn Garden, Toys in the Attic), screenwriter, Lillian Hellman died; heart attack near her home on Martha’s Vineyard aged 79. Abel Hill Cemetery, Chilmark, Massachusetts (Irving Penn)
On this day in 1993, actor Spanky McFarland died of a heart attack in Grapevine, Texas at the age of 64. Born George Robert Phillips McFarland on 2 October 1928 in Dallas, Texas. Of course best known for his role as Spanky in the Our Gang series of short-subject comedies which were in production from 1922 to 1944. In the mid-1950s, the shorts with sound were syndicated for television under the title The Little Rascals. In addition to McFarland, other memorable actors/characters included; Carl Switzer as Alfalfa, Darla Hood as Darla, Matthew Beard as Stymie, John Collum as Uh-Huh, Billie Thomas as Buckwheat, Eugene Lee as Porky, Billy Laughlin as Froggy. The series remains in syndication. Who has not seen and who does not love, Our Gang?
The Final Footprint – McFarland was cremated.
#RIP #OTD in 1995 singer (‘’You Know How to Love Me”, ‘’Living All Alone’’, ‘’Don’t Wanna Change the World”, ‘’Betcha by Golly Wow”, “Here’s That Rainy Day”, and “What You Won’t Do For Love”), songwriter, actress, Phyllis Hyman died by suicide by overdosing on a mixture of tuinal and vodka in the bedroom of her Manhattan apartment aged 45. Cremation
On this day in 2001 musician, songwriter, and record producer,“Mr. Guitar” “The Country Gentleman” Chet Atkins died from colon cancer at his home in Nashville, at the age of 77. Born Chester Burton Atkins on June 20, 1924 in Luttrell, Tennessee. Along with Owen Bradley, Bob Ferguson and others, they created the country music style that came to be known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country music’s appeal to adult pop music fans. He also played the mandolin, fiddle, banjo, and ukulele.
Atkins’s signature picking style was inspired by Merle Travis. Other major guitar influences were Django Reinhardt, George Barnes, Les Paul, and, later, Jerry Reed. His style and musicianship brought him admirers inside and outside the country scene. Atkins spent most of his career at RCA Victor and produced records for the Browns, Hank Snow, Porter Wagoner, Norma Jean, Dolly Parton, Dottie West, Perry Como, Floyd Cramer, Elvis Presley, the Everly Brothers, Eddy Arnold, Don Gibson, Jim Reeves, Jerry Reed, Skeeter Davis, Waylon Jennings, Roger Whittaker, and others.
Rolling Stone credited Atkins with inventing the “popwise ‘Nashville sound’ that rescued country music from a commercial slump.” Among other honors, Atkins received 14 Grammy Awards and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He also received nine Country Music Association awards for Instrumentalist of the Year.
The Final Footprint
His memorial service was held at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. He was buried at Harpeth Hills Memory Gardens in Nashville.
A stretch of Interstate 185 in southwest Georgia (between LaGrange and Columbus) is named “Chet Atkins Parkway”. This stretch of interstate runs through Fortson, where Atkins spent much of his childhood. In 2002, Atkins was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His award was presented by Marty Stuart and Brian Setzer and accepted by Atkins’s grandson, Jonathan Russell. Clint Black’s album Nothin’ but the Taillights includes the song “Ode to Chet”, which includes the lyrics “‘Cause I can win her over like Romeo did Juliet, if I can only show her I can almost pick that legato lick like Chet” and “It’ll take more than Mel Bay 1, 2, & 3 if I’m ever gonna play like CGP.” Atkins played guitar on the track. At the end of the song, Black and Atkins had a brief conversation. In 2009, Steve Wariner released an album titled My Tribute to Chet Atkins. One song from that record, “Producer’s Medley”, featured Wariner’s recreation of several famous songs that Atkins both produced and performed. “Producer’s Medley” won the Grammy for Best Country Instrumental Performance in 2010.
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The Final Footprint – Mansfield is interred in Fair View Cemetery in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania. Her grave is marked by an upright granite marker in the shape of a heart with the inscription; WE LIVE TO LOVE YOU MORE EACH DAY. A memorial cenotaph, showing an incorrect birth year, was erected in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Hollywood, California. The cenotaph was placed by The Jayne Mansfield Fan Club. Other notable Final Footprints at Hollywood Forever include; Mel Blanc
On this day in 1880, frontier scout, actor, and cowboy, Texas Jack Omohundro died of pneumonia in Leadville, Colorado at the age of 33. Born John Baker Omohundro on 26 July 1846 in Pleasure Hill, Virginia. In his early teens, he left home, made his way alone to Texas, and became a cowboy. He participated in early cattle drives, notably on the Chisholm Trail. On one drive across Arkansas to meat-short Tennessee, grateful citizens nicknamed him “Texas Jack.” In 1869, he moved to Cottonwood Springs, Nebraska, near Fort McPherson and became a scout and buffalo hunter. There he met William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody. Together, they participated in Indian skirmishes and buffalo hunts, acted as guides for notables such as the Earl of Dunraven, and led the highly publicized royal hunt of 1872 with Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia and a group of prominent American military figures. Omohundro and Cody traveled to Chicago in December 1872 to debut in The Scouts of the Prairie, one of the original Wild West shows produced by Ned Buntline. Observers described Omohundro as physically impressive and magnetic in personality. He was the first performer to introduce roping acts to the American stage. During the 1873-74 season, Omohundro and Cody invited their friend James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok to join them in a new play called Scouts of the Plains. On August 31, 1873, Omohundro married Giuseppina Morlacchi, a dancer and actress from Milan, Italy, who starred with him in the Scouts of the Prairie and other shows.
