On this day in 1900, writer, playwright, poet, aesthete, Oscar Wilde died in Paris at the age of 46. Born Oscar Fingal O’Flahertie Wills Wilde on 16 October 1854 in Dublin, Ireland. One of my favorite writers. Notable works: The Importance of being Earnest and The Picture of Dorian Gray. Wilde is also well known for his witty quotes. For example: “A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal.” “A man can be happy with any woman as long as he does not love her.” “Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.” “Arguments are to be avoided; they are always vulgar and often convincing.” “I always like to know everything about my new friends, and nothing about my old ones.” “I am not young enough to know everything.” “I think that God in creating Man somewhat overestimated his ability.” “If you want to tell people the truth, make them laugh, otherwise they’ll kill you.” “Illusion is the first of all pleasures.” “A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone’s feelings unintentionally.” “In married life three is company and two none.” “Life is too important to be taken seriously.” “One should always be in love. That is the reason one should never marry.” “Women are made to be loved, not understood.” “I’m not saying we should misbehave, but we ought to look as though we might.” There are literally hundreds more. Wilde was married to Constance Loyd (1898 her death).
The Final Footprint – Wilde was initially buried in the Cimetière de Bagneux outside Paris. In 1909 his remains were disinterred and entombed in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. His large rectangular granite tomb was designed by Sir Jacob Epstein, commissioned by Robert Ross, who asked for a small compartment to be made for his own ashes which were duly transferred in 1950. The modernist angel depicted as a relief on the tomb was originally complete with male genitalia which have since been vandalised; their current whereabouts are unknown. In 2000, Leon Johnson, a multimedia artist, installed a silver prosthesis to replace them. The epitaph is a verse from The Ballad of Reading Gaol:
And alien tears will fill for him
Pity’s long-broken urn,
For his mourners will be outcast men,
And outcasts always mourn.
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, Max Ernst, Molière, Jim Morrison, Édith Piaf, Camille Pissarro, Marcel Proust, Sully Prudhomme, Gioachino Rossini, Georges-Pierre Seurat, Simone Signoret, Gertrude Stein, Dorothea Tanning, Alice B. Toklas, and Richard Wright.
On this day in 1967, Irish poet and novelist Patrick Kavanagh died at the age of 63 in a Dublin nursing home. In my opinion, one of the foremost poets of the 20th century. Perhaps his best known works include the novel Tarry Flynn and the poems Raglan Road and The Great Hunger. Born in rural Inniskeen, County Monaghan on 21 October 1904.
The Final Footprint – His grave is in Inniskeen adjoining the Patrick Kavanagh Centre. His wife Katherine died in 1989; she is also buried there. His epitaph…
On this day in 1996 singer (“Tiptoe Through the Tulips”; “Livin’ in the Sunlight, Lovin’ in the Moonlight”), ukulele player, musical archivist, Tiny Tim died from a heart attack at Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, age 64. Entombed ay Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis
On this day in 2007, stunt performer Evel Knievel died from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in Clearwater, Florida at the age of 69. Born Robert Craig Knievel on 17 October 1938 in Butte, Montana. In his career, he attempted more than 75 ramp-to-ramp motorcycle jumps between 1965 and 1980. In 1974, he attempted and failed a jump across Snake River Canyon in the Skycycle X-2, a steam-powered rocket. He suffered more than 433 bone fractures in his career, thereby earning an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records as the survivor of “most bones broken in a lifetime”. Knievel was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999. Knievel said; “You can’t ask a guy like me why I performed. I really wanted to fly through the air. I was a daredevil, a performer. I loved the thrill, the money, the whole macho thing. All those things made me Evel Knievel. Sure, I was scared. You gotta be an ass not to be scared. But I beat the hell out of death.” Fanfare Films produced Evel Knievel, a 1971 movie starring George Hamilton as Knievel. Knievel married twice; Linda Joan Bork (1959–97 divorce) and Krystal Kennedy (1999–2001 divorce).
