On this day in 1519, daughter of Pope Alexander VI, Lady of Pesaro and Gradara, Duchess of Bisceglie and Princess of Salerno, Duchess of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio, Lucrezia Borgia died in Ferrara, Italy at the age of 39 from complications after giving birth to her eighth child, having had a lifelong history of complicated pregnancies and miscarriages. Born in Subiaco, near Rome on 18 April 1480. Her mother was Vannozza dei Cattanei, one of the mistresses of Lucrezia’s father, Rodrigo Borgia (Pope Alexander VI). Her brothers included Cesare Borgia, Giovanni Borgia, and Gioffre Borgia. Lucrezia’s family later came to epitomize the ruthless Machiavellian politics and sexual corruption characteristic of the Renaissance Papacy. Lucrezia was cast as a femme fatale, a role she has been portrayed as in many artworks, novels, films and an opera. Very little is known of Lucrezia, and the extent of her complicity in the political machinations of her father and brothers is unclear. They certainly arranged several marriages for her to important or powerful men in order to advance their own political ambitions. Lucrezia was married to Giovanni Sforza (Lord of Pesaro), Alfonso of Aragon (Duke of Bisceglie), and Alfonso I d’Este (Duke of Ferrara). Tradition has it that Alfonso of Aragon was an illegitimate son of the King of Naples and that Lucrezia’s brother Cesare may have had him murdered after his political value waned.
The Final Footprint – Lucrezia was entombed in the convent of Corpus Domini. On 15 October 1816, the Romantic poet Lord Byron visited the Ambrosian Library of Milan. He was delighted by the letters between Borgia and her one-time lover, poet Pietro Bembo (“The prettiest love letters in the world”) and claimed to have managed to steal a lock of her hair (“the prettiest and fairest imaginable”) held on display. Victor Hugo’s 1833 stage play Lucrèce Borgia, loosely based on the stories of Lucrezia, was transformed into a libretto by Felice Romani for Donizetti’s opera, Lucrezia Borgia (1834), first performed at La Scala, Milan, 26 December 1834.
#RIP #OTD in 1909 novelist, short story writer (The Country of the Pointed Firs), poet, Sarah Orne Jewett died in her South Berwick, Maine from a stroke aged 59. Portland Street Cemetery, South Berwick, Maine
#RIP #OTD in 1933 soprano, called “The Black Patti” in reference to Italian opera singer Adelina Patti, Sissieretta
Jones died from cancer at the Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island aged 64-65. Grace Church Cemetery, Providence
#OTD #RIP in 1935 French-born Argentine singer, songwriter, composer and actor, the most prominent figure in the history of tango, «El Zorzal”, “The King of Tango” Carlos Gardel died in an airplane crash in Medellín, Columbia, aged 44. La Chacarita Cemetery in Buenos Aires
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.
The Final Footprint – Gleason is entombed in a private mausoleum in Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Cemetery in Miami, Florida. Engraved at the base of the mausoleum is his epitaph; “AND AWAY WE GO”. A life-size statue of Gleason, in full uniform as bus driver Ralph Kramden, stands outside the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City. Another statue stands at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in North Hollywood, California, showing Gleason in his famous “And away we go!” pose. Local signs on the Brooklyn Bridge, which indicate to drivers that they are entering Brooklyn, have the Gleason phrase “How Sweet It Is!” as part of the sign.
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 Eli Herschel Wallach on 7 December 1915 in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Wallach’s career spanned more than six decades, beginning in the late 1940s. On stage, he often co-starred with his wife, Anne Jackson, becoming one of the best-known acting couples in the American theater. Wallach initially studied method acting under Sanford Meisner, and later became a founding member of the Actors Studio, where he studied under Lee Strasberg. His versatility gave him the ability to play a wide variety of different roles throughout his career, primarily as a supporting actor.
