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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Final Footprint – Wallach was cremated.

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On this day 28 May death of Ann Brontë – Audie Murphy – Mary Lou Williams – Phil Hartman – Maya Angelou

#RIP #OTD in 1849 novelist (Agnes GreyThe Tenant of Wildfell Hall), poet, the youngest member of the Brontë literary family, Ann Brontë died most likely of pulmonary tuberculosis in Scarborough, England, aged 29. St. Mary’s Churchyard, Scarborough.

On this day in 1971, United States Army veteran, Medal of Honor recipient, actor, songwriter, Audie Murphy died in a private plane crash on Brush Mountain near Catawba, Virginia at the age of 46.  Born Audie Leon Murphy on 20 June 1924 in Kingston, Texas.  The most decorated American soldier of World War II.  Murphy was awarded 33 U.S. medals, five medals by France and one from Belgium including; three Purple Hearts, two Bronze stars, the Legion of Merit, two Silver Stars, the Distinguised Service Cross and the Medal of Honor.

The official U.S. Army citation for Murphy’s Medal of Honor reads:

Rank and organization: Second Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Company B 15th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division.
Place and date: Near Holtzwihr France, January 26, 1945.
Entered service at: Dallas, Texas. Birth: Hunt County, near Kingston, Texas, G.O. No. 65, August 9, 1944.
Citation: Second Lt. Murphy commanded Company B, which was attacked by six tanks and waves of infantry. 2d Lt. Murphy ordered his men to withdraw to a prepared position in a woods, while he remained forward at his command post and continued to give fire directions to the artillery by telephone. Behind him, to his right, one of our tank destroyers received a direct hit and began to burn. Its crew withdrew to the woods. 2d Lt. Murphy continued to direct artillery fire, which killed large numbers of the advancing enemy infantry. With the enemy tanks abreast of his position, 2d Lt. Murphy climbed on the burning tank destroyer, which was in danger of blowing up at any moment, and employed its .50 caliber machine gun against the enemy. He was alone and exposed to German fire from three sides, but his deadly fire killed dozens of Germans and caused their infantry attack to waver. The enemy tanks, losing infantry support, began to fall back. For an hour the Germans tried every available weapon to eliminate 2d Lt. Murphy, but he continued to hold his position and wiped out a squad that was trying to creep up unnoticed on his right flank. Germans reached as close as 10 yards, only to be mowed down by his fire. He received a leg wound, but ignored it and continued his single-handed fight until his ammunition was exhausted. He then made his way back to his company, refused medical attention, and organized the company in a counterattack, which forced the Germans to withdraw. His directing of artillery fire wiped out many of the enemy; he killed or wounded about 50. 2d Lt. Murphy’s indomitable courage and his refusal to give an inch of ground saved his company from possible encirclement and destruction, and enabled it to hold the woods which had been the enemy’s objective.

James Cagney invited Murphy to Hollywood in September 1945.  Murphy’s 1949 autobiography To Hell and Back (became a national bestseller.  He portrayed himself in the 1955 film version of his book.  Murphy was married twice; Wanda Hendrix (1949-1950 divorce) and Pamela Archer.

The Final Footprint – On 7 June 1971, Murphy was buried with military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. In attendance were Ambassador to the U.N. George H. W. Bush, Army Chief of Staff William Westmoreland, and many of the 3rd Infantry Division. Murphy’s gravesite is in Section 46, headstone number 46-366-11, located across Memorial Drive from the Amphitheater. A special flagstone walkway was later constructed to accommodate the large number of people who visit to pay their respects. It is the cemetery’s second most-visited gravesite, after that of President John F. Kennedy.

The headstones of Medal of Honor recipients buried at Arlington National Cemetery are normally decorated in gold leaf. Murphy previously requested that his stone remain plain and inconspicuous, like that of an ordinary soldier. The headstone contains the birth year 1924, based upon purportedly falsified materials among his military records. In 1974, a large granite marker was erected just off the Appalachian Trail at 37.364554°N 80.225748°W at 3,100′ elevation, near the crash site.

