RIP The Final Impression

On this day 4 July death of Thomas Jefferson – John Adams – James Monroe – Marie Curie – Suzanne Lenglen – Olive Ann Burns – Eva Gabor – Bob Ross – Barry White

Posted on 29 JulamSat, 04 Jul 2026 00:54:00 -05002026-07-04T00:54:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

245px-Thomas_Jefferson_by_Rembrandt_Peale,_1800

Portrait of Thomas Jefferson by Rembrandt Peale

On this day in 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and a few hours before the death of John Adams, polymath, planter, lawyer, teacher, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, 2nd Governor of Virginia, United States Ambassador to France, 1st United States Secretary of State, 2nd Vice President of the United States, 3rd President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson died at his home Monticello just outside Charlottesville, Virginia at the age of 83. Born on 13 April 1743 in Shadwell, Colony of Virginia.

The Final Footprint – Jefferson is interred in the family cemetery at Monticello. His grave is marked by a large upright stone monument. Jefferson wrote his own epitaph, which reads:

HERE WAS BURIED THOMAS JEFFERSON
AUTHOR OF THE DECLARATION OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE
OF THE STATUTE OF VIRGINIA FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
AND FATHER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA

On this day in 1826, the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, the 2nd president of the United States (1797–1801), the first vice president of the United States, an American Founding Father, statesman, diplomat, father of John Quincy Adams (the 6th President of the United States), John Adams died at his home in Quincy, Massachusetts at the age of 90. Born on 30 October 1735, in what is now Quincy, Massachusetts (then called the “north precinct” of Braintree, Massachusetts). A leading advocate of American independence from Great Britain. Well educated, he was an Enlightenment political theorist who promoted republicanism and wrote prolifically about his often seminal ideas, both in published works and in letters to his wife and key adviser Abigail Adams, as well as to other Founding Fathers. Adams came to prominence in the early stages of the American Revolution. A lawyer and public figure in Boston, as a delegate from Massachusetts to the Continental Congress, he played a leading role in persuading Congress to declare independence. He assisted Thomas Jefferson in drafting the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and was its primary advocate in the Congress. Later, as a diplomat in Europe, he helped negotiate the eventual peace treaty with Great Britain, and was responsible for obtaining vital governmental loans from Amsterdam bankers. A political theorist and historian, Adams largely wrote the Massachusetts Constitution in 1780, which together with his earlier Thoughts on Government, influenced American political thought. One of his greatest roles was as a judge of character: in 1775, he nominated George Washington to be commander-in-chief, and 25 years later nominated John Marshall to be Chief Justice of the United States.

The Final Footprint – Told that it was the Fourth, he answered clearly, “It is a great day. It is a good day.” His last words have been reported as “Thomas Jefferson survives” (Jefferson himself, however, had died hours before Adams did). Adams is entombed at United First Parish Church (also known as the Church of the Presidents) in Quincy. Originally, he was buried in Hancock Cemetery, across the road from the Church.

On this day in 1831, 12th and 16th Governor of Virginia, 7th United States Secretary of State, the fifth President of the United States (1817–1825), the last president who was a Founding Father of the United States, the third of them to die on Independence Day, and the last president from the Virginia dynasty and the Republican Generation, James Monroe died at his daughters home in New York City from heart failure and tuberculosis at the age of 73. Born on 28 April 1758, in his parents’ house located in a wooded area of Westmoreland County, Virginia. Monroe was of the planter class and fought in the American Revolutionary War. After studying law under Thomas Jefferson from 1780 to 1783, he served as a delegate in the Continental Congress. As an anti-federalist delegate to the Virginia convention that considered ratification of the United States Constitution, Monroe opposed ratification, claiming it gave too much power to the central government. He took an active part in the new government, and in 1790 he was elected to the Senate of the first United States Congress, where he joined the Jeffersonians. He gained experience as an executive as the Governor of Virginia and rose to national prominence as a diplomat in France, when he helped negotiate the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. During the War of 1812, Monroe held the critical roles of Secretary of State and the Secretary of War under President James Madison. Facing little opposition from the fractured Federalist Party, Monroe was easily elected president in 1816, winning over 80 percent of the electoral vote and becoming the last president during the First Party System era of American politics. As president, he bought Florida from Spain and sought to ease partisan tensions, embarking on a tour of the country that was generally well received. With the ratification of the Treaty of 1818, under the successful diplomacy of his Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, the United States extended from the Atlantic to the Pacific, giving America harbor and fishing rights in the Pacific Northwest. The landmark Treaty of 1819 secured the border of the United States along the 42nd Parallel to the Pacific Ocean and represented America’s first determined attempt at creating an “American global empire”. As nationalism surged, partisan fury subsided and the “Era of Good Feelings” ensued until the Panic of 1819 struck and dispute over the admission of Missouri embroiled the country in 1820. Nonetheless, Monroe won near-unanimous reelection. In 1823, he announced the United States’ opposition to any European intervention in the recently independent countries of the Americas with the Monroe Doctrine, which became a landmark in American foreign policy. His presidency concluded the first period of American presidential history before the beginning of Jacksonian democracy and the Second Party System era.

The Final Footprint – Monroe was originally entombed in New York at the Gouverneur family’s vault in the New York City Marble Cemetery. Twenty-seven years later in 1858 the body was re-entombed to the President’s Circle at the Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia. The James Monroe Tomb is a U.S. National Historic Landmark.

#RIP #OTD in 1934, physicist/chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity, the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, Marie Curie died at the Sancellemoz sanatorium in Passy, Haute-Savoie, France from aplastic anaemia aged 66. Panthéon, Paris

#RIP #OTD in 1938, tennis player, 8x singles Grand Slam champ (Wimbledon 6x, Roland-Garros 2x), Suzanne Lenglen died in Paris aged 39. Cimetière de Saint-Ouen just outside Paris

#RIP #OTD in 1990 writer (Cold Sassy Tree) Olive Ann Burns died of heart failure in Atlanta, aged 65. Grey Hill Cemetery, Commerce, Georgia.

#RIP #OTD in 1995 actress (The Aristocats, The Rescuers, Green Acres), businesswoman, singer, socialite, sister of Zsa Zsa and Magda, Eva Gabor died in Los Angeles from respiratory failure and pneumonia, aged 76. Westwood Memorial Park, Westwood, California

On this day in 1995, United States Air Force veteran, painter, art instructor, and television host Bob Ross died from lymphoma at the age of 52. Born Robert Norman Ross on October 29, 1942 in Daytona Beach, Florida. He was the creator and host of The Joy of Painting, an instructional television program that aired from 1983 to 1994 on PBS in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and Europe. Ross went from being a public television personality in the 1980s and 1990s to being an Internet celebrity in the 21st century, becoming popular with fans on YouTube and many other websites many years after his death.

Ross was married three times; Vivian Ridge (1965-1977 divorce), Jane Ross (1977-1992 her death), and Lynda Brown (1995-1995 his death).

The Final Footprint

His remains are interred at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Gotha, Florida. The grave is marked by a individual bronze on granite marker.

On this day in 2003, singer-songwriter, musician, record producer and composer Barry White died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles at the age of 58. Born Barry Eugene Carter on September 12, 1944 in Galveston, Texas. A three-time Grammy Award–winner known for his distinctive bass-baritone voice and romantic image, his greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with The Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring soul, funk, and disco songs such as his two biggest hits: “You’re the First, the Last, My Everything” and “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe”. During the course of his career in the music business, White achieved 106 gold albums worldwide, 41 of which also attained platinum status. White had 20 gold and 10 platinum singles.

White married his childhood sweetheart Mary, but the couple separated in 1969 and later divorced. In 1974, White married singer Glodean James.

The Final Footprint

His remains were cremated, and the ashes were scattered in the ocean off the California coast.

Have you planned yours yet?

Follow TFF on twitter @RIPTFF

Posted in Artistic Footprints, Day in History, Extravagant Footprints, Musical Footprints, Political Footprints | Tagged barry white, bob ross, Buried, Cemetery, church of the presidents, Cimetière de Saint-Ouen, declaration of independence, epitaph, Eva Gabor, Founding Fathers, Grey Hill Cemetery, Ground Burial, hancock cemetery, History, hollywood cemetery, Inscription, james monroe, john adams, Marie Curie, monticello, Olive Ann Burns, Pantheon, POTUS, President of the U.S., Private Estates, riptff, Suzanne Lenglen, tff, the final footprint, thomas Jefferson, united first parish church, university of virginia, vice president of the united states, Westwood Memorial Park, woodlawn memorial park | Leave a comment

On this day 3 July death of Marie de’ Medici – Brian Jones – Jim Morrison – Don Drysdale – Andy Griffith – Jini Dellaccio – Michael Madsen

Posted on 29 JulamFri, 03 Jul 2026 00:18:00 -05002026-07-03T00:18:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

On this day in 1642, member of the wealthy and powerful House of Medici, Queen consort of France and Navarre, Marie de’ Medici died in Cologne at the age of 69. Born in Florence, Italy at the Palazzo Pitti on 26 April 1573, Marie was the sixth daughter of Francesco I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and Joanna, Archduchess of Austria, daughter of Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, and Anna of Bohemia and Hungary. Marie was one of seven children, but only she and her sister Eleanora survived to adulthood. The House of Medici was a political dynasty, banking family and later royal house that first began to gather prominence under Cosimo de’ Medici in the Republic of Florence during the late 14th century. The family originated in the Mugello region of the Tuscan countryside, gradually rising until they were able to fund the Medici Bank. The bank was the largest in Europe during the 15th century and helped the Medici gain political power in Florence, though officially they remained citizens rather than monarchs. The Medici produced four Popes of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo X (1513–1521), Pope Clement VII (1523–1534), Pope Pius IV (1559–1565), and Pope Leo XI (1605); two regent queens of France, Catherine de’ Medici (1547–1559) and Marie (1600–1610); and, in 1531, the family became hereditary Dukes of Florence. In 1569, the duchy was elevated to a grand duchy after territorial expansion. They ruled the Grand Duchy of Tuscany from its inception until 1737, with the death of Gian Gastone de’ Medici. The grand duchy witnessed degrees of economic growth under the earlier grand dukes, but by the time of Cosimo III de’ Medici, Tuscany was fiscally bankrupt. Their wealth and influence initially derived from the textile trade guided by the guild of the Arte della Lana. Like other signore families they dominated their city’s government. The Medici were able to bring Florence under their family’s power, allowing for an environment where art and humanism could flourish. They fostered and inspired the birth of the Italian Renaissance along with other families of Italy, such as the Visconti and Sforza of Milan, the Este of Ferrara, and the Gonzaga of Mantua. The Medici Bank was one of the most prosperous and most respected institutions in Europe. There are some estimates that the Medici family were the wealthiest family in Europe for a period of time. From this base, they acquired political power initially in Florence and later in wider Italy and Europe. A notable contribution to the profession of accounting was the improvement of the general ledger system through the development of the double-entry bookkeeping system for tracking credits and debits. The Medici family were among the earliest businesses to use the system. Marie married Henry IV of France in October 1600 following the annulment of his marriage to Margaret of Valois. The wedding ceremony in Lyon, France was celebrated with 4,000 guests and lavish entertainments, including a production of the newly invented musical genre of opera, Jacopo Peri‘s Euridice. She brought as part of her dowry 600,000 crowns. Her eldest son, the future King Louis XIII, was born at Fontainebleau the following year. Following the assassination of her husband in 1610 she acted as regent for her son, King Louis XIII of France, until he came of age. She was noted for her ceaseless political intrigues at the French court and extensive artistic patronage.