For his debut screen performance in Baby Doll, he won a BAFTA Award for Best Newcomer and a Golden Globe Award nomination. Among his other most famous roles are; Calvera in The Magnificent Seven (1960), Guido in The Misfits (1961), and Tuco in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), Don Altobello in The Godfather Part III, Cotton Weinberger in The Two Jakes (both 1990), and Arthur Abbott in The Holiday (2006). One of America’s most prolific screen actors, Wallach remained active well into his nineties, with roles as recently as 2010 in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and The Ghost Writer.
Wallach received BAFTA Awards, Tony Awards and Emmy Awards for his work, and received an Academy Honorary Award at the second annual Governors Awards, presented on November 13, 2010. Wallach and Jackson were married from 1948 until his death.
The Final Footprint – Wallach was cremated.
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On this day in 1903, American Old West scout, hired gunman, Pinkerton, range detective, cowboy, and soldier Tom Horn executed by hanging in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Born Thomas Horn, Jr. on the Horn family farm in rural northeastern Scotland County, Missouri. Believed to have committed 17 murders as a hired gunman in the West, in 1902 Horn was convicted of the murder of 14-year-old Willie Nickell near Iron Mountain, Wyoming. The boy was the son of sheep rancher Kels Nickell, who had been involved in a range feud with neighbor and cattle rancher Jim Miller.
The Final Footprint – Horn was buried in the Columbia Cemetery in Boulder, Colorado on 3 December 1903. Rancher Jim Coble paid for his coffin and a stone to mark his grave. While in jail he wrote his autobiography, Life of Tom Horn: Government Scout and Interpreter (1904), which was published posthumously. Numerous editions have been published of this book since the late 20th century, and debate continues as to whether he was guilty of Nickell’s murder. Horn was portrayed by Steve McQueen in movie Tom Horn (1980). While the film took liberties with facts, McQueen’s performance was highly praised, and the film was well received.
On this day in 1910, writer, Leo Tolstoy, died at the Astapovo railway station, Russia at the age of 82. Born Lyev Nikolayevich Tolstoy on 9 September 1828 in Yasnaya Polyana, the family estate in the Tula region of Russia. Perhaps best known for his masterpieces Anna Karenina (1877) and War and Peace (1869). Some condsider Tolstoy to be the worlds greatest novelist. Tolstoy is also known for his complicated and paradoxical persona and for his extreme moralistic and ascetic views, which he adopted after a moral crisis and spiritual awakening in the 1870s, after which he also became noted as a moral thinker and social reformer. His literal interpretation of the ethical teachings of Jesus, centering on the Sermon on the Mount, caused him in later life to become a fervent Christian anarchist and anarcho-pacifist. His ideas on nonviolent resistance, expressed in such works as The Kingdom of God Is Within You, were to have a profound impact on other thinkers and reformers. On 23 September 1862, Tolstoy married Sophia “Sonya” Andreevna Bers, who was 16 years his junior and the daughter of a court physician. Their relationship was apparently passionate and tumultuous and they had 13 children.
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On this day in 2006, film director, screenwriter, and producer, five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director, Robert Altman died from leukemia complications at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles at the age of 81. Born Robert Bernard Altman on February 20, 1925 in Kansas City, Missouri. An enduring figure from the New Hollywood era, Altman was considered a “maverick” in making films with a highly naturalistic but stylized and satirical aesthetic. In my opinion, he is one of the most influential filmmakers in American cinema.
On this day in 1665, classical French painter, Nicolas Poussin, died in Rome at the age of 71. Perhaps the leading painter of the classical French Baroque style, although he spent most of his working life in Rome. He worked in Rome for a circle of leading collectors there and elsewhere, except for a short period when Cardinal Richelieu ordered him back to France to serve as First Painter to the King. Most of his works are history paintings of religious or mythological subjects that often have a large landscape element. He served as inspiration for classically-oriented artists, notably Paul Cézanne.
The Final Footprint – Poussin is interred at Basilica di San Lorenzo in Lucina in Rome. The French writer, politician, diplomat and founder of Romanticism in French literature, François-René, vicomte de Chateaubriand, donated the marble memorial in honour of Poussin in 1820. It reads; POUR LA GLORIE DES ARTS ET LHONNEUR DE LA FRANCE.