Other notable Final Footprints at Arlington include; Space Shuttle Challenger, Space Shuttle Columbia, Medgar Evers, Dashiell Hammett, JFK, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis, RFK, Edward Kennedy, Malcolm Kilduff, Jr., and Lee Marvin.

#RIP #OTD in 1981 jazz pianist, arranger, composer Mary Lou Williams died of bladder cancer in Durham, North Carolina at the age of 71. Calvary Catholic Cemetery in Pittsburgh

Phil Hartman

Phil as Chick-1-1.jpg

in character as Chick Hazard, Private Eye, c. 1978

On this day in 1998 actor, voice actor, comedian, screenwriter and graphic artist Phil Hartman was shot and killed by his wife Brynn Hartman while he slept in their Encino, Los Angeles home, at the age of 49. Born Philip Edward Hartmann on September 24, 1948 in Brantford, Ontario. Hartman and his family moved to the United States in 1958. After graduating from California State University, Northridge, with a degree in graphic arts, he designed album covers for bands like Poco and America. Hartman joined the comedy group The Groundlings in 1975 and there helped comedian Paul Reubens develop his character Pee-wee Herman. Hartman co-wrote the screenplay for the film Pee-wee’s Big Adventure and made recurring appearances as Captain Carl on Reubens’ show Pee-wee’s Playhouse.

Hartman garnered fame in 1986 when he joined the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live. He won fame for his impressions, particularly of President Bill Clinton, and he stayed on the show for eight seasons. Given the moniker “The Glue” for his ability to hold the show together and help other cast members, Hartman won a Primetime Emmy Award for his SNL work in 1989.

“As an actor, I felt I couldn’t compete. I wasn’t as cute as the leading man; I wasn’t as brilliant as Robin Williams. The one thing I could do was voices and impersonations and weird characters, an [sic] there was really no call for that. Except on Saturday Night Live.”

—Hartman on his acting skills.

Hartman’s original Saturday Night Live characters included Eugene, the Anal Retentive Chef and Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer. His impressions included Frank Sinatra, Ronald Reagan, Ed McMahon, Barbara Bush, Charlton Heston, Phil Donahue and Bill Clinton; the last was often considered his best-known impression.

as Bill Clinton on an episode of Saturday Night Live.

Hartman married Gretchen Lewis in 1970, and they divorced sometime before 1972. He married real estate agent Lisa Strain in 1982, and their marriage lasted three years. Strain told People that Hartman was reclusive off screen and “would disappear emotionally […] he’d be in his own world. That passivity made you crazy.” Hartman married former model and aspiring actress Brynn Omdahl (born Vicki Jo Omdahl) in November 1987, having met her on a blind date the previous year. The marriage had difficulties — Brynn reportedly felt intimidated by her husband’s success and was frustrated she could not find any on her own, although neither party wanted a divorce. Hartman considered retiring to save the marriage. He tried to get Brynn acting roles but she became progressively more reliant on narcotics and alcohol, entering rehab several times. 

The Final Footprint

Los Angeles police stated Hartman’s death was caused by “domestic discord” between the couple. A friend stated that Brynn allegedly “had trouble controlling her anger […] She got attention by losing her temper”. In accordance with Hartman’s will, his body was cremated by Forest Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuary, Glendale, California, and his ashes were scattered over Santa Catalina Island’s Emerald Bay.

Maya Angelou

Angelou at Clinton inauguration (cropped 2).jpg

reciting her poem “On the Pulse of Morning” at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration, January 20, 1993

On this day in 2014, poet, singer, memoirist, civil rights activist Maya Angelou died in Winston-Salem, North Carolina at the age of 86. Born Marguerite Annie Johnson on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and was credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years.

She became a poet and writer after a series of occupations as a young adult, including fry cook, sex worker, nightclub dancer and performer, cast member of the opera Porgy and Bess, coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and journalist in Egypt and Ghana during the decolonization of Africa. She was an actor, writer, director, and producer of plays, movies, and public television programs. In 1982, she was named the first Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She was active in the Civil Rights Movement and worked with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Beginning in the 1990s, she made around 80 appearances a year on the lecture circuit, something she continued into her eighties. In 1993, Angelou recited her poem “On the Pulse of Morning” (1993) at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration, making her the first poet to make an inaugural recitation since Robert Frost at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy in 1961.