The Final Footprint – Knievel was buried at Mountain View Cemetery in his hometown of Butte on December 10, 2007, following a funeral at the 7,500-seat Butte Civic Center presided over by Pastor Dr. Robert H. Schuller with actor Matthew McConaughey giving the eulogy. Prior to the Monday service, fireworks exploded in the Butte night sky as pallbearers carried Knievel’s casket into the center.
On this day in 2013, actor Paul Walker died from injuries sustained as a passenger in a single-car crash alongside friend and driver Roger Rodas, on Hercules Street near Kelly Johnson Parkway in Valencia, Santa Clarita, California, at the age of 40. Born Paul William Walker IV on September 12, 1973 in Glendale, California. Perhaps best known for his role as Brian O’Conner in The Fast and the Furious franchise. Walker first gained prominence in 1999 with roles in the teen films She’s All That and Varsity Blues. In 2001, he gained international fame for his role in the street racing action film The Fast and the Furious (2001), a role he reprised in five of the next six installments.
Walker began his career guest-starring on TV shows such as The Young and the Restless and Touched by an Angel. He later starred in films such as Joy Ride(2001), Timeline (2003), Into the Blue (2005), Eight Below (2006), and Running Scared (2006). He also appeared in the National Geographic series Expedition Great White (2010 and in ads for Davidoff Cool Water cologne. He founded the disaster-relief charity Reach Out Worldwide (ROWW) in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake.
The Final Footprint
His body was cremated and his cremated remains were buried in a non-denominational ceremony at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills. His life was later chronicled in the documentary I Am Paul Walker, which was released on August 11, 2018. Other notable final footprints at Hollywood Hills include; Gene Autry, Bette Davis, Sandra Dee, Lee Van Cleef, Ronnie James Dio, Carrie Fisher, Bobby Fuller, Al Jarreau, Lemmy Kilmister, Strother Martin, Ricky Nelson, Bill Paxton, and Debbie Reynolds.
Walker was working on three films at the time of his death which were released posthumously: Hours (2013), Brick Mansions (2014), and Furious 7 (2015). The Wiz Khalifa song “See You Again”, featuring Charlie Puth, was commissioned for the Furious 7 soundtrack as a tribute to Walker. It was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Original Song in 2015 and was the number-one song in the United States for 12 weeks.
Site of Walker’s death on Hercules Street in Santa Clarita (photo taken 2015)
On this day in 2017, actor, singer, comedian Jim Nabors died at his home in Honolulu, at the age of 87. Born James Thurston Nabors on June 12, 1930 in Sylacauga, Alabama. Perhaps best known for his signature character Gomer Pyle.
Nabors was discovered by Andy Griffith while working at a Santa Monica nightclub, and he later joined The Andy Griffith Show, where he played the good-natured, unsophisticated Gomer Pyle. The character proved so popular that Nabors was given his own successful spin-off show, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Nabors also became a popular guest on variety shows that showcased his rich baritone singing voice in the 1960s and 1970s, including frequent appearances on the Carol Burnett Show and two specials of his own in 1969 and 1974. He signed a recording contract with Columbia Records in 1965 and subsequently recorded numerous albums and singles, most of them containing romantic ballads. He recorded for Ranwood Records during the late 1970s.
Nabors was also known for singing “Back Home Again in Indiana” before the start of the Indianapolis 500, held annually on the Memorial Day weekend. He sang the unofficial Indiana anthem almost every year from 1972 to 2014, except for occasional absences due to illness or scheduling conflicts.
The Final Footprint
Nabors was cremated and his cremated remains were scattered in Honolulu.
The United States Marine Corps released a statement on Nabors: “Semper Fi, Gomer Pyle. Rest in peace Jim Nabors, one of the few to ever be named an Honorary Marine.”
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Carol Burnett paid tribute to Nabors saying they were “close friends for 52 years. … My heart is heavy. I’m grateful he was a large part of my life. I miss him. I love him.
#RIP #OTD 2022 singer, keyboardist, songwriter of Fleetwood Mac (“Don’t Stop”, “Everywhere”, “Little Lies”) Christine McVie died of a stroke in London aged 79. Cremation
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