The Final Footprint – Marie was entombed in the Basilica of St. Denis. The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Denis is a large medieval abbey church in the city of Saint-Denis, now a northern suburb of Paris. The building is of unique importance historically and architecturally, as its choir completed in 1144 is considered to be the first Gothic church ever built. The abbey is where the kings of France and their families were buried for centuries and is therefore often referred to as the “royal necropolis of France”. All but three of the monarchs of France from the 10th century until 1789 have their remains here. Other notable final footprints at St. Denis include: Clovis I (465–511), Childebert I (496–558), Arégonde (c.515–c.573), Fredegonde (Wife of Chilperic I of Neustria) (?–597), Dagobert I (603–639), Clovis II (635–657), Charles Martel (686–741), Pippin the Younger (714–768) and his wife Bertrada of Laon (726–783), Carloman I King of the Franks (c.751–771), Charles the Bald (823–877) (his brass monument was melted down during the Revolution) and his wife, Ermentrude of Orléans (823–869), Carloman (866–884), Robert II the Pious (972–1031) and Constance of Arles (c. 986–1032), Henry I (1008–1060), Louis VI (1081–1137), Louis VII (1120–1180) and Constance of Castile (1141–1160), Philip II Augustus (1180–1223), Louis IX (1214-1270), Charles I of Naples (1226–1285), king of the Two Sicilies (1266–85). An effigy covers his heart burial, Philip III the Bold (1245–1285), Philip IV the Fair (1268–1314) and his mother Isabella of Aragon (1247–1271), Leo V of Armenia (1342–1393), Louis XII of France (1462–1515), Francis I (1494–1547), Henry II (1519–1559) and Catherine de’ Medici (1519–1589), Francis II (1544–1560), Charles IX (1550–1574) (no monument), Henry III (1551–1589), also King of Poland (heart burial monument), Henry IV (1553–1610), Louis XIII (1601–1643), Louis XIV (1638–1715), Louis XV (1710–1774), Louis XVI (1754–1793) and Marie Antoinette (1755–1793), Louis XVII (1785–1795) (only his heart; his body was dumped into a mass grave), and Louis XVIII (1755–1824).

On this day in 1969, English musician, founding member of the Rolling Stones, and member of the Forever 27 Club, Brian Jones died in his swimming pool at Cotchford Farm at the age of 27. Born Lewis Brian Hopkins Jones on 28 February 1942 in Cheltenham, England. Although he was originally the leader of the group, Jones’s fellow band members Mick Jagger and Keith Richards soon overshadowed him, especially after they became a successful songwriting team. He developed a serious drug problem over the years and his role in the band steadily diminished. He was asked to leave the Rolling Stones in June 1969 and guitarist Mick Taylor took his place in the group. The coroner’s report stated “death by misadventure” and noted his liver and heart were heavily enlarged by drug and alcohol abuse. Club 27 or the Forever 27 Club; is a group of musicians or actors who died when they were 27 years old. The group includes; Robert Johnson, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison (see below), Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, and Anton Yelchin.

The Final Footprint – Jones was reportedly buried 12 feet deep in Cheltenham Cemetery (to prevent exhumation by trophy hunters) in a lavish casket sent by Bob Dylan.

On this day in 1971, singer and lyricist for the rock band The Doors, poet, The Lizard King, Mr. Mojo Risin’, Jim Morrison died in his Paris apartment at the age of 27, thus becoming a member of Club 27 or the Forever 27 Club; a group of famous musicians or actors who died when they were 27 years old. The group includes; Robert Johnson, Brian Jones (see above), Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, and Anton Yelchin. The cause of death was listed as heart failure though an autopsy was not performed as the medical examiner claimed to have found no evidence of foul play. Born James Douglas Morrison on 8 December 1943 in Melbourne, Florida. Probably one of the most iconic, charismatic and pioneering frontmen in rock music history. He remains popular and influential. Morrison graduated from UCLA. My favorite Doors songs inlcude; “Light My Fire”, “Love Me Two Times”, “Love Her Madly”, “Touch Me”, “People are Strange”, and “Break on Through”. Morrison’s long term companion/common-law wife was Pamela Courson. She died of a heroin overdose – at the age of 27.

The Final Footprint – Morrison is interred in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris, one of the city’s most visited tourist attractions. His grave is marked by an upright granite marker with the Greek inscription; ΚΑΤΑ ΤΟΝ ΔΑΙΜΟΝΑ ΕΑΥΤΟΥ, literally meaning “according to his own daemon” and usually interpreted as “true to his own spirit”. Oliver Stone’s biopic The Doors, was released in 1991 and featured Val Kilmer as Morrison and Meg Ryan as Courson. Other notable Final Footprints at Père Lachaise include; Guillaume Apollinaire, Honoré de Balzac, Jean-Dominique Bauby, Georges Bizet, Maria Callas, Chopin, Colette, Auguste Comte, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Max Ernst, Molière, Édith Piaf, Camille Pissarro, Marcel Proust, Sully Prudhomme, Gioachino Rossini, Georges-Pierre Seurat, Simone Signoret, Gertrude Stein, Dorothea Tanning, Alice B. Toklas, Oscar Wilde, and Richard Wright.

#RIP #OTD in 1993 professional baseball pitcher, Brooklyn / Los Angeles Dodger, 9x All-Star, 3x World Series Champion, Hall of Famer, No. 53 retred, television sports commentator, Don Drysdale died; heart attack; Montréal aged 56. Cremation

#RIP #OTD in 2012, actor (A Face in the Crowd, No Time for Sergeants, The Andy Griffith Show, Matlock), comedian, television producer, singer, writer, Andy Griffith died at his Roanoke Island home in Manteo, North Carolina, from a heart attack aged 86. Griffith Family Estate, Roanoke, North Carolina

#RIP #OTD in 2014 photographer best known for her images of rock and roll acts, Jini Dellaccio died at age 97 in Seattle, Washington

#RIP #OTD in 2025, actor (Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill: Volume 2, The Hateful Eight, The Natural, The Doors, Thelma & Louise, Species, Donnie Brasco, Die Another Day), Michael Madsen died at his home in Malibu from heart failure aged 67. His cremated remains were interred at Mount Sinai Memorial Park in Hollywood hills

Have you planned yours yet?

Follow TFF on twitter @RIPTFF

Posted in Day in History, Musical Footprints | Tagged Andy Griffith, basilica of st denis, brian jones, Buried, Cemetery, cheltenham cemetery, club 27, Cremation, death by misadventure, Don Drysdale, forever 27 club, Ground Burial, henry iv, History, house of medici, Inscription, jim morrison, Jini Dellaccio, marie de medici, Michael Madsen, Monument, Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery, mr mojo risin, Pere Lachaise Cemetery, riptff, tff, The Doors, the final footprint, the lizard king, the rolling stones | Leave a comment

On this day 2 July death of Nostradamus – Jean-Jacques Rousseau – Ernest Hemingway – Betty Grable – Vladimir Nabokov – Mario Puzo – Lee Remick – Fred Gwynne – Jimmy Stewart – Beverly Sills – Michael Cimino – Elie Wiesel

Posted on 29 JulamThu, 02 Jul 2026 00:42:00 -05002026-07-02T00:42:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

On this day in 1566, French apothecary and reputed seer, author, translator, astrological consultant, Nostradamus died at the age of 62 in Salon-de-Provence, Provence, France. Born Michel de Nostredame on either 14 or 21 December 1503 in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, Provence, France. Nostradamus published collections of prophecies that have since become famous worldwide. He is best known for his book Les Propheties, the first edition of which appeared in 1555. Since the publication of this book, which has rarely been out of print since his death, Nostradamus has attracted a following that, along with much of the popular press, credits him with predicting many major world events. Most academic sources maintain that the associations made between world events and Nostradamus’s quatrains are largely the result of misinterpretations or mistranslations (sometimes deliberate) or else are so tenuous as to render them useless as evidence of any genuine predictive power. Nevertheless, occasional commentators have successfully used a process of free interpretation and determined ‘twisting’ of his words to predict an apparently imminent event.

The Final Footprint – He was entombed in the local Franciscan chapel in Salon (part of it now incorporated into the restaurant La Brocherie) but re-entombed during the French Revolution in the Collégiale Saint-Laurent, where his tomb remains to this day.

On this day in 1778, Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer Jean-Jacques Rousseau died on the estate of the marquis René Louis de Girardin at Ermenonville (28 miles northeast of Paris), from a hemorrhage, aged 66. Born on 28 June 1712 in Geneva. His political philosophy influenced the French Revolution as well as the overall development of modern political, sociological, and educational thought. Rousseau’s novel Émile: or, On Education is a treatise on the education of the whole person for citizenship. His sentimental novel Julie, or the New Heloise was of importance to the development of pre-romanticism and romanticism in fiction. Rousseau’s autobiographical writings—his Confessions, which initiated the modern autobiography, and his Reveries of a Solitary Walker—exemplified the late 18th-century movement known as the Age of Sensibility, and featured an increased focus on subjectivity and introspection that later characterized modern writing. His Discourse on the Origin of Inequality and his On the Social Contract are cornerstones in modern political and social thought. Rousseau was a successful composer of music, who wrote seven operas as well as music in other forms, and made contributions to music as a theorist. During the period of the French Revolution, Rousseau was the most popular of the philosophes among members of the Jacobin Club.

The Final Footprint – Rousseau was initially buried at Ermenonville on the Ile des Peupliers, which became a place of pilgrimage for his many admirers. Sixteen years after his death, his remains were moved to the Panthéon in Paris in 1794, where they are located directly across from those of his contemporary, Voltaire. His tomb, in the shape of a rustic temple, on which, in bas relief an arm reaches out, bearing the torch of liberty, evokes Rousseau’s deep love of nature and of classical antiquity. Other notable Final Footprints at the Panthéon include: Louis Braille, Pierre and Marie Curie, Alexandre Dumas, Victor Hugo, André Malraux, Voltaire and Émile Zola.

