Édith Piaf

Posted in Père Lachaise Cemetery with tags , on June 13, 2013 by Cade

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December 19, 1915 – October 11, 1963

“Every damn fool thing you do in this life, you pay for.” – Édith Piaf

Édith Giovanna Gassion was raised in a brothel in Normandy, France. Things got better from there…slowly.  She joined her father as a street peformer at the age of 14 and began singing for money on the outskirts of Paris. She fell in love, continued to sing on the streets and had a daughter. She was a terrible mother. Her daughter died at the age of 2 in the hotel where they were living.  It gets better, it really does. At the age of 19, Édith was discovered by a Paris nightclub owner and began singing “professionally” in said nightclub.  The owner, of course, was promptly murdered, but not before Édith was able to record a couple of songs and begin making decisions for herself. Under new management, she began performing as Édith Piaf (piaf means “sparrow” in case you were wondering) and eventually went on to become one of France’s greatest performers. Continue reading →

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Hillel Slovak

Posted in Mt. Sinai Memorial Park with tags , on June 13, 2013 by Cade

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April 13, 1962 – June 25, 1988

Hillel Slovak was a founding member and the original guitarist for the legendary Los Angeles-based rock band, the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Slovak met vocalist Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea (Michael Balzary) in high school and formed the band with drummer, Jack Irons, for a one-time gig that turned into a steady, and very popular presence in the L.A. music scene.  The line up recorded two albums – “Freaky Styley” and “The Uplift Mofo Party Plan” – all while battling severe addiction to drugs, most notably, cocaine and heroin.  Slovak and Kiedis tried to sober up using each other as support, but the withdrawals proved to be too much and Slovak died of a heroin overdose at the age of 26 while separated from the band. Continue reading →

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Suzanne Pleshette

Posted in Hillside Memorial Park with tags , on June 11, 2013 by Cade

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January 31, 1937 – January 19, 2008

Prior to her star-making role as Emily Hartley opposite Bob Newhart in the classic television sitcom The Bob Newhart Show,  Suzanne Pleshette was an established stage and film actress.  She appeared on Broadway in Compulsion and The Miracle Worker and in such classic films as The Geisha Boy and Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds.  But, it was the Newhart Show that brought her biggest fame and critical acclaim (3 Emmy nominations).  Pleshette went on to a lengthy string of guest starring roles and voice over work.  She was married 3 times, including to the costar of a different Bob Newhart project, Newhart, Tom Poston. Continue reading →

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Bob Ross

Posted in Woodlawn Cemetery (FL) with tags on June 11, 2013 by Cade

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October 29, 1942 – July 4, 1995

If television artist Bob Ross wasn’t the nicest guy in the world then I want nothing to do with the world.  Ross turned a love of painting and a lightning-fast technique known as “wet-on-wet” to soothe and entertain public television audiences for more than a decade.  In 1983, the former U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant turned from the loud yelling of the military to the quiet encouragement of painting a “happy little” landscape in real time on PBS.  His show, The Joy of Painting, was wildly popular due to the minimal tools required and oft-repeated techniques. Continue reading →

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Telly Savalas

Posted in Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills with tags , , on June 8, 2013 by Cade

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January 21, 1922 – January 22, 1994

Aristotelis “Telly” Savalas was probably best know as the lollipop-chomping title character in the popular CBS drama Kojak.  Of course, he did a lot of other things, including co-starring roles in The Dirty Dozen, Kelly’s Heroes and – as supervillain, Ernst Blofeld – in the James Bond film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. He also was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance opposite Burt Lancaster in The Birdman of Alcatraz. Continue reading →

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Burt Lancaster

Posted in Westwood Memorial Park with tags , , on June 8, 2013 by Cade

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November 2, 1913 – October 20, 1994

It’s the age-old Hollywood story: Athletic boy grows up to become a circus acrobat, joins the military and becomes a film legend. Standard stuff, really.

Burt Lancaster was a tall, muscular actor who started off his long career playing tough guy roles. Eventually, he managed to land roles with more depth like Sergeant Warden in From Here to Eternity or his Academy Award winning titular character in Elmer Gantry. Lancaster was so serious about taking on roles with more substance that he often took pay cuts to play better characters. He even put his own money into projects he truly believed in.  All in all, he made over 60 films throughout his career. Not bad for a kid who started off as a gymnast. Continue reading →

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John Lennon

Posted in Cremated with tags , , , on June 8, 2013 by Cade

lennon1October 09, 1940 – December 08, 1980

John Winston Lennon was a singer/songwriter/artist/activist who co-founded a little band called the Beatles. As a young lad in Liverpool, Lennon met Paul McCartney and embarked on one of the most famous creative partnerships of all time.  The Beatles went on to record more than 20 No. 1 singles and 18 Platinum albums and become the most famous band in the world.  After the Beatles broke up, the members went their separate ways and embarked on successful solo careers.  Lennon recorded a number of solo efforts that were met with both critical and popular acclaim.  In 1969, Lennon, married conceptual artist, Yoko Ono, and the two became very vocal advocates for peace throughout the Vietnam conflict.

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Donna Reed

Posted in Westwood Memorial Park with tags , , on June 8, 2013 by Cade

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January 27, 1921 – January 14, 1986

Donna Belle Mullenger was born in Iowa, moved to Los Angeles to attend college and accidentally became a Hollywood superstar. After being noticed on stage in school productions, she was offered a number of screen tests and eventually a contract with MGM studios. She changed her name to Donna Reed and went on to star in immortal classic films like From Here to Eternity (for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress) and It’s a Wonderful Life opposite Jimmy Stewart. Continue reading →

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Andy Gibb

Posted in Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills with tags , on June 7, 2013 by Cade

gibb1March 5, 1958 – March, 10 1988

You would think being the younger brother of a world-famous singing trio would be the greatest.  And, to a point, you would be right. Andrew Roy Gibb enjoyed the coattails of his famous brothers (multi-Platinum Disco kings, The Bee Gees) and rode them to a pretty successful solo career of his own.  He scored a number of huge hits in the late 1970’s including “I Just Want To Be Your Everything” and “Shadow Dancing” and was able to work alongside his talented brothers. Of course, Andy also enjoyed cocaine. Continue reading →

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Redd Foxx

Posted in Palm Valley View Memorial Park with tags , on June 6, 2013 by Cade

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December 9, 1922 – October 11, 1991

Note to all aspiring comedians: Choose your catchphrases wisely.

Redd Foxx (shockingly, not his real name) was a popular comedian and actor who rose to fame with raunchy, explicit comedy recordings throughout the 1950’s and ’60’s.  But it was his portrayal of Fred Sanford on the NBC sitcom Sanford and Son that earned him his biggest success. The show ran for 5 years and followed the life of junkman, Fred Sanford (shockingly, Foxx’s actual father’s real name,) and, well…his son.  It featured a number of running gags, one of the more popular of which was Sanford often faking a heart attack claiming “This is the big one! I’m coming to join ya, Elizabeth!” Continue reading →

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