Celebrity Graveland

November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956

American trombonist and bandleader Tommy Dorsey not only gave the world Big Band era  hits like “I’ll Never Smile Again,” “Marie” and “In the Blue of the Evening,” he also stole incorporated a number of huge stars into his band over the years.  Drummers Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, as well as a little-known vocalist named Frank something-or-other all sat in with Tommy.  He also funded a young Glenn Miller’s first band.  So, he kind of was a big deal for a while. Dorsey may have been known as “The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing” but his perfectionism and unsteady demeanor made him a chore to work with. Or so I’ve heard.

At the age of 51, Tommy thought that it would be a good idea to eat a whole lot of food with some sleeping pills and he choked to death in his sleep. Seriously. That’s how he died.

Burial

Kensico Cemetery – Valhalla, NY

Specific Location

Section 41; On the north side of Cherokee Ave. just east of  the “T” intersection with Ossipee Ave.

This entry was posted on March 4, 2013 at 4:30 pm and is filed under Kensico Cemetery with tags Bandleaders, Kensico Cemetery. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.