On this day in 1692, English poet and playwright who was appointed poet laureate in 1689, Thomas Shadwell died from an overdose of opium at Chelsea on 19 November 1692. Born ca. 1642 at Stanton Hall, Norfolk, England.
The Final Footprint – Shadwell was interred at Chelsea Old Church which was destroyed during World War II bombing. He has a memorial in Poets’ Corner of Westminster Abbey. Other notable Final Footprints at Westminster include; Robert Browning, Lord Byron, Geoffrey Chaucer, Oliver Cromwell, Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, Edward The Confessor, Elizabeth I, George II, George Friederic Handel, James I (James VI of Scotland), Samuel Johnson, Ben Jonson, Charles II, Edward III, Edward VI, Stephen Hawking, Henry III, Henry V, Henry VII, Richard II, Rudyard Kipling, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, John Milton, Sir Isaac Newton, Laurence Olivier, Henry Purcell, Mary I, Mary II, Mary Queen of Scots, Lord Alfred Tennyson, Dylan Thomas, and William III.
On this day in 1887 author of poetry, prose, and translations, activist Emma Lazarus died from Hodgkin’s lymphoma in New York City, age 38. Born in New York City on July 22, 1849.
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On this day in 2014 film and theater director, producer, actor, and comedian, Mike Nichols died of a heart attack at his apartment in Manhattan, thirteen days after his 83rd birthday. Born Michael Igor Peschkowsky on November 6, 1931 in Berlin.
On this day in 2017 professional tennis player, Wimbledon Champion Jana Novotná died from cancer with her friends and family in the Czech Republic, age 49. Born on 2 October 1968 in Brno, in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic.
On this day in 2017, singer, actress, and ordained minister whose career spanned seven decades Della Reese died at her home in Encino, Los Angeles, age 86. Born Delloreese Patricia Early on July 6, 1931, in the historic Black Bottom neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan.
And on this day in 2017, singer and songwriter Mel Tillis died of respiratory failure in Ocala, Florida, at the age of 85. Born Lonnie Melvin Tillis on August 8, 1932 in Tampa, Florida. Although he recorded songs since the late 1950s, his biggest success occurred in the 1970s, with a long list of Top 10 songs.
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On this day in 1922, novelist Marcel Proust, died in Paris at the age of 51. Born Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust on 10 July 1871 in Auteuil, France. Author of the monumental À la recherche du temps perdu (In Search of Lost Time; earlier translated as Remembrance of Things Past). It was published in seven parts totaling about 3200 pages between 1913 and 1927. W. Somerset Maugham called the novel the “greatest fiction to date”. Graham Greene called Proust the “greatest novelist of the 20th century”.
The Final Footprint – Proust is entombed in an individual above ground crypt in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. Père Lachaise is the largest cemetery in Paris and one of the most visited cemeteries in the world. Other notable Final Footprints at Père Lachaise include; Guillaume Apollinaire, Honoré de Balzac, Georges Bizet, Jean-Dominique Bauby, Maria Callas, Chopin, Colette, Auguste Comte, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Ma Ernst, Molière, Jim Morrison, Édith Piaf, Camille Pissarro, Sully Prudhomme, Gioachino Rossini, Georges-Pierre Seurat, Simone Signoret, Gertrude Stein, Dorothea Tanning, Alice B. Toklas, Oscar Wilde, and Richard Wright.
On this day in 1952 poet (Capitale de la douleur, L’Amour la Poésie, “Liberté”) a founder of the Surrealist movement Paul Éluard died from a heart attack at his home, in Charenton-le-Pont, Paris, aged 56. Born Eugène Émile Paul Grindel in Saint-Denis, Seine-Saint-Denis on 14 December 1895.