With the publication of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou publicly discussed aspects of her personal life. Her works are widely used in schools and universities worldwide, although attempts have been made to ban her books from some U.S. libraries. Angelou’s most celebrated works have been labeled as autobiographical fiction, but many critics consider them to be autobiographies. She made a deliberate attempt to challenge the common structure of the autobiography by critiquing, changing and expanding the genre. Her books center on themes such as racism, identity, family and travel. 

In 1951, Angelou married Tosh Angelos, a Greek electrician, former sailor, and aspiring musician, despite the condemnation of interracial relationships at the time and the disapproval of her mother. She took modern dance classes during this time, and met dancers and choreographers Alvin Ailey and Ruth Beckford. Ailey and Angelou formed a dance team, calling themselves “Al and Rita”, and performed modern dance at fraternal black organizations throughout San Francisco, but never became successful. Angelou, her new husband, and her son moved to New York City so she could study African dance with Trinidadian dancer Pearl Primus, but they returned to San Francisco a year later.

Angelou’s friend James Baldwin was instrumental in the publication of her first autobiography.

quotes

I make writing as much a part of my life as I do eating or listening to music.

1999

I also wear a hat or a very tightly pulled head tie when I write. I suppose I hope by doing that I will keep my brains from seeping out of my scalp and running in great gray blobs down my neck, into my ears, and over my face.

 1984

Nothing so frightens me as writing, but nothing so satisfies me. It’s like a swimmer in the [English] Channel: you face the stingrays and waves and cold and grease, and finally you reach the other shore, and you put your foot on the ground—Aaaahhhh!

1989

Angelou was married at least twice, but never clarified the number of times she had been married, “for fear of sounding frivolous”.  According to her autobiographies she married Tosh Angelos in 1951 and Paul du Feu in 1974, and began her relationship with Vusumzi Make in 1961, but never formally married him. In a 1995 interview, Angelou said, “I wrote about my experiences because I thought too many people tell young folks, ‘I never did anything wrong. Who, Moi? – never I. I have no skeletons in my closet. In fact, I have no closet.’ They lie like that and then young people find themselves in situations and they think, ‘Damn I must be a pretty bad guy. My mom or dad never did anything wrong.’ They can’t forgive themselves and go on with their lives”.

The Final Footprint

During her memorial service at Wake Forest University, her son Guy Johnson stated that, “She left this mortal plane with no loss of acuity and no loss in comprehension”.

Tributes to Angelou and condolences were paid by artists, entertainers, and world leaders, including President Bill Clinton, and President Barack Obama, whose sister was named after Angelou. On May 29, 2014, Mount Zion Baptist Church in Winston-Salem, of which Angelou was a member for 30 years, held a public memorial service to honor Angelou. On June 7, a private memorial service was held at Wait Chapel on the campus of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem. The memorial was shown live on local stations in the Winston-Salem/Triad area and streamed live on the university web site with speeches from her son, Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, and Bill Clinton. On June 15, a memorial was held at Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco, where Angelou was a member for many years. Her cremated remains were scattered.

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On this day 27 May death of Jeffrey Hunter – Gregg Allman

On this day in 1969, United States Navy veteran, actor Jeffrey Hunter died from a cerebral hemorrhage in Los Angeles at the age of 42.  Born Henry Herman McKinnies, Jr. on 25 November 1926 in New Orleans.  Hunter was cast as Martin Pawley in perhaps my all-time favorite movie, The Searchers (1956).  The movie was directed by John Ford and starred John Wayne as Ethan Edwards and also featured; Vera Miles as Laurie Jorgensen, Ward Bond as Rev. Capt. Samuel Johnson Clayton, Natalie Wood as Debbie Edwards (older), and Ken Curtis as Charlie McCorry.  The appeal of this movie spans generations; my oldest son is a fan.  Hunter is also revered among Star Trek fans, myself included.  He accepted the lead role of Captain Christopher Pike in “The Cage”, the first pilot episode of Star Trek.  Hunter declined to film a second Star Trek pilot requested by NBC in 1965.  Hunter was married three times; Barbara Rush (1950-1955 divorce), Joan Bartlett (1957-1967 divorce) and Emily McLaughlin (1969-1969 his death).