On this day in 1961, author and journalist, recipient of both the Pulitzer and Nobel Prizes, Papa, Ernest Hemingway died from a self inflicted gunshot at his home in Ketchum, Idaho at the age of 61. Born Ernest Miller Hemingway on 21 July 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois. Hemingway lived in Key West and Cuba before moving to Idaho. In my opinion, he is one of the most influential American writers and one of my favorites. His writing style is characterized by short declarative sentences and authentic characters. Hemingway eschewed the elaborate style of 19th century writers in favor of prose that is lean and establishes meaning through dialogue and action and silences. My favorite Hemingway novels inlcude: The Sun Also Rises (1926), which was adapted into a film in 1957 starring Tyrone Power, Ava Gardner, Mel Ferrer and Errol Flynn; A Farewell to Arms (1929) which was adapted into film twice first in 1932 with Gary Cooper and then in 1957 with Rock Hudson; For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940) which was adapted into a film starring Cooper and Ingrid Bergman; and The Old Man and the Sea (1952).

The Final Footprint – Hemingway is interred in Ketchum Cemetery in Ketchum. His grave is marked by a full granite ledger marker.

Betty Grable
in 1951

On this day in 1973, actress, pin-up girl, dancer, and singer Betty Grable died from lung cancer in Los Angeles at the age of 56. Born Elizabeth Ruth Grable on December 18, 1916 in St. Louis, Missouri. Her 42 films during the 1930s and 1940s set a record of 12 consecutive years in the top 10 of box office stars.

in the film Tin Pan Alley(1940)

with Carmen Miranda in hit Springtime in the Rockies (1942)

iconic pose from 1943 was a World War II bestseller, showing off her “Million Dollar Legs”.

with Marilyn Monroe (left) and Lauren Bacall (right) in How to Marry a Millionaire (1953)

Grable married former child actor Jackie Coogan in 1937. He was under considerable stress from a lawsuit against his parents over his childhood earnings, and the couple divorced in 1939. In 1943, she married trumpeter Harry James.

Their marriage, which lasted for 22 years, was rife with alcoholism and infidelity before they divorced in 1965. Grable entered into a relationship with dancer Bob Remick, several years her junior, with whom she remained until she died in 1973.

The Final Footprint

Her funeral was held on 4 July. “I Had the Craziest Dream”, the ballad from Springtime in the Rockies, was played on the church organ. She was entombed at Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California. Other notable Final Footprints at Inglewood Park include; Ray Charles, Curt Flood, Ella Fitzgerald, Robert Kardashian (father of Kim, Kourtney and Khloé), Billy Preston, and T-Bone Walker.

handprint/signature in front of the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre

Grable has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6525 Hollywood Boulevard. She also has a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. Her iconic pin-up image was recently named one of Time ‘s 100 Most Influential Photographs of All Time.

#RIP #OTD in 1977 novelist (Lolita; Pale Fire; Speak, Memory), poet, translator, and entomologist, Vladimir Nabokov died in Montreux, Switzerland, aged 78. His remains were cremated and buried at Clarens cemetery in Montreux

On this day in 1991, Italian American author and screenwriter, Mario Puzo died of heart failure at his home on Manor Lane in West Bay Shore, Long Island, New York, at the age of 78. Born Mario Gianluigi Puzo on 15 October 1920 into a poor family from Pietradefusi, Province of Avellino, Campania, Italy, living in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of New York. Perhaps best known for his novels about the Mafia, including The Godfather (1969), which he later co-adapted into a trilogy directed by Francis Ford Coppola. He received the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the first film in 1972 and Part II in 1974. Puzo also wrote the original screenplay for the 1978 Superman film. His final novel, The Family, was released posthumously in 2001.

The Final Footprint – He is interred next to his wife Erika in West Babylon Cemetery in West Babylon, New York. Their graves are marked by a large upright granite marker.

#RIP #OTD in 1991 actress (Days of Wine and Roses, Anatomy of a Murder, Wild River, No Way to Treat a Lady, The Detective, The Omen, The Europeans), singer, Lee Remick died from kidney cancer in Brentwood, Los Angeles aged 55. Cremation

On this day in 1993, US Navy veteran, Harvard University graduate, actor, artist, author Fred Gwynne died of complications from pancreatic cancer in the cigar room at his home in Taneytown, Maryland, at the age of 66. Born Frederick Hubbard Gwynne on July 10, 1926 in New York City. Perhaps best known for his roles in the 1960s sitcoms Car 54, Where Are You? and as Herman Munster in The Munsters, as well as his later roles in The Cotton Club, Pet Sematary (playing Jud Crandall) and My Cousin Vinny.

In 1952, Gwynne married socialite Jean “Foxy” Reynard, a granddaughter of New York City mayor William Jay Gaynor. In 1988, Gwynne married Deborah Flater.

The Final Footprint

He is interred in an unmarked grave at Sandy Mount United Methodist Church Cemetery in Finksburg, Maryland.

On this day in 1997, United States Army Air Forces veteran, United States Air Force Reserve veteran, film and stage actor, Jimmy Stewart died from a heart attack at his home in Beverly Hills at the age of 89. Born James Maitland Stewart on 20 May 1908 in Indiana, Pennsylvania.

Stewart started acting while studying at Princeton University. After graduating in 1932, he began a career as a stage actor, appearing on Broadway and in summer stock productions. In 1935, he signed a film contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). The studio did not see leading man material in Stewart, but after three years of supporting roles and being loaned out to other studios, he had his big breakthrough in Frank Capra’s ensemble comedy You Can’t Take It with You (1938). The following year, Stewart garnered his first of five Academy Award nominations for his portrayal of an idealized and virtuous man who becomes a senator in Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). He won his only Academy Award for Best Actor for his work in the screwball comedy The Philadelphia Story (1940), which also starred Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant.

A licensed amateur pilot, Stewart enlisted as a private in the Army Air Corps as soon as he could after the United States entered the Second World War in 1941. Although still an MGM star, his only public and film appearances from 1941 to 1945 were scheduled by the Air Corps. After fighting in the European theater of war, he had attained the rank of colonel and had received several awards for his service. He remained in the U.S. Air Force Reserve and was promoted to brigadier general in 1959. He retired in 1968, and was awarded the United States Air Force Distinguished Service Medal.

After the war, Stewart had difficulties in adapting to changing Hollywood and even thought about ending his acting career. He became a freelancer, and had his first postwar role as George Bailey in Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life (1946). Although it earned him an Oscar nomination, the film was not a big success at first. It has increased in popularity in the decades since its release, and is considered a Christmas classic and one of Stewart’s most famous performances. In the 1950s, Stewart experienced a career revival by playing darker, more morally ambiguous characters in Westerns and thrillers. Some of his most important collaborations during this period were with directors Anthony Mann, with whom he made eight films including Winchester ’73 (1950), The Glenn Miller Story (1954) and The Naked Spur (1953), and Alfred Hitchcock, with whom he collaborated on Rope (1948), Rear Window (1954), The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), and Vertigo (1958). Vertigo was ignored by critics at its time of release, but has since been reevaluated and recognized as an American cinematic masterpiece. His other films in the 1950s included the Broadway adaptation Harvey (1950) and the courtroom drama Anatomy of a Murder (1959), both of which landed him Academy Award nominations.

Stewart’s later Westerns included The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962) and Cheyenne Autumn (1964), both directed by John Ford. He signed a multi-movie deal with 20th Century-Fox in 1962, and appeared in many popular family comedies during the decade.

Stewart remained unmarried until his 40s, and was dubbed “The Great American Bachelor” by the press. In 1949, he married former model Gloria Hatrick McLean. They had twin daughters, and he adopted her two sons from her previous marriage. The marriage lasted until McLean’s death in 1994.

The Final Footprint – His death came one day after the death of one-time co-star Robert Mitchum (The Big Sleep (1978)). Stewart is interred in Forest Lawn Glendale Memorial Park Cemetery, alongside his wife, Gloria, who had died from lung cancer on 16 February 1994. President Bill Clinton commented on Stewart’s death, saying: “America lost a national treasure today. Jimmy Stewart was a great actor, a gentleman and a patriot.” Other notable Final Footprints at Forest Lawn Glendale include; L. Frank Baum, Humphrey Bogart, Lon Chaney, Nat King Cole, Sam Cooke, Dorothy Dandridge, Sammy Davis, Jr., Walt Disney, Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Michael Jackson, Carole Lombard, Tom Mix, Casey Stengel, Elizabeth Taylor, and Spencer Tracy.

in 1956, photo by Carl Van Vechten

On this day in 2007, operatic soprano Beverly Sills died from lung cancer at the age of 77. Born Belle Miriam Silverman on May 25, 1929 in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, New York City. Although she sang a repertoire from Handel and Mozart to Puccini, Massenet and Verdi, she was known for her performances in coloratura soprano roles in live opera and recordings. Sills was largely associated with the operas of Donizetti, of which she performed and recorded many roles. Her signature roles include the title role in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, the title role in Massenet’s Manon, Marie in Donizetti’s La fille du régiment, the three heroines in Offenbach’s Les contes d’Hoffmann, Rosina in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, Violetta in Verdi’s La traviata, and most notably Elisabetta in Roberto Devereux.

After retiring from singing in 1980, she became the general manager of the New York City Opera. In 1994, she became the chairwoman of Lincoln Center and then, in 2002, of the Metropolitan Opera, stepping down in 2005. Sills lent her celebrity to further her charity work for the prevention and treatment of birth defects.

On November 17, 1956, Sills married journalist Peter Greenough, of the Cleveland, Ohio, newspaper The Plain Dealer and moved to Cleveland.

The Final Footprint

She is buried in Sharon Gardens, the Jewish division of Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New York. Other notable final footprints at Kensico include; Anne Bancroft, Tommy Dorsey, Geraldine Farrar, Lou Gehrig, Robert Merrill, and Ayn Rand.

#RIP #OTD in 2016 filmmaker (Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, The Deer Hunter, Heaven’s Gate, The Sicilian) Michael Cimino died in Beverly Hills, aged 77. Final footprint unknown at this time

On this day in 2016 writer, professor, political activist, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel died at his home in Manhattan, aged 87. Born Eliezer Wiesel Hebrew: אֱלִיעֶזֶר וִיזֶל‎ ʾĔlîʿezer Vîzel on September 30, 1928 in Sighet (now Sighetu Marmației), Maramureș, in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania. He authored 57 books, written mostly in French and English, including Night, a work based on his experiences as a Jewish prisoner in the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps.

He was a professor of the humanities at Boston University, which created the Elie Wiesel Center for Jewish Studies in his honor. He was involved with Jewish causes and human rights causes and helped establish the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D. C. In his political activities, he also campaigned for victims of oppression in places like South Africa, Nicaragua, Kosovo, and Sudan. He publicly condemned the 1915 Armenian Genocide and remained a strong defender of human rights during his lifetime.

Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. The Norwegian Nobel Committee called him a “messenger to mankind”, stating that through his struggle to come to terms with “his own personal experience of total humiliation and of the utter contempt for humanity shown in Hitler’s death camps”, as well as his “practical work in the cause of peace”, Wiesel has delivered a message “of peace, atonement, and human dignity” to humanity. The Nobel Committee also stressed that Wiesel’s commitment originated in the sufferings of the Jewish people but that he expanded it to embrace all repressed peoples and races. He was a founding board member of the New York Human Rights Foundation and remained active throughout his life.

In 1969 he married Marion Erster Rose, who originally was from Austria and also translated many of his books.

The Final Footprint

Wiesel is interred at Sharon Gardens Cemetery in Valhalla, New York

Have you planned yours yet?

Follow TFF on twitter @RIPTFF

Posted in Day in History, Extravagant Footprints, Film Footprints, Literary Footprints | Tagged a farewell to arms, betty grable, beverly sills, Buried, Cemetery, Cimetière de Clarens-Montreux, Collégiale Saint-Laurent, confessions, elie wiesel, Ernest Hemingway, for whom the bell tolls, forest lawn memorial park cemetery, francis ford coppola, fred gwynne, Ground Burial, History, jacobin club, jean-jacques rousseau, jimmy stewart, ketchum cemetery, lee remick, Mario Puzo, michael cimino, nostradamus, Pantheon, riptff, Sandy Mount United Methodist Church Cemetery, tff, the final footprint, The Godfather, the old man and the sea, the snows of kilimanjaro, the sun also rises, Vladimir Nabokov, west babylon cemetery | Leave a comment

On this day 1 July death of Harriet Beecher Stowe – Erik Satie – Michael Landon – Wolfman Jack -Margaux Hemingway – Robert Mitchum – Walter Matthau – Marlon Brando – Luther Vandross – Karl Malden – Robert Towne

Posted on 29 JulamWed, 01 Jul 2026 00:30:00 -05002026-07-01T00:30:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

#RIP #OTD in 1896 author (Uncle Tom’s Cabin) and abolitionist, Harriet Beecher Stowe died in Hartford, Connecticut, aged 85. Phillips Academy Cemetery in Andover, Massachusetts

On this day in 1991, actor, writer, director, producer, Michael Landon died from pancreatic cancer at the age of 54, in Malibu, California. Born Eugene Maurice Orowitz in Forest Hills, Queens, a neighborhood of Queens, New York on 31 October 1936. Known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza (1959–73), Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie (1974–83), and Jonathan Smith in Highway to Heaven (1984–89). Landon produced, wrote, and directed many of his series’ episodes. In 1981, Landon won recognition for his screenwriting with a Spur Award from the Western Writers of America. In 1976, Landon wrote and directed an auto-biographical movie, The Loneliest Runner, which was nominated for two Emmys. Landon was married three times, and father to nine children: Dodie Levy-Fraser (1956 – 1962 divorce), Marjorie Lynn Noe (1963 – 1982 divorce), Cindy Clerico (1983 – 1991 his death).

The Final Footprint – Landon was entombed at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery, in Culver City, California. His crypt plate reads;

HE SEIZED LIFE WITH JOY.

HE GAVE TO LIFE GENEROUSLY.

HE LEAVES A LEGACY OF LOVE AND LAUGHTER

The remains of his son, Mark, were also entombed there upon his death in May 2009.Other notable Final Footprints at Hillside Memorial include; Jack Benny, Milton Berle, Cyd Charisse, Lorne Greene, Moe Howard, Al Jolson, Leonard Nimoy, Suzanne Pleshette, Dinah Shore, and Shelley Winters.

#RIP #OTD in 1995 disc jockey (XERF, XERB), radio personality, musician, television presenter Wolfman Jack, Robert Weston Smith died from a heart attack at his house in Belvidere, North Carolina, aged 57. Smith Family Estate Cemetery, Belvidere. Clap for the Wolfman, y’all!

On this day in 1996, granddaughter of Ernest Hemingway, sister of Mariel Hemingway, fashion model and actress, Margaux Hemingway died, one day before the anniversary of her grandfather’s suicide, from an overdose of phenobarbital in her studio apartment in Santa Monica, California at age 42. Born Margot Louise Hemingway in Portland, Oregon on 16 February 1954.

Hemingway earned success as a supermodel in the mid-1970s appearing on the covers of Cosmopolitan, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Vogue, and TIME. She signed a contract for Fabergé as the spokesmodel for Babe perfume.

Hemingway’s first marriage, to Errol Wetson (Wetanson), ended in divorce. They met when, at age 19, she accompanied her father to the Plaza Hotel in New York City on a business trip. They divorced in 1978.

On the last day of 1979, Hemingway married French filmmaker Bernard Faucher in Ketchum, and they lived in Paris for a year. She divorced him in 1985.

The Final Footprint – Hemingway was cremated and her cremated remains were buried in the Hemingway family plot in the Ketchum Cemetery in Idaho. See additional photos below

On this day in 1997, actor, author, composer and singer, Robert Mitchum died in Santa Barbara, California, due to complications of lung cancer and emphysema at the age of 79. Born Robert Charles Durman Mitchum on 6 August 1917 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. In my opinion, one of the greatest male American screen legends of all time. Mitchum rose to prominence for his starring roles in several major works of the film noir style, and is considered a forerunner of the anti-heroes prevalent in film during the 1950s and 1960s. My favorite Mitchum film roles include: as Max Cady in Cape Fear (1962), based on the John D. MacDonald book The Executioners with Gregory Peck; as sheriff J. P. Harrah in Howard Hawk‘s El Dorado (1967) with John Wayne and James Caan. Mitchum was married to Dorothy Spence (1940–97 his death).

The Final Footprint – Mitchum was cremated and his cremated remains were scattered at sea. There is a memorial marker in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Camden, Delaware.

On this day in 2000, actor Walter Matthau died of a heart attack in Santa Monica at the age of 79. Born Walter John Matthow in New York City’s Lower East Side on 1 October 1920. Perhaps best known for his role as Oscar Madison in The Odd Couple and his frequent collaborations with Odd Couple co-star Jack Lemmon, as well as his role as Coach Buttermaker in the 1976 comedy The Bad News Bears. He won an Academy Award for his performance in the 1966 Billy Wilder film The Fortune Cookie. Other notable roles included: as Max Goldman in Grumpy Old Men (1993) with Ann-Margret, Lemmon and Burgess Meredith and in the sequel Grumpier Old Men (1995) with Ann-Margret, Sophia Loren, and Meredith. Matthau married twice; Grace Geraldine Johnson (1948–58; divorced; 2 children) and Carol Grace (1959–2000 his death; one child).

The Final Footprint – interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery (a Dignity Memorial property) in Los Angeles. Less than a year later, Lemmon was buried at the same cemetery. After Matthau’s death, Lemmon as well as other friends and relatives had appeared on Larry King Live in an hour of tribute and remembrance; many of those same people appeared on the show one year later, reminiscing about Lemmon. His wife Carol, died of a brain aneurysm in 2003. Her remains are buried next to Matthau’s. The remains of actor George C. Scott are also buried next to Matthau, in an unmarked grave. Other notable final footprints at Westwood include; Ray Bradbury, Sammy Cahn, Truman Capote, James Coburn, Rodney Dangerfield, Hugh Hefner, Janet Leigh, Farrah Fawcett, Brian Keith, Don Knotts, Burt Lancaster, Peter Lawford, Peggy Lee, Jack Lemmon, Karl Malden (see below), Dean Martin, Marilyn Monroe, Carroll O’Connor, Roy Orbison, George C. Scott, Dorothy Stratten, Natalie Wood, and Frank Zappa.

On this day in 2004, Academy Award-winning actor and activist, Marlon Brando died at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles of respiratory failure brought on by pulmonary fibrosis at the age of 80. Born Marlon Brando, Jr. on 3 April 1924 in Omaha, Nebraska. In my opinion, one of the greatest and most influential actors in the history of film. Jack Nicholson said of Brando; “When Marlon dies, everybody moves up one.” My favortie Brando roles include: as Stanley Kowalski in Elia Kazan‘s adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ play, A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) with Vivien Leigh, and Karl Malden; as Vito Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola’s adaptation of Mario Puzo’s novel, The Godfather (1972) with Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, and Talia Shire; as Robert E. Lee Clayton in The Missouri Breaks (1976) with Nicholson; as Colonel Walter E. Kurtz in Coppola’s adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness, Apocalypse Now (1979) with Martin Sheen, Duvall, and Dennis Hopper. Brando was married three times; Anna Kashfi (1957-1959 divorce), Movita Castaneda (1960-1962 divorce), and Tarita Teriipia (1962-1972 divorce). Brando reportedly had an affair with Marilyn Monroe.

The Final Footprint – Brando was cremated and his cremated remains were scattered in Tahiti and Death Valley, California.

On this day in 2005, singer, songwriter, and record producer Luther Vandross died at the JFK Medical Center in Edison, New Jersey, at the age of 54 of a heart attack. Born Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. on April 20, 1951 in Manhattan. Throughout his career, Vandross was an in-demand background vocalist for several different artists including Todd Rundgren, Judy Collins, Chaka Khan, Bette Midler, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Ben E. King, and Donna Summer. He later became a lead singer of the group Change, which released its gold-certified debut album, The Glow of Love, in 1980 on Warner/RFC Records. After Vandross left the group, he was signed to Epic Records as a solo artist and released his debut solo album, Never Too Much, in 1981.

His hit songs include “Never Too Much”, “Here and Now”, “Any Love”, “Power of Love/Love Power”, “I Can Make It Better” and “For You to Love”. Many of his songs were covers of original music by other artists such as “If This World Were Mine” (duet with Cheryl Lynn), “Since I Lost My Baby”, “Superstar”, “I (Who Have Nothing)” and “Always and Forever”. Duets such as “The Closer I Get to You” with Beyoncé, “Endless Love” with Mariah Carey and “The Best Things in Life Are Free” with Janet Jackson were all hit songs in his career.

During his career, Vandross received eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four different times. He won a total of four Grammy Awards in 2004 including the Grammy Award for Song of the Year for a song recorded not long before his death, “Dance with My Father”.

Vandross was never married and had no children.

The Final Footprint

Vandross’s funeral was held at Riverside Church in New York City on July 8, 2005. Cissy Houston, founding member of The Sweet Inspirations and mother of Whitney Houston, sang at the funeral service. Vandross was entombed at the George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus, New Jersey.

On this day in 2009, actor Karl Malden died at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 97. Born Mladen George Sekulovich on March 22, 1912 in Chicago. Perhaps primarily known as a character actor in such classic films as A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) — for which he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor — On the Waterfront (1954), Pollyanna (1960), and One-Eyed Jacks (1961). Malden also played in high-profile Hollywood films such as Baby Doll (1956), The Hanging Tree (1959), How the West Was Won (1962), Gypsy (1962) and Patton (1970). From 1972 to 1977, he portrayed Lt. Mike Stone in the prime time television crime drama The Streets of San Francisco. He was later the spokesman for American Express.