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On this day in 1969, American businessman, investor, and government official, patriarch of the Kennedy Family, Joseph Kennedy died in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts at the age of 81. Born Joseph Patrick Kennedy on 6 September 1888 in Boston. He was the father of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, United States Attorney General and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, United States Senator Edward M. Kennedy, naval officer Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., Special Olympics co-founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver, and former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Jean Kennedy Smith. He was a leading member of the Democratic Party and of the Irish Catholic community. Kennedy was the inaugural Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR), and later directed the Maritime Commission. Kennedy served as the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1938 until late 1940, including the early part of World War II. Kennedy was educated at Harvard University, and embarked on a career in finance, making a large fortune as a stock market and commodity investor and by investing in real estate and a wide range of industries. During World War I, he was an assistant general manager of a Boston area Bethlehem Steel shipyard, through which he developed a friendship with FDR, then Assistant Secretary of the Navy. In the 1920s Kennedy made huge profits from reorganizing and refinancing several Hollywood studios, ultimately merging several acquisitions into Radio-Keith-Orpheum (RKO) studios. After Prohibition ended in 1933, Kennedy consolidated an even larger fortune when he traveled to Scotland with FDR’s son, James Roosevelt, to buy distribution rights for Scotch whisky. His company, Somerset Importers, became the exclusive American agent for Gordon’s Gin and Dewar’s Scotch. He owned the largest office building in the country at that time, Chicago’s Merchandise Mart, giving his family an important base in that city and an alliance with the Irish-American political leadership there. His term as ambassador and his political ambitions ended abruptly during the Battle of Britain in November 1940, with the publishing of his controversial remarks suggesting that “Democracy is finished in England. It may be here, [in the US].” Kennedy resigned under pressure shortly afterwards. In later years, Kennedy worked behind the scenes to continue building the financial and political fortunes of the Kennedy family. Kennedy married Rose Elizabeth Fitzgerald, the eldest daughter of Boston Mayor John Francis “Honey Fitz” Fitzgerald (political rival of his father P. J. Kennedy) and Mary Josephine “Josie” Hannon. The marriage joined two of the city’s most prominent Irish-American political families. The couple had nine children, four boys and five girls. Kennedy survived all but one of his sons and one of his daughters.
On this day in 1976, visual artist, Man Ray died in Paris from a lung infection at the age of 86. Born Emmanuel Radnitzky on August 27, 1890 in Philadelphia. He spent most of his career in Paris. He was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealist movements. He produced major works in a variety of media but considered himself a painter above all. Perhaps best known for his fashion and portrait photography. Man Ray is also noted for his work with photograms, which he called “rayographs” in reference to himself.
On this day in 1986 supermodel Gia Carangi died of AIDS-related complications at Hahnemann University Hospital, Philadelphia, aged 26. Born Gia Marie Carangi in January 29, 1960 in Philadelphia.
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On this day in 1994, 
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On this day in 1999, musician, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Doug Sahm died from a heart attack in Taos, New Mexico, aged 58. Born Douglas Wayne Sahm in San Antonio, Texas on 6 November 1949.
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On this day in 2002, Academy Award winning actor James Coburn died of heart attack while listening to music in his Beverly Hills home at the age of 77. Born James Harrison Coburn III in Laurel, Nebraska on 31 August 1928. Coburn was featured in over 70 films and made 100 television appearances during his 45-year career, winning an Academy Award for his supporting role as Glen Whitehouse in Affliction. His rugged and “cool” persona made him a prpminent tough guy in numerous leading and supporting roles in westerns and action films, such as The Magnificent Seven (1960), The Great Escape (1963), Major Dundee (1965), Our Man Flint (1966), In Like Flint (1967), Duck, You Sucker! (1971), Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), Charade (1963) and Cross of Iron (1977). Coburn married twice; Beverly Kelly (1959 – 1979 divorce) and Paula Murad (1993 – 2002 his death).
The Final Footprint – Coburn was cremated and his cremains were inurned in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery (a Dignity Memorial® provider) in Los Angeles, California, and marked by a stone bench inscribed with his name. Other notable final footprints at Westwood include; Ray Bradbury, Sammy Cahn, Truman Capote, Rodney Dangerfield, Farrah Fawcett, Brian Keith, Don Knotts, Hugh Hefner, Burt Lancaster, Peter Lawford, Peggy Lee, Janet Leigh, Jack Lemmon, Karl Malden, Dean Martin, Walter Matthau, Marilyn Monroe, Carroll O’Connor, Roy Orbison, George C. Scott, Dorothy Stratten, Natalie Wood, and Frank Zappa.