The Final Footprint – Hunter is interred in Glen Haven Memorial Park in Sylmar, California.  His grave is marked by an individual flat bronze marker.  His wife Emily, who played nurse Jessie Brewer on the soap opera General Hospital, was interred next to him following her death in 1991.

Gregg Allman

Gregg Allman 1975.JPG

performing in 1975

On this day in 2017, singer, songwriter, musician, Gregg Allman died from liver cancer in Richmond Hill, Georgia at the age of 69. Born Gregory LeNoir Allman on December 8, 1947 in Nashville. Along with his brother Duane he founded the Allman Brothers Band. Allman grew up with an interest in rhythm and blues music, and the Allman Brothers Band fused it with rock music, jazz, and country at times. He wrote several of the band’s biggest songs, including “Whipping Post”, “Melissa”, and “Midnight Rider”. Allman also had a successful solo career, releasing seven studio albums. He was born and spent much of his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee, before relocating to Daytona Beach, Florida.

The Allman Brothers Band reached mainstream success with their 1971 live album At Fillmore East. Shortly thereafter, Duane was killed in a motorcycle crash. The band continued, with Brothers and Sisters (1973). Allman began a solo career with Laid Back the same year. He had a late career hit with the song “I’m No Angel” in 1987, and his seventh solo album, Low Country Blues (2011), saw the highest chart positions of his career. Throughout his life, Allman struggled with alcohol and substance abuse, which formed the basis of his memoir My Cross to Bear (2012). His final album, Southern Blood, was released posthumously on September 8, 2017.

Allman with then-wife Cher in 1975.

Allman was married seven times. He married Shelley Kay Jefts in 1971 and divorced the following year. He married Janice Blair in 1973 and divorced in 1974; she is pictured on the sleeve of Laid Back. His most well-known relationship was with Cher, whom he married in 1975. After their 1978 divorce, he wed Julie Bindas the following year, and divorced in 1981. He married Galliano in 1989, and they divorced in 1994. His longest marriage was to Stacey Fountain, from 2001 to 2008—”seven out-of-sight years,” he remarked. In My Cross to Bear, he writes that “Every woman I’ve ever had a relationship with has loved me for who they thought I was.” At the time of its writing, he noted that he only spoke to two out of his then-six wives, including Cher. In 2012, he announced his engagement to Shannon Williams, who was 40 years his junior. They were quietly married in February 2017.

The Final Footprint 

His funeral took place at Snow’s Memorial Chapel in Macon on June 3, and was attended by once-estranged bandmate Dickey Betts, his ex-wife Cher, and former President Jimmy Carter, among others. According to Rolling Stone, the mourners dressed casually in jeans per Allman’s request, and “hundreds of fans, many wearing Allman Brothers shirts and listening to the band’s music, lined the route along the funeral procession.” He was buried at Rose Hill Cemetery in Macon, beside his brother Duane, and fellow band member Berry Oakley.

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On this day 26 May death of Jimmie Rodgers – Sydney Pollack – Ray Liotta

On this day in 1933, songwriter, country music pioneer and superstar, The Singing Brakeman, The Blue Yodeler, The Father of Country Music, Jimmie Rodgers, died at the Taft Hotel in New York City from tuberculosis at the age of 35.  Born James Charles Rodgers on 8 September 1987 in either Meridien, Mississippi or Geiger, Alabama.  Rodgers was one of the first three inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame, along with Fred Rose and Hank Williams.  Numerous artists have recorded tribute albums or his songs including; Gene Autry, Merle Haggard, Hank Snow, Lefty Frizzell, Bob Dylan, Bono, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Jerry Garcia, Dickey Betts, Dwight Yoakam, Aaron Neville, John Mellencamp, Willie Nelson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jerry Lee Lewis and Tompall Glaser.  Rodgers reportedly influenced other artists including; Elvis, Muddy Waters, Big Bill Broonzy, Howlin’ Wolf, and Mississippi John Hurt.  Of course, my favorite Rodgers song is “Blue Yodel” better known as “T for Texas”.