On December 18, 1938, Malden married Mona Greenberg (May 9, 1917 – July 13, 2019), who survived him. Their marriage was one of the longest in Hollywood’s history, their 70th wedding anniversary occurring in December 2008. In 1997, Malden published his autobiography, When Do I Start?, written with his daughter Carla.

The Final Footprint

He was buried at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles. Other notable final footprints at Westwood include; Ray Bradbury, Sammy Cahn, Truman Capote, James Coburn, Rodney Dangerfield, Farrah Fawcett, Hugh Hefner, Janet Leigh, Brian Keith, Don Knotts, Burt Lancaster, Peter Lawford, Peggy Lee, Jack Lemmon, Dean Martin, Walter Mathau (see above), Marilyn Monroe, Carroll O’Connor, Roy Orbison, George C. Scott, Dorothy Stratten, Natalie Wood, and Frank Zappa.

Malden’s friend and former co-star Michael Douglas wrote a tribute to Malden for Time‘s “Milestones” section. For his contribution to the film industry, Malden has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6231 Hollywood Blvd. In 2005, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In November 2018, a monument to Karl Malden was revealed in Belgrade, Serbia.

Ketchum Cemetery, Idaho. Photo by sheli ellsworth

Hemingway family plot Ketchum Cemetery, Idaho

#RIP #OTD screenwriter (Chinatown, The Two Jakes, The Last Detail, Shampoo, Mission: Impossible), director/screenwriter (Personal Best, Without Limits, Tequila Sunrise, Ask the Dust), Robert Towne died at his home in Los Angeles aged 89. Cremated

Have you planned yours yet?

Follow us on twitter @RIPTFF

Posted in Day in History, Film Footprints, Musical Footprints | Tagged A Streetcar Named Desire, apocalypse now, billy wilder, bonanza, burgess meredith, cape fear, colonel kurtz, cremains, Cremation, death valley, don corleone, el dorado, Ernest Hemingway, francis ford coppola, george c scott, George Washington Memorial Park, Giovanni Strazza, Gone with the wind, Gregory Peck, grumpier old men, grumpy old men, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Hillside Memorial Park, jack lemmon, james caan, john d macdonald, John Wayne, karl malden, little house on the prairie, little joe cartwright, luther vandross, margaux hemingway, mariel hemingway, Mario Puzo, marlon brando, michael landon, phillips academy cemetery, riptff, robert mitchum, Robert Towne, Sophia Loren, stanley kowalski, tahiti, tff, the executioners, the final footprint, the fortune cookie, The Godfather, the odd couple, vito corleone, walter matthau, wolfman jack | Leave a comment

On this day 30 June death of Alberta Williams King – Lillian Hellman – Spanky McFarland – Phyllis Hyman – Chet Atkins

Posted on 29 JunamTue, 30 Jun 2026 00:57:00 -05002026-06-30T00:57:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

#RIP #OTD in 1974 civil rights organizer, mother of Martin Luther King Jr, choir director of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Alberta Williams King was shot in the church and died at Grady Hospital, aged 69. South-View Cemetery in Atlanta

#OTD #RIP 1984 playwright (The Children’s Hour, The Little Foxes, The Autumn Garden, Toys in the Attic), screenwriter, Lillian Hellman died; heart attack near her home on Martha’s Vineyard aged 79. Abel Hill Cemetery, Chilmark, Massachusetts (Irving Penn)

On this day in 1993, actor Spanky McFarland died of a heart attack in Grapevine, Texas at the age of 64. Born George Robert Phillips McFarland on 2 October 1928 in Dallas, Texas. Of course best known for his role as Spanky in the Our Gang series of short-subject comedies which were in production from 1922 to 1944. In the mid-1950s, the shorts with sound were syndicated for television under the title The Little Rascals. In addition to McFarland, other memorable actors/characters included; Carl Switzer as Alfalfa, Darla Hood as Darla, Matthew Beard as Stymie, John Collum as Uh-Huh, Billie Thomas as Buckwheat, Eugene Lee as Porky, Billy Laughlin as Froggy. The series remains in syndication. Who has not seen and who does not love, Our Gang?

The Final Footprint – McFarland was cremated.

#RIP #OTD in 1995 singer (‘’You Know How to Love Me”, ‘’Living All Alone’’, ‘’Don’t Wanna Change the World”, ‘’Betcha by Golly Wow”, “Here’s That Rainy Day”, and “What You Won’t Do For Love”), songwriter, actress, Phyllis Hyman died by suicide by overdosing on a mixture of tuinal and vodka in the bedroom of her Manhattan apartment aged 45. Cremation

On this day in 2001 musician, songwriter, and record producer,“Mr. Guitar” “The Country Gentleman” Chet Atkins died from colon cancer at his home in Nashville, at the age of 77. Born Chester Burton Atkins on June 20, 1924 in Luttrell, Tennessee. Along with Owen Bradley, Bob Ferguson and others, they created the country music style that came to be known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country music’s appeal to adult pop music fans. He also played the mandolin, fiddle, banjo, and ukulele.

Atkins’s signature picking style was inspired by Merle Travis. Other major guitar influences were Django Reinhardt, George Barnes, Les Paul, and, later, Jerry Reed. His style and musicianship brought him admirers inside and outside the country scene. Atkins spent most of his career at RCA Victor and produced records for the Browns, Hank Snow, Porter Wagoner, Norma Jean, Dolly Parton, Dottie West, Perry Como, Floyd Cramer, Elvis Presley, the Everly Brothers, Eddy Arnold, Don Gibson, Jim Reeves, Jerry Reed, Skeeter Davis, Waylon Jennings, Roger Whittaker, and others.

Rolling Stone credited Atkins with inventing the “popwise ‘Nashville sound’ that rescued country music from a commercial slump.” Among other honors, Atkins received 14 Grammy Awards and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He also received nine Country Music Association awards for Instrumentalist of the Year.

The Final Footprint

His memorial service was held at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. He was buried at Harpeth Hills Memory Gardens in Nashville^.

A stretch of Interstate 185 in southwest Georgia (between LaGrange and Columbus) is named “Chet Atkins Parkway”. This stretch of interstate runs through Fortson, where Atkins spent much of his childhood. In 2002, Atkins was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His award was presented by Marty Stuart and Brian Setzer and accepted by Atkins’s grandson, Jonathan Russell. Clint Black’s album Nothin’ but the Taillights includes the song “Ode to Chet”, which includes the lyrics “‘Cause I can win her over like Romeo did Juliet, if I can only show her I can almost pick that legato lick like Chet” and “It’ll take more than Mel Bay 1, 2, & 3 if I’m ever gonna play like CGP.” Atkins played guitar on the track. At the end of the song, Black and Atkins had a brief conversation. In 2009, Steve Wariner released an album titled My Tribute to Chet Atkins. One song from that record, “Producer’s Medley”, featured Wariner’s recreation of several famous songs that Atkins both produced and performed. “Producer’s Medley” won the Grammy for Best Country Instrumental Performance in 2010.

Have you planned yours yet?

Follow TFF on twitter @RIPTFF

Posted in Day in History, Film Footprints, Musical Footprints | Tagged Abel Hill cemetery, Alberta Williams King, buckwheat, carl switzer, chet atkins, Cremation, Harpeth Hills Memory Gardens, Lillian Hellman, Most holy trinity cemetery, our gang, Phyllis Hyman, riptff, South-View cemetery, spanky, Spanky mcfarland, stymie, tff, the finalfootprint | Leave a comment

On this day 29 June death of Elizabeth Barrett Browning – Jayne Mansfield – Lana Turner – Rosemary Clooney – Katharine Hepburn – Carl Reiner – Alan Arkin

Posted on 29 JunamMon, 29 Jun 2026 00:15:00 -05002026-06-29T00:15:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

Women beware the 29th of June!

On this day in 1861, one of the most prominent poets of the Victorian era, wife of poet and playwright Robert Browning, Elizabeth Barrett Browning died in Rome in her husband’s arms at the age of 55. Born 6 March 1806 in Kelloe, Durham, England.

Elizabeth Barrett wrote poetry from the age of eleven. Her mother’s collection of her poems forms one of the largest extant collections of juvenilia by any English writer. At 15 she became ill, suffering intense head and spinal pain for the rest of her life. Later in life she also developed lung problems, possibly tuberculosis. She took laudanum for the pain from an early age, which is likely to have contributed to her frail health.

In the 1840s Elizabeth was introduced to literary society through her cousin, John Kenyon. Her first adult collection of poems was published in 1838 and she wrote between 1841 and 1844, producing poetry, translation and prose. She campaigned for the abolition of slavery and her work helped influence reform in the child labour legislation. Her output made her a rival to Tennyson as a candidate for poet laureate on the death of Wordsworth.

Elizabeth’s volume Poems (1844) brought her success, attracting the admiration of the writer Robert Browning. Their correspondence, courtship and marriage were carried out in secret, for fear of her father’s disapproval. Following the wedding she was indeed disinherited by her father. In 1846, the couple moved to Italy, where she would live for the rest of her life. They had one son, Robert Wiedeman Barrett Browning, whom they called Pen.

Elizabeth’s work had an influence on writers of the day, including Edgar Allan Poe and Emily Dickinson. She is remembered for such poems as “How Do I Love Thee?” (Sonnet 43, 1845) and Aurora Leigh (1856).

The Final Footprint – Browning said that she died “smilingly, happily, and with a face like a girl’s. … Her last word was—… ‘Beautiful'”. She was entombed in the Protestant English Cemetery of Florence. Browning also noted that on Monday July 1 the shops in the section of the city around Casa Guidi were closed, while Elizabeth was mourned with unusual demonstrations. A collection of her last poems was published by Browning shortly after her death.

On this day in 1967, Playboy Playmate of the Month, actress, mother of actress Mariska Hargitay, Jayne Mansfield died in an automobile crash on U. S. Highway 90 between Biloxi and New Orleans, at the age of 34. Born Vera Jayne Palmer on 19 April 1933 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Perhaps her best known movie roles were: as Jerri Jordan in The Girl Can’t Help It (1956); as Rita Marlowe in Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? (1957); as Sandy Brooks in Promises! Promises (1963). Well known for her legendary hourglass figure measurements (40-21-35); not so well known for her high IQ measurement (163). She attended the University of Texas at Austin and UCLA and SMU. Mansfield was married three times; Paul Mansfield (1950-1958 divorce), Miklós “Mickey” Hargitay (1958-1964 divorce) and Matt Cimber (1964-1966 filed for divorce) and reportedly had affairs with Robert F. Kennedy and JFK. Mansfield and Hargitay co-authored her autobiography, Jayne Mansfield’s Wild, Wild World.