On this day in 1917, sculptor Auguste Rodin, died at his villa in Meudon, Île-de-France, on the outskirts of Paris at the age of 77. Born François-Auguste-René Rodin on 12 November 1840 in Paris. Among his best known works: Le Penseur, La Porte de L’enfer, Monument à Balzac, Monument à Victor Hugo, Monument aux Bourgeois de Calais, L’homme qui Marche, L’age D’airain, and Le Baiser. Clearly, Le Baiser (The Kiss) is my personal favorite. 
The sculpture was originally titled Francesca da Rimini, as it depicts the 13th-century Italian noblewoman immortalised in Dante’s Inferno (Circle 2, Canto 5) who falls in love with her husband Giovanni Malatesta’s younger brother Paolo. They fall in love while reading the story of Lancelot and Guinevere, but the couple are discovered and killed by Giovanni. In the sculpture, the book can be seen in Paolo’s hand. The lovers lips do not actually touch in the sculpture to suggest that they were interrupted and met their demise without their lips ever having touched. In 1864 Rodin began living with Rose Beuret, with whom he would have a son. In 1883, at the age of 43, Rodin met the 18 year-old artist Camille Claudel. The two commenced a passionate but stormy relationship and they influenced each other artistically. She inspired him as a model for many of his female figures. His muse if you will. Rodin parted with Claudel in 1898.
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On this day in 2006 singer, songwriter, actress, the “Queen of R&B”, Ruth Brown died in Henderson, Nevada from a heart attack and stroke, aged 78. Born Ruth Alston Weston in Portsmouth, Virginia on 12 January 1928. She was noted for bringing a pop music style to R&B music in a series of hit songs for Atlantic Records in the 1950s, such as “So Long”, “Teardrops from My Eyes” and “(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean”. For these contributions, Atlantic became known as “the house that Ruth built” (alluding to the popular nickname for the old Yankee Stadium). Brown was a 1993 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
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And on this day in 2013 novelist Doris Lessing died at her home in London, aged 94. Born Doris May Tayler in Kermanshah, Iran, on 22 October 1919. She lived in Iran until 1925. Her family then moved to Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), where she remained until moving in 1949 to London, England. Her novels include The Grass Is Singing (1950), the sequence of five novels collectively called Children of Violence (1952–1969), The Golden Notebook (1962), The Good Terrorist (1985), and five novels collectively known as Canopus in Argos: Archives (1979–1983).
The Final Footprint – Gable is entombed next to Lombard in the Great Mausoleum, Sanctuary of Trust, Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California. Other notable Final Footprints at Forest Lawn Glendale include; L. Frank Baum, Humphrey Bogart, Lon Chaney, Nat King Cole, Sam Cooke, Dorothy Dandridge, Sammy Davis, Jr., Walt Disney, Errol Flynn, Jean Harlow, Michael Jackson, Carole Lombard, Tom Mix, Casey Stengel, Jimmy Stewart, Elizabeth Taylor, and Spencer Tracy.
On this day in 1951, impressionist painter, Frank Weston Benson, died in Salem, Massachusetts at the age of 89. Born 24 March 1862 in Salem.
The Final Footprint – Benson is interred in Harmony Grove Cemetery in Salem alongside his wife Ellen Perry Benson. Their graves are marked by a large upright marble marker.
On this day in 1958, US Marine Corp veteran, actor Tyrone Power died from a heart attack in Madrid, aged 44. Born Tyrone Edmund Power III in Cincinnati, Ohio on 5 May 1914.