The Final Footprint – Rodgers is interred in the Rodgers family plot in Oak Grove Baptist Church Cemetery in Meridian, Mississippi.  The family plot is marked by a large upright granite marker.  His grave is marked by an individual raised granite marker.

Sydney Pollack

Sydney Pollack.jpg

in 2006

On this day in 2008, director, producer, actor, Sydney Pollack died in Los Angeles surrounded by his family, from cancer at the age of 73. Born Sydney Irwin Pollack on July 1, 1934 in  Lafayettte, Indiana. Pollack directed more than 20 films and 10 television shows, acted in over 30 films or shows, and produced over 44 films. His 1985 film Out of Africa won him Academy Awards for directing and producing; he was also nominated for Best Director Oscars for They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969) and Tootsie (1982) in which he also appeared.

Some of his other best known works include Jeremiah Johnson (1972), The Way We Were (1973), Three Days of the Condor (1975) and Absence of Malice (1981). His subsequent films included Havana (1990), The Firm (1993), The Interpreter (2005), and he produced and acted in Michael Clayton (2007).

Pollack was married to Claire Bradley Griswold, a former student of his, from 1958 until his death in 2008. Claire died on March 28, 2011 at 74 years of age, due to Parkinson’s Disease.

The Final Footprint

His body was cremated, and his cremated remains were scattered along the runway at the Van Nuys Airport in Los Angeles.

#RIP #OTD in 2022, actor (Field of Dreams, Goodfellas, Unlawful Entry, Cop Land, Hannibal, Blow, Identity, Killing Them Softly), Ray Liotta died in his sleep in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, aged 67. Mount Pleasant Cemetery, Newark, Essex County, New Jersey

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On this day 25 May death of Rosa Bonheur – Madam C. J. Walker – Robert Capa – Rosa Ponselle – Leonora Carrington – George Floyd

#RIP #OTD in 1899 artist (Le marché aux chevaux, Labourage nivernais) Rosa Bonheur died at Thomery (By), France, aged 77. With Nathalie Micas her lifelong companion, at Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris

#RIP #OTD in 1919 entrepreneur, philanthropist, and political and social activist Madam C. J. Walker died from kidney failure and complications of hypertension at the age of 51. Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx

#RIP #OTD in 1954 war photographer and photojournalist, co-founder of Magum Photos, Robert Capa died after stepping on a landmine during the First Indochina War in Thái Bình Province, Vietnam aged 40. Amawalk Hill Cemetery (also called Friends Cemetery), Amawalk, Westchester County, New York

On this day in 1981, operatic soprano, Rosa Ponselle died  at her estate, Villa Pace, near Baltimore, Maryland after a long battle with bone marrow cancer at the age of 84.  Born Rosa Ponzillo on 22 January 1897 in Meriden, Connecticut to Italian Neopolitan immigrants.  She sang mainly at the New York Metropolitan Opera.  In my opinion, she is one of the greatest sopranos.  Ponselle made her Metropolitan Opera debut on 15 November 1918, as Leonora in Verdi‘s La forza del destino, opposite Enrico Caruso.  Her roles included; Mathilde in Rossini’s William Tell, Leonora in Verdi’s Il trovatore, Aida in Verdi’s Aida, Gioconda in Ponchielli’s La Gioconda, Elisabeth of Valois in Verdi’s Don Carlo, Norma in Bellini’s Norma, Violetta in Verdi’s La traviata, Donna Anna in Mozart‘s Don Giovanni, and Carmen in Bizet’s Carmen.  Ponselle was married to Carle Jackson (1936-1949 divorce).  Luciano Pavarotti called Ponselle, The Queen of Queens in all of singing.”  Maria Callas said Ponselle was, “The greatest singer of us all.”