The Final Footprint – Mansfield is interred in Fair View Cemetery in Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania. Her grave is marked by an upright granite marker in the shape of a heart with the inscription; WE LIVE TO LOVE YOU MORE EACH DAY. A memorial cenotaph, showing an incorrect birth year, was erected in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Hollywood, California. The cenotaph was placed by The Jayne Mansfield Fan Club. Other notable Final Footprints at Hollywood Forever include; Mel Blanc (yes, his epitaph is “That’s All Folks!”), Chris Cornell, Cecil B. DeMille, Victor Fleming, Judy Garland, Joan Hackett, John Huston, Hattie McDaniel‘s cenotaph, Tyrone Power, Nelson Riddle, Mickey Rooney, Bugsy Siegel, Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer, Rudolph Valentino, Fay Wray, and Anton Yelchin.

On this day in 1995, actress, Academy Award nominee, Lana Turner died from throat cancer in Century City, California at the age of 74. Born Julia Jean Turner on 8 February 1921 in Wallace, Idaho.

Over the course of her nearly 50-year career, she achieved fame as both a pin-up model and a film actress, as well as for her highly publicized personal life. In the mid-1940s, she was one of the highest-paid actresses in the United States, and one of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s (MGM) biggest stars, with her films earning the studio more than $50 million during her 18-year contract with them.

Born to working-class parents, Turner spent her childhood there before her family relocated to San Francisco. In 1936, when Turner was 15, she was discovered while purchasing a soda at the Top Hat Malt Shop in Hollywood. At the age of 16, she was signed to a personal contract by Warner Bros. director Mervyn LeRoy, who took her with him when he transferred to MGM in 1938. She soon attracted attention by playing the role of a murder victim in her film debut, LeRoy’s They Won’t Forget (1937).

During the early 1940s, Turner established herself as a leading lady and one of MGM’s top stars, appearing in such films as the film noir Johnny Eager (1941); the musical Ziegfeld Girl (1941); the horror film Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941); and the romantic war drama Somewhere I’ll Find You (1942), one of several films in which she starred opposite Clark Gable. Turner’s reputation as a glamorous femme fatale was enhanced by her critically acclaimed performance in the noir The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), a role which established her as a serious dramatic actress. Her popularity continued through the 1950s in dramas such as The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) and Peyton Place (1957), the latter for which she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress.

Her next film, Imitation of Life (1959), proved to be one of the greatest commercial successes of her career, and her final starring role in Madame X (1966) earned her a David di Donatello Award for Best Foreign Actress. Turner spent most of the 1970s and early 1980s in semi-retirement, making her final film appearance in 1980. In 1982, she accepted a much-publicized and lucrative recurring guest role in the television series Falcon Crest, which afforded the series notably high ratings. My favorite Turner movie is The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946).

Turner married eight times; Artie Shaw (m. 1940; div. 1940), Steve Crane (m. 1942; annul. 1943) (m. 1943; div. 1944), Bob Topping (m. 1948; div. 1952), Lex Barker
(m. 1953; div. 1957), Fred May (m. 1960; div. 1962), Robert Eaton (m. 1965; div. 1969), and Ronald Pellar (m. 1969; div. 1972). In 1958 her teenage daughter Cheryl Crane stabbed Turner’s lover Johnny Stompanato to death in their home during a domestic struggle.

The Final Footprint – Turner was cremated. For her contribution to the motion-picture industry, Turner has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6241 Hollywood Boulevard. On May 24, 1950 Lana left hand and footprints in front of the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

Rosemary Clooney
in 1954

On this day in 2002, singer and actress Rosemary Clooney died from lung cancer at her home in Beverly Hills at the age of 74. Born May 23, 1928 in Maysville, Kentucky. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song “Come On-a My House”, which was followed by other pop numbers such as “Botch-a-Me”, “Mambo Italiano”, “Tenderly”, “Half as Much”, “Hey There” and “This Ole House”. She also had success as a jazz vocalist.

With Bing Crosby in White Christmas (1954)

performing in 1977

Screenshot from the trailer of the film Deep In My Heart (1954)

With Ken Murray on The Lux Show Starring Rosemary Clooney (1957)

Clooney was married twice to American movie star José Ferrer, 16 years her senior. Clooney first married Ferrer on June 1, 1953, in Durant, Oklahoma. They moved to Santa Monica, California, in 1954, and then to Los Angeles in 1958. Clooney and Ferrer divorced for the first time in 1961.

Clooney remarried Ferrer on November 22, 1964, in Los Angeles. However, the marriage again crumbled while Ferrer was carrying on an affair with the woman who would become his last wife, Stella Magee. The couple divorced again after she found out about the affair, this time in 1967.

In 1997, she married her longtime friend and a former dancer, Dante DiPaolo at St. Patrick’s Church in Maysville, Kentucky.

with Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis on TV’s The Colgate Comedy Hour, 1952

The Final Footprint

Her nephew, George Clooney, was a pallbearer at her funeral. She is buried at Saint Patrick’s Cemetery, Maysville.

On this day in 2003, actress of film, stage, and television who was known for her headstrong independence and spirited personality, 4x Academy Award winner, Katharine Hepburn died at the Hepburn family home in Fenwick, Connecticut. She was 96 years old. Born Katharine Houghton Hepburn on 12 May 1907 in Hartford, Connecticut. Hepburn’s career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned more than 60 years. Her work came in a range of genres, from screwball comedy to literary drama. Hepburn’s characters were often strong, sophisticated women with a hidden vulnerability. Hepburn famously shunned the Hollywood publicity machine, and refused to conform to society’s expectations of women. She was outspoken, assertive, athletic, and wore trousers before it was fashionable for women to do so. She married once, Ogden Smith (1928 – 1934 divorce), but thereafter lived independently. A 26-year affair with her co-star Spencer Tracy was hidden from the public. With her unconventional lifestyle and the independent characters she brought to the screen, Hepburn came to epitomize the “modern woman” in 20th-century America and helped change perceptions of women. In 1999, she was named by the American Film Institute as the top female Hollywood legend.

The Final Footprint – Hepburn was buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery, Hartford. She requested that there be no memorial service.

#RIP #OTD in 2020 actor (Your Show of Shows, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Ocean’s Eleven), stand-up comedian, director, screenwriter, author Carl Reiner died at his home in Beverly Hills aged 98. Green burial near his home

#RIP #OTD in 2023 actor (Little Miss Sunshine, Russians Are Coming, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Argo, Wait Until Dark, Inspector Clouseau, Popi, Catch-22, The In-Laws, Edward Scissorhands, The Rocketeer, Glengarry Glen Ross, Grosse Pointe Blank, Thirteen Conversations About One Thing, Get Smart, Going in Style) Alan Arkin died at his home in San Marcos, California aged 89. Hollywood Forever

Have you planned yours yet?

Follow TFF on twitter @RIPTFF

Posted in Day in History, Extravagant Footprints, Film Footprints, Literary Footprints, Longhorn Footprints | Tagged Alan Arkin, Buried, Carl reiner, cedar hill cemetery, Cemetery, cenotaph, elizabeth barrett browning, Green burial, Ground Burial, History, Inscription, jayne mansfield, katharine hepburn, lana turner, mariska hargitay, mickey hargitay, Monument, playboy, playmate of the month, protestant english cemetery of florence, riptff, rosemary clooney, tff, the final footprint, University of Texas at Austin | 1 Comment

On this day 28 June death of Texas Jack Omohundro – Mary Antoinette “Tony” Perry – Rod Serling – D. Wayne Lukas

Posted on 29 JunamSun, 28 Jun 2026 00:21:00 -05002026-06-28T00:21:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

On this day in 1880, frontier scout, actor, and cowboy, Texas Jack Omohundro died of pneumonia in Leadville, Colorado at the age of 33. Born John Baker Omohundro on 26 July 1846 in Pleasure Hill, Virginia. In his early teens, he left home, made his way alone to Texas, and became a cowboy. He participated in early cattle drives, notably on the Chisholm Trail. On one drive across Arkansas to meat-short Tennessee, grateful citizens nicknamed him “Texas Jack.” In 1869, he moved to Cottonwood Springs, Nebraska, near Fort McPherson and became a scout and buffalo hunter. There he met William F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody. Together, they participated in Indian skirmishes and buffalo hunts, acted as guides for notables such as the Earl of Dunraven, and led the highly publicized royal hunt of 1872 with Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich of Russia and a group of prominent American military figures. Omohundro and Cody traveled to Chicago in December 1872 to debut in The Scouts of the Prairie, one of the original Wild West shows produced by Ned Buntline. Observers described Omohundro as physically impressive and magnetic in personality. He was the first performer to introduce roping acts to the American stage. During the 1873-74 season, Omohundro and Cody invited their friend James Butler “Wild Bill” Hickok to join them in a new play called Scouts of the Plains. On August 31, 1873, Omohundro married Giuseppina Morlacchi, a dancer and actress from Milan, Italy, who starred with him in the Scouts of the Prairie and other shows.

The Final Footprint – Omohundro is interred in Evergreen Cemetery in Leadville. His grave is marked by flat granite VA marker and a large upright granite marker erected by his friends including Cody.

#RIP #OTD in 1946 actress, producer, director, known for her work in theatre, co-founder and secretary of the American Theatre Wing and the namesake of the Tony Awards, Mary Antoinette “Tony” Perry died of a heart attack in New York City aged 58. She is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx

On this day in 1975, United States Army Airborne veteran, screenwriter, novelist, television producer, and narrator Rod Serling died of a heart attack in Rochester, New York at the age of 50. Born Rodman Edward Serling on 25 December 1924 in Syracuse, New York. Perhaps best known for his television series The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery. Serling served as executive producer and head writer for both shows. The Twilight Zone ran on CBS for five years from 1959 to 1964 and featured several young actors who would later become famous including; Ron Howard, Robert Redford, Burt Reynolds, and William Shatner. In my opinion, The Twilight Zone is one of the best shows in the history of television. Serling was married to Carol Serling (1948-1975 his death).

The Final Footprint – Serling is interred in Lake View Cemetery in Interlaken, New York. His grave is marked by an individual engraved granite VA marker. Other notable Final Footprints at Lake View include; 20th President of the United States James A. Garfield; member of The Untouchables, Eliot Ness and John D. Rockefeller.

#RIP #OTD in 2025, horse trainer, U.S. Racing Hall of Fame inductee, 15x Triple Crown race winner (Winning Colors, Charismatic, Thunder Gulch, Tabasco Cat), D. Wayne Lukas died at his home in Louisville aged 89. Cremated

Have you planned yours yet?

