Gavin MacLeod

Posted in Forest Lawn Cathedral City with tags , , on November 9, 2026 by Cade

February 28, 1931 – May 29, 2021

For nearly two decades, Gavin MacLeod entertained television audiences in one of the most consistent runs in Hollywood. From 1970 to 1977, he portrayed the high-strung head writer, Murray Slaughter, on the beloved classic sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show and from 1977-1987, he starred as Captain Merrill Stubing on the super-popular The Love Boat.

Of course, those are just TWO examples of his career. Before he even stepped foot on the Mary Tyler Moore Show set, MacLeod had around 50 credits to his name and was well established as a beloved character actor.

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Barbara Billingsley

Posted in Woodlawn Cemetery Santa Monica with tags , on November 2, 2026 by Cade

December 22, 1915 – October 16, 2010

With all due respect to Florence Henderson, the list of candidates that can truly be considered “America’s TV Mom” starts and ends with one name: June Cleaver.

Barbara Billingsley spent most of the first 20 years of her career paying her dues in walk-on movie roles and supporting character turns before she landed the biggest role of her life. At the age of 41, Billingsley was cast as the idyllic mom and housewife on the television sitcom, Leave it to Beaver. Though the show struggled a bit on its original CBS outing, it was picked up by ABC and became a hit. Not just a hit, but an all-time classic American sitcom. The show ran for 6 years and over 230 episodes before being canceled so that the cast could move on to other projects. It aired almost constantly in syndication for decades.

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Bob Hope

Posted in Mission San Fernando Rey de España with tags , , on October 26, 2026 by Cade

May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003

One of the most recognizable and popular entertainers of the 20th Century, Leslie Townes “Bob” Hope literally did it all. Born in England, Hope’s family immigrated to the United States when he was four years old. As a young man, he had a wide range of interests, including boxing and dance. While he dabbled in a career in the former, it was the latter – along with comedy – that really took hold.

Finding gigs with his partner, George Byrne, led to solo stints in Vaudeville and, eventually, on Broadway. He started going by “Bob”, moved to radio. Radio led to television. Television led to movies. Movies led to the world.

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Alice Faye and Phil Harris

Posted in Forest Lawn Cathedral City with tags , , , , , on October 19, 2026 by Cade

May 05, 1915 – May 09, 1998
June 24, 1904 – August 11, 1995

Celebrity couples take note. This is how you do it.

Alice Faye was a singer and actor who was one of the top box office draws throughout the 1930s and ’40s. Working under contract for 20th Century Fox (and its head, Darryl Zanuck), Faye made over 30 movies during her early career including hits like In Old Chicago, Alexander’s Ragtime Band and The Gang’s All Here. Her most famous song, “You’ll Never Know” from the 1943 movie Hello, Frisco. Hello won an Academy Award and remained her signature for year.

Phil Harris started his career in show business playing in a number of swing orchestras in California, including several that he founded. He was known for his distinct baritone singing voice and comic timing. He appeared in dozens of movies and television shows over his decades-long career. In 1950, he recorded the hit novelty song “The Thing”. Harris also did extensive voice acting work including iconic roles in classic Disney films like The Jungle Book, The Aristocats and Robin Hood. His version of “The Bare Necessities” from The Jungle Book remains a fan favorite to this day.

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Eddie Fisher

Posted in Cypress Lawn Memorial Park (Colma) with tags , on October 12, 2026 by Cade

August 10, 1928 – September 22, 2010

Edwin Jack “Eddie” Fisher was a popular teen idol in the 1950s. He knew he loved to sing from a young age and appeared in talent shows and local radio programs in his hometown of Philadelphia. He gained some national exposure after appearing on Eddie Cantor‘s radio show after Cantor saw Fisher perform in a Catskills resort. At the age of 22, Fisher was drafted and served in the Korean war. In the army, he once again gained fame as a singer and even made television appearances in uniform.

By the time he was out of the army, he had enough experience and notoriety that he easily booked famous nightclubs and, within a year, he had his own TV show.

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Groucho Marx

Posted in Eden Memorial Park with tags , , , on October 5, 2026 by Cade

October 2, 1890 – August 19, 1977

Widely considered one of the sharpest wits in American comedy history, Groucho Marx was as known for his zings and punchlines as he was for his distinctive appearance.

