On this day in 1930, actor, father of actor Lon Chaney, Jr., The Man of a Thousand Faces, Lon Chaney died from a throat hemorrhage in Los Angeles at the age of 47. Born Leonidas Frank Chaney in Colorado Springs, Colorado on 1 April 1883. He is regarded as one of the most versatile and powerful actors of early cinema, renowned for his characterizations of tortured, often grotesque and afflicted characters, and his groundbreaking artistry with makeup. Chaney is known for his starring roles in such silent horror films as The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera. His ability to transform himself using makeup techniques he developed earned him the nickname “The Man of a Thousand Faces.” Chaney married twice: Cleva Creighton (1906 – 1915 divorce) and Hazel Hastings (1915 – 1930 his death).
The Final Footprint – The US Marine Corps provided a chaplain and Honor Guard for his funeral. Chaney is entombed in an unmarked crypt at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, in Glendale, California, next to the crypt of his father. His wife Hazel was entombed there upon her death in 1933. For unknown reasons, Chaney’s crypt has remained unmarked. In 1978, Gene Simmons of the rock band KISS wrote a song about Chaney called “Man of 1,000 Faces” for his first solo album. Simmons may have been influenced by the old black and white classic horror movies growing up in New York City. From Warren Zevon’s song “Werewolves of London”; Well, I saw Lon Chaney walking with the Queen, / Doing the Werewolves of London / I saw Lon Chaney, Jr. walking with the Queen / Doing the Werewolves of London. Other notable Final Footprints at Forest Lawn Glendale include; L. Frank Baum, Humphrey Bogart, Nat King Cole, Sam Cooke, Dorothy Dandridge, Sammy Davis, Jr., Walt Disney, Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Michael Jackson, Carole Lombard, Tom Mix, Casey Stengel, Jimmy Stewart, Elizabeth Taylor, and Spencer Tracy.
On this day in 1974, United States Army veteran, United States Air Force Reserve veteran, recipient of; the Medal of Honor, Pulitzer Prize, Legion of Honour (France), Air Force Cross (UK), Distinguished Fyling Cross (US), aviator, author, inventor, explorer, and social activist, “Slim,” “Lucky Lindy”, “The Lone Eagle”, Brigadier General Charles Lindbergh died in Kipahulu, Maui, Hawaii at the age of 72. Born Charles Augustus Lindbergh on 4 February 1902 in Detroit, Michigan, the only child of Swedish native Charles August Lindbergh (birth name Carl Månsson) (1859–1924), and Evangeline Lodge Land (1876–1954). Lindbergh spent most of his childhood in Little Falls, Minnesota, and Washington, D.C.. Perhaps best known for his solo non-stop flight on May 20–21, 1927, from Roosevelt Field located in Garden City on New York’s Long Island to Le Bourget Field in Paris, France, a distance of nearly 3,600 statute miles, in the single-seat, single-engine monoplane Spirit of St. Louis. In March 1932, his infant son, Charles, Jr., was kidnapped and murdered in what was soon dubbed the “Crime of the Century”. Lindbergh married Anne Spencer Morrow (1929-1974 his death) and fathered children with Brigitte Hesshaimer, Marietta Hesshaimer and Valeska.
The Final Footprint – Lindbergh is interred on the grounds of the Palapala Ho’omau Church in Kipahulu, Maui. His grave is marked by a flat granite engraved marker with the inscription; “…If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea… C.A.L.
On this day in 2004 singer (“Gloria”, “Self Control”, “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You”), songwriter, actress Laura Branigan died in her sleep at her lodge in East Quogue, New York from a ventricular brain aneurysm, aged 52. Born
Her signature song, the platinum-certified 1982 single “Gloria”, stayed on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for 36 weeks, then a record for a female artist, peaking at No. 2. It also reached number one in Australia and Canada. Branigan’s “Gloria” was a cover of a song written by Italian singer-songwriter Umberto Tozzi. It reached great success in Italy and Europe in 1979. In 1984, she reached number one in Canada and Germany with the U.S. No. 4 hit “Self Control”, which was released by Italian singer and songwriter Raf, the same year. She also had success in the United Kingdom with both “Gloria” and “Self Control” making the Top 10 in the UK Singles Chart.
The Final Footprint– Cremated remains scattered over Long Island Sound.
#RIP #OTD in 2009 singer, songwriter (Da Doo Ron Ron, Be My Baby, Then He Kissed Me, Do Wah Diddy Diddy, Leader of the Pack, River Deep – Mountain High) Ellie Greenwich died of a heart attack at Mount Sinai West, Manhattan aged 68. Pinelawn Memorial Park and Arboretum, East Farmingdale, New York
On this day in 2017 director (The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Poltergeist) screenwriter, and producer Tobe Hooper died in Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, at the age of 74. Born Willard Tobe Hooper on 25 January 1943 in Austin, Texas, Hooper’s feature film debut was the independent Eggshells (1969), which he co-wrote with Kim Henkel. The two reunited to co-write The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), which Hooper also directed. The film went on to become a classic of the genre, and was described in 2010 by The Guardian as “one of the most influential films ever made.” Hooper subsequently directed the horror film Eaten Alive (1977), followed by the 1979 miniseries Salem’s Lot, an adaptation of the novel by Stephen King. Following this, Hooper signed on to direct The Funhouse (1981), a major studio slasher film distributed by Universal Pictures. The following year, he directed the supernatural thriller Poltergeist, written and produced by Steven Spielberg.
Hooper was married three times. His married his first wife, Maev Margaret Noonan, in 1961 and they divorced in the early 1970s. Hooper married again in 1983 to Carin Berger (daughter of actor William Berger), but they divorced in 1990. He later married Rita Marie Bartlett in 2008, but they divorced in 2010.
The Final Footprint – unknown at this time
And on this day in 2018, playwright, screenwriter and author Neil Simon died at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, at the age of 91. Born Marvin Neil Simon on July 4, 1927 in The Bronx. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly adaptations of his plays. He received more combined Oscar and Tony nominations than any other writer.
After graduating from high school and a few years in the Army Air Force Reserve, he began writing comedy scripts for radio and some popular early television shows. Among them were Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows from 1950 (where he worked alongside other young writers including Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks and Selma Diamond), and The Phil Silvers Show, which ran from 1955 to 1959.
He began writing his own plays beginning with Come Blow Your Horn (1961), which took him three years to complete and ran for 678 performances on Broadway. It was followed by two more successful plays, Barefoot in the Park (1963) and The Odd Couple (1965), for which he won a Tony Award. His style ranged from romantic comedy to farce to more serious dramatic comedy. Overall, he garnered 17 Tony nominations and won three. During one season, he had four successful plays running on Broadway at the same time, and in 1983 became the only living playwright to have a New York theatre, the Neil Simon Theatre, named in his honor.
Simon was married five times. He was married to dancer Joan Baim (1953–1973) for 20 years. Simon became a widower when Baim died of bone cancer. Simon married actress Marsha Mason (1973–1983), actress Diane Lander in two separate marriages (1987–1988 and 1990–1998), and actress Elaine Joyce (1999–2018).
The Final Footprint
Simon is interred in Pound Ridge Cemetery, Pound Ridge, Westchester County, New York.
#RIP #OTD in 2023, TV game show host (The Price is Right, 1972-2007; Truth or Consequences, 1956-75), actor (Happy Gilmore), and animal rights activist, Bob Barker died at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 99. Forest Lawn Memorial Park – Hollywood Hills
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