Follow TFF on twitter @RIPTFF

Posted in Cowboy Footprints, Day in History | Tagged buffalo bill, Buried, Cemetery, Cremation, D. Wayne Lukas, Evergreen Cemetery, giuseppina morlacchi, Ground Burial, History, Lake View Cemetery, Mary Antoinette "Tony" Perry, ned buntline, night gallery, rod serling, scouts of the plains, texas jack omohundro, the scouts of the prairie, the twilight zone, Wild Bill Hickok, william f cody, Woodlawn Cemetery | Leave a comment

On this day 27 June death of Jack Lemmon – John Entwistle – Shelby Foote – Gale Storm – Martin Mull – Kinky Friedman

Posted on 29 JunamSat, 27 Jun 2026 00:27:00 -05002026-06-27T00:27:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

On this day in 2001, United States Navy veteran, Academy Award-winning actor and musician, Jack Lemmon died of colon and bladder cancer in Los Angeles at the age of 76. Born John Uhler Lemmon III on 8 February 1925 in Newton, Massachusetts. Lemmon graduated from Harvard. In my opinion, Lemmon is one the funniest and best film actors. My favorite Lemmon movie roles include; as Jerry “Daphne” in Billy Wilder’s Some Like it Hot (1959) with Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis; as Nestor Patou/Lord X in Wilder’s Irma la Douce (1963) with Shirley MacLaine; as Felix Ungar in The Odd Couple (1968) with Walter Mathau and written by Neil Simon; as George Kellerman in The Out-of-Towners (1970), written by Simon; as Jack Godell in The China Syndrome (1979) with Jane Fonda and Michael Douglas; as Shelley Levene in David Mamet’s Glengarry Glenn Ross (1992) with Al Pacino, Alec Baldwin, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin, and Kevin Spacey; as John Gustafson in Grumpy Old Men (1993) with Ann-Margret, Mathau and Burgess Meredith and in the sequel Grumpier Old Men (1995) with Ann-Margret, Sophia Loren, Mathau and Meredith. Lemmon was married twice; Cynthia Stone (1950-1956 divorce) and Felicia Farr (1962-2001 his death).

The Final Footprint – Lemmon is interred in a bench estate plot, near his friend Mathau, in Westwood Memorial Park (a Dignity Memorial property) in Los Angeles. His grave is marked by an upright slant granite marker engraved simply, JACK LEMMON in. Funny, even in the afterlife. Other notable final footprints at Westwood include; Ray Bradbury, Sammy Cahn, Truman Capote, James Coburn, Rodney Dangerfield, Hugh Hefner, Janet Leigh, Farrah Fawcett, Brian Keith, Don Knotts, Burt Lancaster, Peter Lawford, Peggy Lee, Karl Malden, Dean Martin, Walter Mathau, Marilyn Monroe, Carroll O’Connor, Roy Orbison, George C. Scott, Dorothy Stratten, Natalie Wood, and Frank Zappa.

On this day in 2002, bass guitarist, songwriter, singer, horn player, and film and record producer who was best known as the bass player for the rock band The Who, The Ox, Thunderfingers, John Entwistle died in hotel room 658 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas one day before the scheduled first show of The Who’s 2002 US tour, at the age of 57. The Clark County medical examiner determined that death was due to a heart attack induced by cocaine. Born John Alec Entwistle on 9 October 1944 in Chiswick, London.

The Final Footprint – His funeral was held at St Edward’s Church in Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, England, on 10 July 2002. He was cremated and his ashes were buried privately. A memorial service was held on 24 October 2002 at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London.

On this day in 2005, historian and novelist who wrote The Civil War: A Narrative, a massive, three-volume history of the war, Shelby Foote died at Baptist Hospital in Memphis on June 27, 2005, aged 88. He had had a heart attack after a recent pulmonary embolism. Born Shelby Dade Foote, Jr. on 17 November 1916 in Greenville, Mississippi.

The Final Footprint – He was interred in Elmwood Cemetery in Memphis. His grave is beside the family plot of General Forrest.

#RIP #OTD in 2009 actress (My Little Margie, The Gale Storm Show), singer (“I Hear You Knockin'”, “Memories Are Made of This”, “Why Do Fools Fall in Love”), Gale Storm died in a convalescent home in Danville, California aged 87. Cremation

#RIP #OTD in 2024 actor (Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman; Mr. Mom, Jingle all the Way), Martin Mull died at his home in Los Angeles aged 80. Body donated to the UCLA Body Donation Program

#RIP #OTD in 2024, University of Texas at Austin graduate, singer/songwriter (Kinky and the Texas Jewboys), novelist (Greenwich Killing Time, Elvis Jesus and Coca-Cola), humorist, politician, columnist for Texas Monthly, founder of Utopia Animal Rescue Ranch, the Kinkster, Kinky Friedman died at his home at Echo Hill Ranch, Medina, Texas, from complications of Parkinson’s disease aged 79. Shalom Memorial Park, Arlington Heights, Illinois.

Have you planned yours yet?

Follow TFF on twitter @RIPTFF

Posted in Day in History, Extravagant Footprints, Film Footprints, Literary Footprints, Musical Footprints | Tagged bench estate, billy wilder, body donation, Buried, Cemetery, Cremation, elmwood cemetery, Gale storm, Ground Burial, grumpy old men, History, jack lemmon, john entwistle, Kinky friedman, Marilyn Monroe, Martin Mull, neil simon, riptff, shelby foote, some like it hot, tff, the final footprint, the odd couple, The Who, Tony Curtis, walter mathau, Westwood Memorial Park | Leave a comment

On this day 26 June death of Françoise Dorléac – Roy Campanella – Liz Claiborne – Nora Ephron – Lalo Schifrin

Posted on 29 JunamFri, 26 Jun 2026 00:33:00 -05002026-06-26T00:33:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

#RIP #OTD in 1967 actress (The Young Girls of Rochefort, That Man from Rio, The Soft Skin, Cul-de-sac, Where the Spies Are) sister of Catherine Deneuve, Françoise Dorléac died in a traffic accident in Villeneuve-Loubet, France aged 25. Cimetière Seineport, Seine-Port, France

On this day in 1993, Hall of Fame baseball player, 8x All-Star, World Series Champion, 3x NL MVP, Campy, Roy Campanella died of a heart attack in his Woodland Hills, California home at the age of 71. Born on 19 November 1921 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In my opinion, he is one of the greatest catchers in the history of the game. His father was a Sicilian immigrant and his mother was African American, so he wasd barred from Major League Baseball before 1947. His career was cut short in 1958 when he was paralyzed in an automobile accident. On 4 June 1972, the Dodgers retired Campanella’s uniform number 39 alongside Jackie Robinson’s 42 and Sandy Koufax’s 32. Campanella was married three times; Bernice Ray (1939 divorce), Ruthe Willis (1945-1963 her death) and Roxie Doles (1964-1993 his death). Campanella authored the inspirational book It’s Good to Be Alive.

The Final Footprint – Campanella was cremated. Simon & Schuster published a biography of Campanella written by Neil Lanctot, Campy – The Two Lives of Roy Campanella (2011).

#RIP #OTD in 2007 fashion designer, businesswoman, co-founder of Liz Claiborne Inc., first woman to become chair and CEO of a Fortune 500 company, Liz Claiborne died of cancer of the lining of the abdomen aged 78. Triple 8 Ranch Grounds, Helena, Montana

On this day in 2012, journalist, writer, and filmmaker Nora Ephron died from complications of acute myeloid leukemia in New York City at the age of 71. Born on May 19, 1941 in New York City. Perhaps best known for her romantic comedy films. Ephron was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Writing: for Silkwood (1983), When Harry Met Sally… (1989), and Sleepless in Seattle (1993). She won a BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay for When Harry Met Sally…. She often co-wrote scripts with her sister Delia Ephron. Her last film was Julie & Julia (2009). Her first produced play, Imaginary Friends (2002), was honored as one of the ten best plays of the 2002–03 New York theatre season. She also co-authored the Drama Desk Award–winning theatrical production Love, Loss, and What I Wore. In 2013, Ephron received a posthumous Tony Award nomination for Best Play for Lucky Guy.

Ephron was married three times. Her first marriage, to writer Dan Greenburg, ended in divorce after nine years. In 1976, she married journalist Carl Bernstein. In 1979, Ephron had a toddler son, Jacob, and was pregnant with her second son Max when she discovered Bernstein’s affair with their mutual friend, married British journalist Margaret Jay. Ephron was inspired by this to write the 1983 novel Heartburn, which was then made into a 1986 Mike Nichols film starring Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep. In the book, Ephron wrote of a husband named Mark, who was “capable of having sex with a Venetian blind.”

Ephron was married for more than 20 years to screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi until her death.

The Final Footprint

Her memorial service at Alice Tully Hall in New York City was attended by Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Rob Reiner, Barbara Walters, Diane Sawyer, Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Alan Alda, Steve Martin, Martin Short, Lorne Michaels, Larry David, Joy Behar, Rosie O’Donnell, Annette Bening, Matthew Broderick, Nicole Kidman, Michael Bloomberg, and Ron Howard, among others.

Lena Dunham’s 2014 memoir Not That Kind of Girl is dedicated to Ephron, as is Steven Spielberg’s film The Post (2017).

Ephron’s body was cremated, and her cremated remains were scattered.

#RIP #OTD in 2025, pianist, composer, arranger, conductor, perhaps best known for his film and tv scores (Mission: Impossible, Mannix, Cool Hand Luke, Bullitt, Enter the Dragon, Voyage of the Damned, The Amityville Horror, Dirty Harry, Joe Kidd, The Beguiled), Lalo Schifrin died from complications of pneumonia at a hospital in Los Angeles aged 96. Cremated

Have you planned yours yet?

Follow TFF on twitter @RIPTFF

Posted in Athletic Footprints, Day in History | Tagged 39, Brooklyn Dodgers, campy, Cimetière Seineport, Cremation, Françoise Dorléac, Hall of Fame, it's good to be alive, Jackie Robinson, Kinky friedman, Lalo Schifrin, Liz Claiborne, los angeles dodgers, neil lanctot, nora ephron, riptff, roy campanella, sandy koufax, sicilian, tff, the final footprint, the two lives of roy campanella, Triple 8 Ranch Grounds, world series | Leave a comment

On this day 25 June death of George Armstrong Custer – Johnny Mercer – Jacques Cousteau – Michael Jackson – Farrah Fawcett

Posted on 29 JunamThu, 25 Jun 2026 00:21:00 -05002026-06-25T00:21:00-05:0012 2011 by MacGregor

On this day in 1876, United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars, George Armstrong Custer died, along with his brothers Boston and Thomas, at the Battle of Little Bighorn in Montana at the age of 36. Born on 5 December 1839 in New Rumley, Ohio. Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class. However, with the outbreak of the Civil War, all potential officers were needed, and Custer was called to serve with the Union Army.