As the middle of 5 boys growing up on the upper east side of Manhattan around the turn of the 20th century, Julius Henry Marx wanted to be a doctor. The only thing that stood in the way of that goal was an abject lack of money, talented siblings, a famous Vaudevillian uncle and mother with dreams. All the boys were talented, but Julius could sing like an angel. By the time he was 15, he was on tour singing with the Gene Leroy Trio. By 19, his mom had he and his brothers Arthur (Harpo) and Milton (Gummo) singing in vaudeville houses throughout the northeast. Billed as “The Four Nightingales”, they ended up moving to the Midwest, where the boys started riffing on stage when shows didn’t go well. They soon found out two things: 1) They were better at being funny than singing. And 2) Audiences LOVED it.

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Sally Ride

Posted in Woodlawn Cemetery Santa Monica with tags , on September 28, 2026 by Cade

May 26, 1951 – July 23, 2012

Sally Kristen Ride was a celebrated American physicist whose work with X-rays – particularly their relative abilities and behavior in interstellar space – led to her being named as an astronaut in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Ride was selected as part of the first class of Space Shuttle astronauts, or “Group 8.”

Group 8 was notable, not only because of the Shuttle program, but for the fact that it was the first astronaut class to include women and minorities. Including Ride, there were a total of 6 women in the cohort of 35. All 6 would eventually fly in space, but someone had to be first.

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Ritchie Valens

Posted in San Fernando Mission Cemetery with tags , , , on September 21, 2026 by Cade

May 13, 1941 – February 03, 1959

Three hit songs, a coin flip and a day that changed American music forever. That’s the bitter legacy of Richard Steven Valenzuela.

Better known by his stage name, Ritchie Valens, the young rock and roll pioneer gained popularity playing theaters in his native San Fernando valley in California. He was discovered in the spring of 1958 and signed to a record deal while still in high school. His first day in the studio, he recorded “Come On, Let’s Go.” The single immediately sold well and within months, Valens had recorded a new single called “Donna”, based on his real-life girlfriend at the time. “Donna” was released with a B-Side recording of his take on the Mexican folk song, “La Bamba”. The record sold a million copies and high school was no longer needed.

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John Phillips

Posted in Forest Lawn Cathedral City with tags , , on September 14, 2026 by Cade

August 30, 1935 – March 18, 2001

Look, life is complicated.

Greenwich Village in New York City in the early 1960s was a hotbed for musical creativity and countercultural movements. Nearly two decades into the influential American Folk Revolution, a new generation of singers and musicians all gravitated toward the lower east side of Manhattan. It was in this incubator, that a young singer-songwriter from Virginia named John Phillips met Denny Doherty and Cass Elliot.

Phillips had moved to New York with his band, the Journeymen, and soon-to-be wife, Michelle Gilliam, in search of a record deal. The Journeymen recorded 3 albums with Capitol Records and gained a fair following. Phillps married Michelle, the British Invasion started getting ALL the attention and the Journeymen quietly fell apart. John and Michelle continued to perform as a duo in and around the Village. In 1964, Denny Doherty – fresh off the breakup of his own group, the Mugwumps – joined them. Shortly thereafter, fellow Mugwump, Cass Elliot, also joined and the Mamas & the Papas was born.

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Quincy Jones

Posted in Hillside Memorial Park with tags , , , on September 7, 2026 by Cade

March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024

If you had to choose one person, and one person only, to serve as a lens to view the entirety of 20th Century American music, you wouldn’t even need a full name. A single letter would more than suffice: Q

Quincy Jones was perhaps best known as the groundbreaking and uber-successful record producer that shaped pop music for decades. But, he was also a talented musician in his own right, playing trumpet and, eventually, keyboards with some of the biggest names on the planet. I’ll get the name dropping out of the way early so we can focus on his accomplishments, but throughout his extraordinary 70 year career, Jones worked with the likes of Louis Armstrong, Tommy Dorsey, Billie Holiday, Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, Sarah Vaughn, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Miles Davis, Diana Ross, Billy Preston, Aretha Franklin, Lesley Gore, Little Richard, Chaka Kahn, George Benson, Tevin Campbell, Usher, Snoop Dogg and, of course, Michael Jackson.

And that’s not even counting the stars he worked with on the monumental 1985 charity recording of “We Are the World”…which he produced and conducted.

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