#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.
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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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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.
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.
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”
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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.
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);
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. S
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.
On this day in 2003, 
They married on 1 March in
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
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.
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.
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.
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On this day in 2018, author and journalist Tom Wolfe died 
On this day in 2019, 
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On this day in 1961, Academy Award-winning actor, Coop, Gary Cooper died from cancer at his home in Beverly Hills at the age of 60. Born Frank James Cooper on 7 May 1901 in Helena, Montana. His career comprised more than a 100 films. My favorite movies with Cooper include; as Will Cane in High Noon (1952) with Grace Kelly, as Lou Gehrig in The Pride of the Yankees (1942), as Robert Jordan in the film adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943) with Ingrid Bergman, as Howard Roark in the film adaptation of Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead (1949) and as Frank Flannagan in Love in the Afternoon (1957) with Audrey Hepburn. Cooper married once; Veronica “Rocky” Balfe (1933-1961 his death). Cooper allegedly had affairs with famous co-stars Marlene Dietrich, Kelly and Patricia Neal.
The Final Footprint – A requiem mass was held on May 18 at the Church of the Good Shepherd, attended by many of Cooper’s friends, including James Stewart, Henry Hathaway, Joel McCrea, Audrey Hepburn, Jack L. Warner, John Ford, John Wayne, Edward G. Robinson, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Fred Astaire, Randolph Scott, Walter Pidgeon, Bob Hope, and Marlene Dietrich. Cooper was initially interred in the Grotto Section of Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in Culver City, California. In May 1974 his body was removed from Holy Cross Cemetery, when his widow Veronica remarried and moved to New York, and relocated to Sacred Heart Cemetery, in Southampton, New York, on Long Island. His grave is marked by an individual bronze marker and a three-ton boulder from a Montauk quarry. Veronica was buried next to him when she died in 2000. For his contribution to the film industry, Cooper has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6243 Hollywood Blvd. In 1966, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
On this day in 1975, musician, songwriter, and bandleader of the Texas Playboys; co-founder of Western Swing, the King of Western Swing, Bob Wills died in Fort Worth, Texas at the age of 70 from a stroke. Born James Robert Wills on a farm near Kosse, Texas on 6 March 1905. Wills formed several bands and played radio stations around the South and West until he formed the Texas Playboys in 1934 with Wills on fiddle, Tommy Duncan on piano and vocals, rhythm guitarist June Whalin, tenor banjoist Johnnie Lee Wills (his brother), and Kermit Whalin, who played steel guitar and bass, later adding Leon McAuliffe on steel guitar, pianist Al Stricklin, drummer Smokey Dacus, and a horn section that expanded the band’s sound. Wills favored jazz-like arrangements and the band found national popularity into the 1940s with such hits as “Steel Guitar Rag”, “New San Antonio Rose”, “Smoke on the Water”, “Stars and Stripes on Iwo Jima”, and “New Spanish Two Step”. In 1950, he had two top ten hits, “Ida Red Likes the Boogie” and “Faded Love”. The Country Music Hall of Fame inducted Wills in 1968 and the Texas State Legislature honored him for his contribution to American music. In 1972, Wills accepted a citation from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers in Nashville. He was recording an album with Merle Haggard in 1973 when a stroke left him comatose until his death in 1975. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted Wills and the Texas Playboys in 1999. I love to hear Bob holler.
On this day in 2018, actress and activist Margot Kidder died at her home in Livingston, Montana from suicide by alcohol and drug overdose, at the age of 69. Born Margaret Ruth Kidder on October 17, 1948 in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. Her accolades include three Canadian Screen Awards and one Daytime Emmy Award. Though she appeared in an array of films and television, Kidder is perhaps best known for her performance as Lois Lane in the Superman film series, appearing in the first four films.
On this day in 2019, 
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On this day in 1850, poet Frances Sargent Osgood died 
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On this day in 1925, poet Amy Lowell died 
On this day in 2000, professional racing driver, great-grandson of Lee Petty, grandson of Richard Petty, son of Kyle Petty, Adam Petty died when his Busch series car crashed during a practice run at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire, at the age of 19. Born Adam Kyler Petty on 10 July 1980 and raised in High Point, North Carolina.
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On this day in 1977, Academy Award winning actress, Joan Crawford died at her New York apartment from a heart attack at the age of 72. Born Lucille Fay LeSueur on 23 March 1905 in San Antonio, Texas. Crawford became one of Hollywood’s most prominent movie stars and one of the highest paid women in the United States. In 1931, she starred opposite Clark Gable in Possessed. They began an affair during the production, that lasted for many years. Crawford won her Oscar for the title role in Mildred Pierce (1945). She was married four times; Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. (1929-1933 divorce), Franchot Tone (1935-1939 divorce), Phillip Terry (1942-1946 divorce) and Alfred Steele (1955-1959 his death).
The Final Footprint – Crawford was cremated. Her cremains were entombed in a crypt next to her husband, Alfred Steele, in the Ferncliff Mausoleum, Ferncliff Cemetery in Hartsdale, New York. A funeral service was held at Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel (a 
On this day in 1999, 
On this day in 1968, 
On this day in 2010, Grammy Award winning singer, Tony Award winning actress, civil rights activist and dancer, Lena Horne died in New York City of heart failure at the age of 92. Born Lena Mary Calhoun Horne on 30 June 1917 in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn.