On this day in 1975, United States Army Airborne veteran, screenwriter, novelist, television producer, and narrator Rod Serling died of a heart attack in Rochester, New York at the age of 50. Born Rodman Edward Serling on 25 December 1924 in Syracuse, New York. Perhaps best known for his television series The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery. Serling served as executive producer and head writer for both shows. The Twilight Zone ran on CBS for five years from 1959 to 1964 and featured several young actors who would later become famous including; Ron Howard, Robert Redford, Burt Reynolds, and William Shatner. In my opinion, The Twilight Zone is one of the best shows in the history of television. Serling was married to Carol Serling (1948-1975 his death).
The Final Footprint – Serling is interred in Lake View Cemetery in Interlaken, New York. His grave is marked by an individual engraved granite VA marker. Other notable Final Footprints at Lake View include; 20th President of the United States James A. Garfield; member of The Untouchables, Eliot Ness and John D. Rockefeller.
On this day in 2001, United States Navy veteran, Academy Award-winning actor and musician, Jack Lemmon died of colon and bladder cancer in Los Angeles at the age of 76. Born John Uhler Lemmon III on 8 February 1925 in Newton, Massachusetts. Lemmon graduated from Harvard. In my opinion, Lemmon is one the funniest and best film actors. My favorite Lemmon movie roles include; as Jerry “Daphne” in Billy Wilder’s Some Like it Hot (1959) with Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis; as Nestor Patou/Lord X in Wilder’s Irma la Douce (1963) with Shirley MacLaine; as Felix Ungar in The Odd Couple (1968) with Walter Mathau and written by Neil Simon; as George Kellerman in The Out-of-Towners (1970), written by Simon; as Jack Godell in The China Syndrome (1979) with Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas; as Shelley Levene in David Mamet’s Glengarry Glenn Ross (1992) with Al Pacino, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin, and Kevin Spacey; as John Gustafson in Grumpy Old Men (1993) with Ann-Margret, Mathau and Burgess Meredith and in the sequel Grumpier Old Men (1995) with Ann-Margret, Sophia Loren, Mathau and Meredith. Lemmon was married twice; Cynthia Stone (1950-1956 divorce) and Felicia Farr (1962-2001 his death).
The Final Footprint – Lemmon is interred in a bench estate plot, near his friend Mathau, in Westwood Memorial Park (a 
The Final Footprint – Mercer was buried in Savannah’s historic Bonaventure Cemetery. The simple line drawing caricature adorning his memorial bench is in fact a reproduction of a self-portrait. Conrad Aiken is also interred in Bonaventure.
On this day in 2009, University of Texas at Austin attendee, actress and artist, Farrah Fawcett died from anal cancer in the intensive care unit of Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California, with Ryan O’Neal and Alana Stewart by her side. She was 62. Born Farrah Leni Fawcett on 2 February 1947 in Corpus Christi, Texas. A multiple Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she first appeared as private investigator Jill Munroe in the first season of the television series Charlie’s Angels in 1976. Fawcett later appeared off-Broadway to critical approval and in highly rated and critically acclaimed television movies, in roles often challenging (The Burning Bed; Nazi Hunter: The Beate Klarsfeld Story; Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story; Double Exposure: The Story of Margaret Bourke-White) and sometimes unsympathetic (Small Sacrifices). Fawcett was a sex symbol whose iconic poster, released the same year Charlie’s Angels premiered, broke sales records, making her an international pop culture icon. Her hairstyle was emulated by young women in the 1970s and 1980s.
On this day in 1987 comedian, actor and musician Jackie Gleason died at his home in Lauderhill, Florida at the age of 71. Born Herbert Walton Gleason, Jr. on 26 February 1916 in either Bushwick or Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Perhaps best known for his role on television as Ralph Kramden in The Honeymooners and for The Jackie Gleason Show (1952-1970). His most noted film roles were as Minnesota Fats in the drama film The Hustler (1961) starring Paul Newman, and as Buford T. Justice in the Smokey and the Bandit movie series. Gleason married three times; Genevieve Halford (1936-1970 divorce), Beverly McKittrick (1970-1975 divorce) and Marilyn Taylor (1975-1987 his death). His trademark phrases were “And away we go!” and “How sweet it is!”. In my opinion, The Honymooners is, without question, the “Bang, Zoom” funniest show that ever aired on television. And I will stand on Jerry Seinfeld’s coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that. I remember watching The Jackie Gleason Show as a kid. Gleason was hilarious in Smokey and the Bandit.
On this day in 2014, actor, graduate of the University of Texas, Eli Wallach died of natural causes at the age of 98 in Manhattan. Born 