On this day in 1959, farmer Herbert Clutter (48), his wife Bonnie (45), their daughter Nancy (16), and their son Kenyon (15), were found bound and shot to death in various rooms of their home, on the family’s River Valley Farm on the outskirts of Holcomb, Kansas.
n this day in 1990, chesnut colt and American thoroughbred race horse, Alydar, died at the age of 15. Foaled 23 March 1975 at Calumet Farms in Lexington, Kentucky; sire Raise a Native, dam Sweet Tooth, damsire On-And-On. Trained by John M. Veitch and ridden by jockey Jorge Velasquez, Alydar finished second to archrival Affirmed in all three Triple Crown Races in 1978. A feat never accomplished, before or since. In my opinion, their matchup in the Belmont Stakes ranks as the most exciting race in the history of the sport. Affirmed won by a head to claim racing’s 11th Triple Crown Winner. I watched all three races on television. Both horses were beautiful chestnuts and I was a fan of both, but I was hoping that Affirmed would win. Alydar was a major success as a stallion. His offspring include; Easy Goer, Alysheba and Strike the Gold.
The Final Footprint – On November 13, 1990, Alydar appeared to have shattered his right hind leg in his stall at Calumet Farm in Lexington, Kentucky. Emergency surgery was performed the next day in an attempt to repair the injury, but the leg broke again. On November 15, Alydar was euthanized. At the time the owner of Calumet Farm was in dire trouble financially, but suspicions of foul play by the management were not raised until federal prosecutors investigated in the late 1990s. John Thomas (J.T.) Lundy was indicted and convicted in 2000 on separate but related fraud charges—bribing a bank executive for favorable loans—and served nearly four years in prison. The farm’s former attorney, Gary Matthews, was also convicted and received a 21-month prison sentence. The Texas Monthly described Alydar’s death as “a sweeping saga of greed, fraud, and almost unimaginable cruelty that could have been lifted straight from a best-selling Dick Francis horse-racing novel.”
On this day in 1556, Florentine poet, writer on etiquette and society, diplomat, and inquisitor, Giovanni della Casa died probably in the Farnese palace in Rome at the age of 53. Born 28 June 1503 in Florence or Borgo San Lorenzo. He is celebrated for his famous treatise on polite behavior, Il Galateo overo de’ costumi (1558). From the time of its publication, this courtesy book has enjoyed success and influence. In the eighteenth century, critic Giuseppe Baretti wrote in The Italian Library (1757), “The little treatise is looked upon by many Italians as the most elegant thing, as to stile, that we have in our language.”
The Final Footprint – Casa is entombed in the Church of Sant’Andrea della Valle, Rome. Sant’Andrea della Valle is a minor basilica in the rione of Sant’Eustachio. The basilica is the general seat for the religious order of the Theatines. It is located at Piazza Vidoni, 6 at the intersection of Corso Vittorio Emanuele (facing facade) and Corso Rinascimento.
On this day in 1915, educator, author, orator, and advisor to presidents of the United States, Booker T. Washington died in Tuskegee,
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On this day in 1868, composer, The Italian Mozart, Gioachino Rossini, died at his country house at Passy, France at the age of 76. Born Gioachino Antonio Rossini on 29 February 1792 in Pesaro, Italy. Best known for his 39 operas which inlcude Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville), Guillaume Tell (William Tell) and La cenerentola (Cinderella). A 30-year-old Rossini met Ludwig van Beethoven, then aged 51, in 1822. Communicating in writing, Beethoven noted: “Ah, Rossini. So you’re the composer of The Barber of Seville. I congratulate you. It will be played as long as Italian opera exists. Never try to write anything else but opera buffa; any other style would do violence to your nature.” That same year Rossini married the renowned opera singer Isabella Colbran. She died in 1845 and on 16 August 1846, he married Olympe Pélissier. During his life Rossini was photographed by Félix Nadar and Etienne Carjat and had his portrait painted by Giorces, Vincenzo Camuccini and Francesco Hayez. I saw Houston Grand Opera’s production of La cenerentola in October of 1995 with Cecilia Bartoli in the role of Angelina (Cinderella). I fell in love with opera, and Miss Bartoli, that night.
