On this day 6 September – Sully Prudhomme – Margaret Sanger – Christy Brown – Ernest Tubb – Akira Kurosawa – Luciano Pavarotti – Burt Reynolds – Jean-Paul Belmondo – Michael K. Williams

On this day in 1907, French poet and essayist, recipient of the first Nobel Prize in Literature, Sully Prudhomme died at Châtenay-Malabry, at the age of 68.  Born René François Armand Prudhomme on 16 March 1839 in Paris.  The first ever winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, in 1901.  Prudhomme originally studied to be an engineer, but turned to philosophy and later to poetry; he declared it as his intent to create scientific poetry for modern times. In character sincere and melancholic, he was linked to the Parnassus school, although his work displays characteristics of its own.

The Final Footprint – Prudhomme is interred at Père-Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.  Other notable Final Footprints at Père Lachaise include; Guillaume Apollinaire, Honoré de Balzac, Georges Bizet, Jean-Dominique Bauby, Maria Callas, Frédéric Chopin, Colette, Auguste Comte, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Max Ernst, Molière, Jim Morrison, Édith Piaf, Camille Pissarro, Marcel Proust, Gioachino Rossini, Georges-Pierre Seurat, Gertrude Stein, Dorothea Tanning, Alice B. Toklas, Oscar Wilde, and Richard Wright.

#RIP #OTD in 1966 birth control activist, sex educator, writer, and nurse, Margaret Sanger died of congestive heart failure in Tucson, Arizona, aged 86. Fishkill Rural Cemetery, Fishkill, New York

#RIP #OTD in 1981 painter, poet, writer (My Left Foot, Down All the Days) Christy Brown died at his home in Parbrook, Somerset, England, after choking while eating aged 49. Glasnevin Cemetery, Glasnevin, County Dublin, Ireland

On this day in 1984, singer songwriter, The Texas Troubadour, the original E.T., Ernest Tubb died from emphysema in Nashville at the age of 70.  Born Ernest Dale Tubb on 9 February 1914 in Ellis County Texas.  One of the pioneers of country music, his biggest career hit song, “Walking the Floor Over You” (1941), marked the rise of the honky tonk style of music.  In 1948, he was the first singer to record a hit version of “Blue Christmas”.  Another well-known Tubb hit was “Waltz Across Texas” (1965), which became one of his most requested songs and is often used in dance halls throughout Texas during waltz lessons.  Tubb recorded duets with the then up-and-coming Loretta Lynn in the early 1960s, including their hit “Sweet Thang”.  Tubb is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.  My favorite E.T. song is Waltz across Texas.

 The Final Footprint – Tubb was buried at Hermitage Memorial Gardens, a Dignity Memorial property, in Old Hickory, Tennessee.  His grave is marked by a large custom flat bronze on granite memorial.

#RIP #OTD in 1998 filmmaker (Drunken Angel, Ikiru, Seven Samurai, Throne of Blood, Yojimbo, High and Low), painter Akira Kurosawa died of a stroke in Setagaya, Tokyo, at the age of 88. Anyo-In Temple Cemetery, Kamakura, Japan

On this day in 2007, one of the greatest opera tenors, The King of the High C’s, Luciano Pavarotti, died of kidney failure brought on by pancreatic cancer, at his home in Modena, Italy, at the age of 71.  Born 12 October 1935 in Modena.  One of the most commercially successful tenors of all time.  He made numerous recordings of complete operas and individual arias, gaining worldwide fame for the brilliance and beauty of his tone, especially into the upper register, and eventually established himself as one of the finest tenors of the 20th century.  As one of The Three Tenors, Pavarotti became well known for his televised concerts and media appearances.  From the beginning of his professional career as a tenor in 1961 in Italy to his final performance of “Nessun dorma” at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Pavarotti was at his best in bel operas, pre-Aida Verdi roles and Puccini works such as La bohème, Tosca, and Madama Butterfly.  Pavarotti was also noted for his charity work on behalf of refugees and the Red Cross, amongst others.  He made his opera debut in April 1961, in the role of Rudolfo in the opera La bohème.  In 1963, he made his international debut in the same role at London’s Royal Opera House.  He became the first tenor in opera history to hit all nine high C notes in the aria Quel Destin in the opera The Daughter of the Regiment by Gaetano Donizetti.