Custer developed a strong reputation during the Civil War. He fought in the first major engagement, the First Battle of Bull Run. His association with several important officers helped his career, as did his success as a highly effective cavalry commander. Custer was eventually promoted to the temporary rank (brevet) of major general and promoted major general of Volunteers. (At war’s end, he reverted to his permanent rank of captain.) At the conclusion of the Appomattox Campaign, in which he and his troops played a decisive role, Custer was on hand at General Robert E. Lee‘s surrender.

After the Civil War, Custer was dispatched to the west to fight in the Indian Wars. His disastrous final battle overshadowed his prior achievements. Custer and all the men with him were killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876, fighting against a coalition of Native American tribes, Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho, led by several major war leaders, including Crazy Horse and Chief Gall, inspired by the visions of Sitting Bull (Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake), in a battle that has come to be popularly known in American history as “Custer’s Last Stand.” Custer married Elizabeth Clift Bacon (1842–1933) (whom he first saw when he was ten years old) on 9 February 1864.

The Final Footprint – Following the recovery of Custer’s body and that of his brother Tom, the remains were buried on the battlefield side by side in a shallow grave, after being covered by pieces of tent canvas and blankets. One year later, Custer’s remains and those of many of his officers were recovered and sent back east for reinterment in more formal burials. Custer was buried again with full military honors at West Point Cemetery on 10 October 1877. The battle site was designated a National Cemetery in 1876.

On this day in 1976, lyricist, songwriter and singer, Johnny Mercer died from a brain tumor in Bel Air, California at age 66. Born John Herndon Mercer on 18 November 1909 in Savannah, Georgia. He is best known as a lyricist, but he also composed music. He was also a popular singer who recorded his own songs as well as those written by others. From the mid-1930s through the mid-1950s, many of the songs Mercer wrote and performed were among the most popular hits of the time. He wrote the lyrics to more than fifteen hundred songs, including compositions for movies and Broadway shows. He received nineteen Academy Award nominations, and won four. My favorite Mercer songs include:

“I’m an Old Cowhand from the Rio Grande” (1936)
“Hooray for Hollywood” (1937) (music by Richard A. Whiting)
“”You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby” (1938) (music by Harry Warren)
“Jeepers, Creepers!” (1938) (music by Harry Warren)
“Fools Rush In” (1940) (music by Rube Bloom)
“That Old Black Magic” (1942) (music by Harold Arlen)
“I’m Old Fashioned” (1942) (music by Jerome Kern)
“Midnight Sun” (1954) (music by Lionel Hampton and Sonny Burke)
“Summer Wind” (1965) (music by Henry Mayer)

“One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)” (1943) (music by Harold Arlen; theme song of the 1957-1958 NBC detective series, Meet McGraw, starring Frank Lovejoy)
“Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive” (1944) (music by Harold Arlen)
“On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe” (1945) (music by Harry Warren)
“Come Rain Or Come Shine” (1946) (music by Harold Arlen)
“Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home” (1946) (music by Harold Arlen)
“Glow Worm” (1952) (music Paul Lincke)
“Satin Doll” (1953) (music by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn)
“Something’s Gotta Give” (1954)
“Moon River” (1961) (music by Henry Mancini)
“Days of Wine and Roses” (1962) (music by Henry Mancini)

The Final Footprint – Mercer was buried in Savannah’s historic Bonaventure Cemetery. The simple line drawing caricature adorning his memorial bench is in fact a reproduction of a self-portrait. Conrad Aiken is also interred in Bonaventure.

On this day in 1997, French naval officer, explorer, conservationist, filmmaker, innovator, scientist, photographer, author and researcher Jacques Cousteau died of a heart attack in Paris, at the age of 87. Born Jacques-Yves Cousteau on 11 June 1910 in in Saint-André-de-Cubzac, Gironde, France. Cousteau studied the sea and all forms of life in water. He co-developed the Aqua-Lung, pioneered marine conservation and was a member of the Académie française.

Cousteau described his underwater world research in a series of books beginning with The Silent World: A Story of Undersea Discovery and Adventure, published in 1953. Cousteau also directed films, most notably the documentary adaptation of the book, The Silent World, which won a Palme d’or at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival. He was the first person to win a Palme d’Or for a documentary film.

The Final Footprint

He was entombed in the family vault at Saint-André-de-Cubzac. An homage was paid to him by the town by naming the street which runs out to the house of his birth “rue du Commandant Cousteau”, where a commemorative plaque was placed.

On this day in 2009, multiple Grammy Award-winning recording artist, dancer, singer-songwriter, musician, producer, choreographer, and philanthropist, King of Music Videos, The King of Pop, Michael Jackson died at his home in the Holmby Hills area of Los Angeles of acute propofol intoxication at the age of 50. Born Michael Joseph Jackson on 29 August 1959 in Gary, Indiana. Perhaps the most successful entertainer of all time. His contribution to music, dance, and fashion made him a global figure. His distinctive musical sound and vocal style have influenced numerous artists. My favorite Jackson songs, and videos, inlcude; “Thriller”, “Beat It”, “Billie Jean”, “Black or White”, “Scream”, “Bad”, “Man in the Mirror”, “Smooth Criminal”, “Dirty Diana”, “They Don’t Care About Us”.

The Final Footprint – Jackson is entombed in the Great Mausoleum, Holly Terrace, Sanctuary of Ascension in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. The mausoleum is private and is not open to the public. Jackson’s memorial service was held on 7 July 2009, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, John Mayer, Jennifer Hudson, Usher, Jermaine Jackson, and Shaheen Jafargholi performed at the event. Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson gave eulogies, while Queen Latifah read, “We had him,” a poem written for the occasion by Maya Angelou. Other notable Final Footprints at Forest Lawn Glendale include; L. Frank Baum, Humphrey Bogart, Lon Chaney, Nat King Cole, Dorothy Dandridge, Sammy Davis, Jr., Jean Harlow, Sam Cooke, Walt Disney, Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Tom Mix, Casey Stengel, Jimmy Stewart, Elizabeth Taylor, and Spencer Tracy.

On this day in 2009, University of Texas at Austin attendee, actress and artist, Farrah Fawcett died from anal cancer in the intensive care unit of Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California, with Ryan O’Neal and Alana Stewart by her side. She was 62. Born Farrah Leni Fawcett on 2 February 1947 in Corpus Christi, Texas. A multiple Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominee, Fawcett rose to international fame when she first appeared as private investigator Jill Munroe in the first season of the television series Charlie’s Angels in 1976. Fawcett later appeared off-Broadway to critical approval and in highly rated and critically acclaimed television movies, in roles often challenging (The Burning Bed; Nazi Hunter: The Beate Klarsfeld Story; Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story; Double Exposure: The Story of Margaret Bourke-White) and sometimes unsympathetic (Small Sacrifices). Fawcett was a sex symbol whose iconic poster, released the same year Charlie’s Angels premiered, broke sales records, making her an international pop culture icon. Her hairstyle was emulated by young women in the 1970s and 1980s.

The Final Footprint – A private funeral was held in Los Angeles on June 30. She is buried in a private hedge estate at the Westwood Village Memorial Park (a Dignity Memorial property) in Los Angeles. Other notable final footprints at Westwood include; Ray Bradbury, Sammy Cahn, Truman Capote, James Coburn, Rodney Dangerfield, Hugh Hefner, Janet Leigh, Brian Keith, Don Knotts, Burt Lancaster, Peter Lawford, Peggy Lee, Jack Lemmon, Karl Malden, Dean Martin, Walter Mathau, Marilyn Monroe, Carroll O’Connor, Roy Orbison, George C. Scott, Dorothy Stratten, Natalie Wood, and Frank Zappa.

Have you planned yours yet?

Follow TFF on twitter @RIPTFF

Posted in Day in History, Extravagant Footprints, Musical Footprints | Tagged alana stewart, bad, battle of little big horn, beat it, billie jean, black of white, bonaventure cemetery, Cemetery, charlies angels, Crypts, custers last stand, Dignity Memorial, Entomb, farrah fawcett, Forest Lawn Memorial Park Glendale, george armstrong custer, History, jacques cousteau, Johnny Mercer, Mausoleum, Michael Jackson, music videos, ryan oneal, tff, the final fooptprint, the king of pop, Thriller, University of Texas at Austin, west point cemetery, Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery | 1 Comment

Subscribe by email

Enter your email address:
Delivered by FeedBurner
Subscribe By RSS

Subscribe in a reader
Ads by Google
July 2026

M T W T F S S

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30 31

« Jun
Categories
- American Icon (27)
- Artistic Footprints (48)
- Athletic Footprints (40)
- Cemeteries (5)
- Cowboy Footprints (38)
- Day in History (337)
- Extravagant Footprints (161)
- Fictional Footprints (4)
- Film Footprints (137)
- Infamous Footprints (17)
- Literary Footprints (165)
- Longhorn Footprints (8)
- Mausoleums (2)
- Military Footprints (30)
- Musical Footprints (173)
- Political Footprints (42)
- Religious Footprints (11)
- Royal Footprints (23)
- Special Events (1)
- Uncategorized (1)
Connect with us
Networked

Follow this blog

On this day 4 July death of Thomas Jefferson – John Adams – James Monroe – Marie Curie – Suzanne Lenglen – Olive Ann Burns – Eva Gabor – Bob Ross – Barry White

The Final Footprint

On this day 3 July death of Marie de’ Medici – Brian Jones – Jim Morrison – Don Drysdale – Andy Griffith – Jini Dellaccio – Michael Madsen

On this day 2 July death of Nostradamus – Jean-Jacques Rousseau – Ernest Hemingway – Betty Grable – Vladimir Nabokov – Mario Puzo – Lee Remick – Fred Gwynne – Jimmy Stewart – Beverly Sills – Michael Cimino – Elie Wiesel

The Final Footprint

The Final Footprint

The Final Footprint

On this day 30 June death of Alberta Williams King – Lillian Hellman – Spanky McFarland – Phyllis Hyman – Chet Atkins

The Final Footprint

On this day 29 June death of Elizabeth Barrett Browning – Jayne Mansfield – Lana Turner – Rosemary Clooney – Katharine Hepburn – Carl Reiner – Alan Arkin

The Final Footprint

On this day 28 June death of Texas Jack Omohundro – Mary Antoinette “Tony” Perry – Rod Serling – D. Wayne Lukas

On this day 27 June death of Jack Lemmon – John Entwistle – Shelby Foote – Gale Storm – Martin Mull – Kinky Friedman

On this day 26 June death of Françoise Dorléac – Roy Campanella – Liz Claiborne – Nora Ephron – Lalo Schifrin

The Final Footprint

On this day 25 June death of George Armstrong Custer – Johnny Mercer – Jacques Cousteau – Michael Jackson – Farrah Fawcett

Archives

Meta

Subscribe by email

Subscribe By RSS

Ads by Google

Categories

Connect with us

Networked

Recent Posts

Blogroll

Admin Log In