The Final Footprint – Rossini was entombed in the Rossini Private Mausoleum in Cimetière du Père Lachaise, Paris, Ile-de-France Region, France. In 1887, his remains were moved and entombed in the Basilica di Santa Croce, in Florence, at the request of the Italian government. The Basilica di Santa Croce (Basilica of the Holy Cross) is the principal Franciscan church in Florence, and a minor basilica of the Roman Catholic Church. It is situated on the Piazza di Santa Croce. It is the burial place of some of the most famous Italians; Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, and is known also as the Temple of the Italian Glories (Tempio dell’Itale Glorie). His private mausoleum remains unoccupied at Père Lachaise. Père Lachaise is the largest cemetery in Paris and one of the most visited cemeteries in the world. Bravo Rossini!
On this day in 1903, Danish-French Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist painter Camille Pissarro died in Paris at the age of 73. Born 
The Final Footprint – Pissarro was entombed in the Cimetière du Père Lachaise, Paris, Ile-de-France Region, France, the largest cemetery in the city of Paris (44 hectares or 110 acres). Père Lachaise is in the 20th 
On this day in 1952 writer of children’s books, including Goodnight Moon and The Runaway Bunny, both illustrated by Clement Hurd, Margaret Wise Brown died in Nice, France at 42 of an embolism. She has been called “the laureate of the nursery” for her achievements. Born 23 May 1910 in Brooklyn.
The Final Footprint – While on a book tour in Nice, France, she died shortly after surgery for a ruptured appendix. Kicking up her leg to show her nurses how well she was feeling caused a blood clot that had formed in her leg to dislodge and travel to her heart. Her cremated remains were scattered at her island home, “The Only House,” in Vinalhaven, Maine.
On this day in 1974 chemical technician and labor union activist Karen Silkwood died in a car crash under unclear circumstances near Crescent, Oklahoma at the age of 28. Born Karen Gay Silkwood on February 19, 1946 in Longview, Texas. Primarily known for raising concerns about corporate practices related to health and safety of workers in a nuclear facility. Following her mysterious death her estate filed a lawsuit against chemical company Kerr-McGee, which was eventually settled for $1.38 million. Her story was chronicled in Mike Nichols‘s 1983 Academy Award-nominated film Silkwood in which she was portrayed by Meryl Streep.
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On this day in 2016, musician and songwriter Leon Russell died 
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On this day in 1094, King of Scots, Duncan II, died at the Battle of Mondoynes. Born Donnchad mac Maíl Coluim before c. 1060. Son of Malcolm III (Máel Coluim mac Donnchada) and his first wife Ingibiorg Finnsdottir, widow of Thorfinn Sigurdsson. About 1093–1094 Duncan married Uchtreda of Northumbria, daughter of Gospatric, Earl of Dunbar and Northumbria. Duncan deposed his uncle Donald III but reigned for only six months. He was succeeded by Donald III. 
I am very proud of my Scottish heritage. In My Defens, God Me Defend!
On this day in 1981 Academy Award winning actor William Holden bled to death from a head wound suffered in a fall in his apartment in Santa Monica, California at the age of 63. Born William Franklin Beedle, Jr. in O’Fallon, Illinois on 17 April 1918. In my opinion, one of the most popular movie stars of all time, Holden was one of the biggest box office draws of the 1950s. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1953 for his role in Stalag 17, and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor for his role in the 1973 television film The Blue Knight. Holden starred in some of Hollywood’s most popular and critically acclaimed films, including such blockbusters as Sunset Boulevard, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Wild Bunch, Picnic, The Towering Inferno, and Network. He was named one of the “Top 10 Stars of the Year” six times (1954–1958, 1961). Holden married actress Ardis Ankerson (stage name Brenda Marshall) (1941 – 1971 divorce). They served as best man and matron of honor as the only guests at the wedding of Ronald Reagan and Nancy Davis. During the filming of Sabrina (1954), Audrey Hepburn and Holden became romantically involved. Holden met French actress Capucine in the early 1960s. The two starred in the films The Lion (1962) and The 7th Dawn (1964). They began a two-year affair. In 1972, Holden began a nine-year relationship with actress Stefanie Powers. My favorite Holden movies; Sabrina (1954), The Horse Soldiers (1959) and The Wild Bunch (1969).