The Final Footprint – Ponselle is entombed in a tandem crypt with her sister, Carmela, in the mausoleum at Druid Ridge Cemetery in Pikesville, Maryland.

#RIP #OTD in 2011, surrealist painter, novelist (The Hearing Trumpet), Leonora Carrington died, aged 94, in a hospital in Mexico City as a result of complications arising from pneumonia. Cementerio Británico, Miguel Hidalgo, Mexico City

#RIP #OTD in 2020, George Floyd was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest, aged 46. Houston Memorial Gardens, Pearland, Texas

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On this day 24 May death of Copernicus – Elmore James – Sonny Boy Williamson II – Duke Ellington – Tina Turner

On this day the deaths of; David I King of Scots (1153), famed beauty Jane Leveson-Gower Hyde (1725), Scottish golfer and four-time Open Champion Old Tom Morris (1908) and …

#RIP #OTD in 1543 polymath, mathematician, astronomer, physician, classics scholar, translator, governor, diplomat, economist, Nicolaus Copernicus died in Frombork, Poland at the age of 70. Frombork Cathedral

Elmore James
Elmore James.gif

On this day in 1963, United States Navy veteran, blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, King of the Slide Guitar, Elmore James died from a heart attack in Chicago at the age of 45. Born Elmore Brooks on January 27, 1918 in Richland, Mississippi. He was known as “King of the Slide Guitar” and was noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice.

He began recording with Trumpet Records in Jackson in January 1951, first as a sideman for Sonny Boy Williamson II (see below). He made his debut as a session leader in August with “Dust My Broom”, which was a surprise R&B hit in 1952. His backing musicians became known as the Broomdusters.

James broke his contract with Trumpet Records to sign with the Bihari brothers through their scout Ike Turner, who played guitar and piano on a couple of his early Bihari recordings. His “I Believe” was a hit a year later. He also recorded for Chess Records.

In 1959, he began recording for Bobby Robinson’s Fire Records, which released “The Sky Is Crying”, “My Bleeding Heart”, “Stranger Blues”, “Look on Yonder Wall”, “Done Somebody Wrong”, and “Shake Your Moneymaker”, among others.

The Final Footprint

He was buried in the Newport Baptist Church Cemetery, in Ebenezer, Mississippi.

Sonny Boy Williamson II

On this day in 1965, blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter Sonny Boy Williamson II died from a heart attack in Helena, Arkansas at the age of 52. Born Alex or Aleck Miller ( Ford), possibly on December 5, 1912 in Tallahatchie County, Mississippi. He was an early and influential blues harp stylist who recorded successfully in the 1950s and 1960s. Miller used various names, including Rice Miller and Little Boy Blue, before calling himself Sonny Boy Williamson, which was also the name of a popular Chicago blues singer and harmonica player. To distinguish the two, Miller has been referred to as Sonny Boy Williamson II.

He first recorded with Elmore James (see above) on “Dust My Broom”. Some of his popular songs include “Don’t Start Me Talkin'”, “Help Me”, “Checkin’ Up on My Baby”, and “Bring It On Home”. He toured Europe with the American Folk Blues Festival and recorded with English rock musicians, including the Yardbirds, the Animals, and Jimmy Page. “Help Me” became a blues standard, and many blues and rock artists have recorded his songs. 

The Final Footprint

Williamson is buried on New Africa Road, just outside Tutwiler, Mississippi at the site of the former Whitman Chapel cemetery. Trumpet Records owner McMurry provided the headstone with an incorrect date of death.

Duke_Ellington_-_publicityOn this day in 1974, Grammy award-winning composer, pianist and big band leader, Duke Ellington died of lung cancer in New York City at the age of 75.  Born Edward Kennedy Ellington on 29 April 1899 in Washington, D. C.  In my opinion, one of the most prominent figures in jazz and one of the greatest composers.  His music spanned other genres including blues, gospel, film scores, popular and classical.  Ellington was married to Edna Thompson.  Ellington was awarded the NAACP Springarn Medal, the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Richard Nixon, and The French Legion of Honor.