Grave of Luciano Pavarotti and his family in Montale (near Modena)

The Final Footprint – Pavarotti’s funeral was held in Modena Cathedral.  Romano Prodi and Kofi Annan attended.  The Frecce Tricolori, the aerobatic demonstration team of the Italian Air Force, flew overhead, leaving green-white-red smoke trails.  After a funeral procession through the centre of Modena, Pavarotti’s coffin was taken the final ten kilometres to Montale Rangone, a village part of Castelnuovo Rangone, and was entombed in the Pavarotti family crypt.  The funeral, in its entirety, was also telecast live on CNN.  The Vienna State Opera and the Salzburg Festival Hall flew black flags in mourning.  Tributes were published by many opera houses, such as London’s Royal Opera House.  The Italian football giant Juventus F.C., of which Pavarotti was a lifelong fan, was represented at the funeral and posted a farewell message on its website which said: “Ciao Luciano, black-and-white heart” referring to the team’s famous stripes when they play on their home ground.  Luciano Pavarotti:  Bravo!

On this day in 2018, actor, director, producer, sex symbol and icon of American popular culture, Burt Reynolds died of a heart attack at the Jupiter Medical Center in Jupiter, Florida at the age of 82.. Born Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. on February 11, 1936 in Lansing, Michigan.

Reynolds first rose to prominence starring in several different television series such as Gunsmoke (1962–1965), Hawk (1966), and Dan August (1970–1971). Reynolds had leading roles in such films as Navajo Joe (1966), but his breakthrough role was as Lewis Medlock in Deliverance (1972). Reynolds starred in a number of subsequent box office hits, such as The Longest Yard (1974), Smokey and the Bandit (1977), Semi-Tough (1977), The End (1978), Hooper (1978), Starting Over (1979), Smokey and the Bandit II (1980), The Cannonball Run (1981), Sharky’s Machine (1981), The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982), and Cannonball Run II (1984). He was nominated twice for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.

Reynolds was voted the world’s number one box office star for five consecutive years (from 1978 to 1982) in the annual Top Ten Money Making Stars Poll. His performance as high-minded pornographer Jack Horner in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Boogie Nights (1997) brought him renewed critical attention, earning him another Golden Globe (for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture), with nominations for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Reynolds was married to English actress Judy Carne from 1963 to 1965. He and American singer-actress Dinah Shore were in a relationship from early 1971 until 1976. In the mid-1970s, Reynolds briefly dated singer Tammy Wynette. He had a relationship from 1977 to 1980 (then off-and-on until 1982) with American actress Sally Field, during which time they appeared together in four films. In the later part of his life, he regarded Field as the love of his life. Reynolds was married to American actress Loni Anderson from 1988 to 1994.

The Final Footprint

On September 20, 2018, a private memorial service for Reynolds was held at a funeral home in North Palm Beach, Florida. Those in attendance included Sally Field, FSU coach Bobby Bowden, friend Lee Corso, and quarterback Doug Flutie. Reynolds’ body was cremated and his cremated remains were given to his family.

#RIP #OTD in 2021 actor (À bout de souffle, L’Homme de Rio, Pierrot le Fou, Borsalino, Le Professionnel) Jean-Paul Belmondo died at his home in Paris, aged 88. Cremated remains Cimetière du Montparnasse, Paris

On this day in 2021 actor (The Wire, Boardwalk Empire) Michael K. Williams died in his apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn from an overdose of heroin laced with fentanyl, aged 54.  Born Michael Kenneth Williams on November 22, 1966 in Brooklyn.  He rose to fame in 2002 through his critically acclaimed role as Omar Little on the HBO drama series The Wire.  He has been described as a “singular presence, onscreen and off, who made every role his own.”

The Final Footprint

Williams was found dead by his nephew.  On September 24, 2021, the NYC Office of Chief Medical Examiner confirmed that Williams died of a combination of fentanyl, p-fluorofentanyl, heroin, and cocaine, and ruled the death by overdose.  His private funeral was held at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Cathedral in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where his mother lives.  The Baltimore Ravens played a tribute to Williams by playing his character Omar Little’s whistle of the song “A Hunting We Will Go” as part of the team intro all throughout the M&T Bank Stadium.  In February 2022, police arrested four men in connection with Williams’ death.  His final resting place is in East Harrisburg Cemetery, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

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