On this day in 2003 actor Jonathan Brandis died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles from injuries sustained in a hanging, aged 27. Born Jonathan Gregory Brandis in Danbury, Connecticut on 13 April 1976.
On this day in 2016, actress and centenarian Lupita Tovar died in Los Angeles at the age of 106. Born Guadalupe Natalia Tovar on 27 July 1910 Perhaps best known for her starring role in the 1931 Spanish language version of Drácula, filmed in Los Angeles by Universal Pictures at night using the same sets as the Bela Lugosi version, but with a different cast and director. She also starred in the 1932 film Santa, one of the first Mexican sound films, and one of the first commercial Spanish-language sound films.
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And on this day in 2018, United States Army veteran, 
On this day in 1831 African American slave Nat Turner was hanged after being convicted of leading a slave rebellion in Virginia. Born 2 October 1800 in Southampton County, Virginia. The rebellion resulted in 60 white deaths. Local residents responded with at least 200 black deaths. In the aftermath, the state executed 56 blacks accused of being part of Turner’s slave rebellion. Across Virginia and other southern states, state legislators passed new laws prohibiting education of slaves and free blacks, restricting rights of assembly and other civil rights for free blacks, and requiring white ministers to be present at black worship services.
On this day in 1855, Danish philosopher, theologian, poet, social critic, and religious author, the “Father of Existentialism”, Søren Kierkegaard died in Frederik’s Hospital in Copenhagen at the age of 42. Born Søren Aabye Kierkegaard on 5 May 1813 in Copenhagen. Kierkegaard wrote critical texts on organized religion, Christendom, morality, ethics, psychology and philosophy of religion, displaying a fondness for metaphor, irony and parables. Much of his philosophical work deals with the issues of how one lives as a “single individual”, giving priority to concrete human reality over abstract thinking, and highlighting the importance of personal choice and commitment. He was a fierce critic of idealist intellectuals and philosophers of his time, such as Swedenborg, Hegel, Goethe, Fichte, Schelling, Schlegel, and Hans Christian Andersen.
The Final Footprint – Kierkegaard is interred in the Assistens Kirkegård in the Nørrebro section of Copenhagen. At Kierkegaard’s funeral, his nephew Henrik Lund caused a disturbance by protesting Kierkegaard’s burial by the official church. Lund maintained that Kierkegaard would never have approved, had he been alive, as he had broken from and denounced the institution. Hans Christian Andersen is also interred at Assistens Kirkegård.
n this day in 1880 American Quaker, abolitionist, women’s rights activist, social reformer, Lucretia Mott died of pneumonia at her home, Roadside, in the district now known as La Mott, Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, aged 87. Born Lucretia Coffin on January 3, 1793 in Nantucket, Massachusetts.
On this day in 1945, Academy Award-winning composer, Jerome Kern, died from a cerebral hemorrhage while walking at the corner of Park Avenue and 57th Street in New York City at the age of 60, with fellow composer Oscar Hammerstein II at his side. Born Jerome David Kern on 27 January 1885 in New York City. In my opinion, one of the most important American theatre composers. He wrote over 700 songs including; “Ol’ Man River”, “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man”, “A Fine Romance”, “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes”, “All the Things You Are”, “The Way You Look Tonight”, “Long Ago (and Far Away), “The Last Time I Saw Paris” and “Lovely to Look At”. Kern wrote the musical stage version of Edna Ferber’s Show Boat. Arguably his greatest score, it was a huge success. American musical theatre would never be the same. Kern named his yacht Show Boat.
On this day in 1979 film composer and conductor Dimitri Tiomkin died in London two weeks after fracturing his pelvis in a fall, aged 85. Born Dimitri Zinovievich Tiomkin on May 10, 1894 in Kremenchug, Poltava Governorate, Russian Empire.
And on this day in 2016 stage, film and television actor, author, political activist and advertising spokesperson whose career spanned nearly six decades, Robert Vaughn died in a hospice in Danbury, Connecticut from leukemia, aged 83. Born Robert Francis Vaughn on November 22, 1932 at Charity Hospital in Manhattan.