The Final Footprint – Ellington is interred in the Ellington private estate in Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx.  The estate is marked by two large granite crosses flanking a large tree.  One of the crosses has the inscription; THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD.  His grave is marked by a flat granite marker.  Ella Fitzgerald said,  “It’s a very sad day. A genius has passed.”  Numerous memorials have been dedicated to Duke Ellington, in cities from New York (The Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival, Duke Ellington Boulevard and Duke Ellington Circle) and Washington, D. C. (The Duke Ellington School of Arts and Duke Ellington Bridge) to Los Angeles (a statue at the entrance to UCLA’s Schoenberg Hall).  Many songs and albums have been written and dedicated to Ellington.  My favorite tribute song is Stevie Wonder’s “Sir Duke”.  Ellington was posthumously awarded a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation.  Other notable Final Footprints at Woodlawn include; Irving Berlin, Miles DavisFiorello La Guardia, Rowland Macy, Bat Masterson, Herman Melville, LeRoy Neiman, J. C. Penney, and Joseph Pulitzer.

#RIP #OTD in 2023 singer (Proud Mary, “Better Be Good to Me”, “Private Dancer”, “We Don’t Need Another Hero (Thunderdome)”, “Typical Male”, “The Best”, “I Don’t Wanna Fight”, and “GoldenEye”), songwriter (Nutbush City Limits), actress (Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome), Tina Turner died at her home in Küsnacht, Switzerland, aged 83. Cremation

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

#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

Sir Roger Moore 3.jpg

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

RIP #OTD in 1842, the first Native American (Ojibwa and Scots-Irish ancestry) literary writer, the first known Indian woman writer, the first known Indian poet, the first known poet to write poems in a Native American language and the first known American Indian to write out traditional Indian stories, Bamewawagezhikaquay (‘Woman of the Sound that the stars make Rushing Through the Sky’), Jane Johnston Schoolcraft died in 1842 while visiting a married sister in Canada aged 42. St. John’s Anglican Church in what is now Ancaster, Ontario

alessandromanzoni

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.

Victor_Hugo_circa_1880On 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

Langston_Hughes_by_Carl_Van_Vechten_1936

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.

Langston_Hughes_IntermentThe 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.

cecildaylewisOn 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).

Cecil_Day_Lewis_headstone,_geographThe 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

#RIP #OTD in 2025 actress (The Searchers, Auntie Mame, Twilight Zone (“The Trouble with Templeton”), Pippa Scott died of heart failure at her home in Santa Monica aged 90. Cremation

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

Henry_VI_from_NPG_(2)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

lashlarueOn 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

Katherine Dunham.jpg

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.

#RIP #OTD in 2018, actor (Cheyenne, The Dirty Dozen, The White Buffalo), Clint Walker died of congestive heart failure in Grass Valley, California aged 90. Cremation

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

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
Radner sitting in Wilder's lap, smiling

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 StamfordFairfield CountyConnecticut.

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

#RIP #OTD in 2025, actor (Norm Peterson on the NBC sitcom Cheers), George Wendt died of a heart attack at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 76. The real life Cheers Beacon Hill bar honored Wendt by setting up a memorial in the area of the bar where his character sat. Saint Mary Catholic Cemetery and Mausoleum, Evergreen Park, Illinois

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

Anneboleyn2On 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

#RIP #OTD in 1918, one of the best-known Swiss painters of the nineteenth century, Ferdinand Hodler died in Geneva aged 65. Cimetière de Saint Georges in Geneva

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. Friedhof Murnau, Murnau am Staffelsee, Landkreis Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria, Germany

jackieWhitehouseportraitjackie_curvecorrectedOn 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.

#RIP #OTD in 2025, poet (165 Meeting House Lane, When I Was Alive, The Descent of Alette, Culture of One), member of the second generation of the New York School of poetry, Alice Notley died from a stroke at a Paris hospital at the age of 79. Her memorial was held at the Poetry Project at St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery, East Village, Manhattan

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