"Death is a great revealer of what is in a man, and in its solemn shadow appear the naked lineaments of the soul." --E.H. Chapin
NEWS & NOTES
Space for the dead -- and the living
Some of the most famous people in Los Angeles rest in peace at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Founded in 1899, this 50+ acre graveyard is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and serves the diverse communities that live in Southern California.
Beth Olam Jewish Cemetery was founded on the grounds of Hollywood Forever in the 1920s and accommodates traditional Jewish burials. There's a cremation and stupa garden for followers of Buddhism. Tree burials and mushroom suits are offered to those who want to help preserve and conserve natural spaces.
Visitors from all over the world come to the cemetery to view its creative monuments and headstones and to pay their respects to celebrities like Mel Blanc, Chris Cornell, Douglas Fairbanks, Judy Garland, Anne Heche, Jayne Mansfield, Johnny and Dee Dee Ramone, Burt Reynolds, Mickey Rooney, Rudolph Valentino and Toto from "The Wizard of Oz." Walking tours direct visitors to the graves of luminaries and guides share stories about the people behind the inscriptions.
But Hollywood Forever does more than serve as L.A.'s premier necropolis. It's also a cultural site that hosts a full schedule of activities. Concerts, literary events, lectures and live podcast tapings take place outdoors in the summer and inside The Masonic Lodge year-round. Hollywood Forever is also one of the first U.S. boneyards to hold an annual Dia de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebration.
Since 2002, Hollywood Forever has screened cult and classic films on the Fairbanks Lawn, a grave-free corner of the cemetery. Upcoming shows include "Coraline," "Trick 'R Treat" and "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure: Tribute to Paul Reubens." Thousands gather after sunset to watch the movies projected onto the side of a mausoleum. Sometimes, the filmmakers and cast members will make appearances as well.
Hollywood Forever is even a sanctuary for animals. Egyptian and Canadian geese migrate to the cemetery each year to enjoy the ponds. An animal caretaker looks after the live residents of which there are many, including about 60 feral cats, dozens of peafowls, 20 koi, nearly 40 turtles, a peacock, a rabbit and two swans. Upkeep for the animals is paid for with the proceeds earned from yoga classes taught on the grounds.
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A posthumous farewell
Paul Harrell, a popular YouTuber who posted videos about firearms, gun safety and the outdoors, died on Sept. 3 of pancreatic cancer. He was 58.
Knowing the end was near, Harrell pre-recorded a video to be posted on his eponymous channel after his death. It went live on Sept. 4:
The video, which was titled "I'm Dead," featured Harrell speaking directly to his 1.2 million subscribers. He thanked them for watching the 445 videos he had uploaded since the channel debuted in 2012 and apologized for not being able to live as long as he'd hoped.
"I'm really glad to have had this opportunity to do all of the stuff that we've done. I really hope it’s been helpful. I really appreciate you watching, commenting and participating, and I have probably very few regrets in what we’ve done here," Harrell said. "I think we've been, for the most part, successful. I hope you agree."
Harrell's brother, former law enforcement officer Roy E. Harrell, Jr., confirmed the vlogger's death and said he would maintain the channel in the future. He asked viewers for patience while he mourns this loss.
Harrell's editor/manager, Brad Nelson, appeared at the end of the video and described Paul as a "very generous and kind guy” who “told the best campfire stories." Nelson also confirmed that new content would be posted in the future as a way to continue "to educate people the way that Paul did.”
FMI: Click here.
Advice from a widow
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NOTABLE OBITS
* African penguin #821 (a.k.a. Mr. Greedy), the oldest member of the largest colony of the aquatic bird species in North America, died at 33. A beloved fixture at the Maryland Zoo, Mr. Greedy sired many offspring and left behind 230 descendants over five generations. He is survived by his lifelong mate, penguin No. 832 (a.k.a. Ms. Greedy), who is now the oldest penguin at the zoo. (Hank Sanders, The New York Times and Kyle Swenson, The Washington Post)
* María Benítez, 82, a dancer and choreographer who helped to make New Mexico a "capital of flamenco,” died. She and her husband Cecilio Benítez formed the María Benítez Teatro Flamenco, a dance company that toured nationally. The couple also founded the Institute for Spanish Arts, an educational nonprofit, in Santa Fe, where she continued to teach after retiring from the stage. (Brian Seibert, The New York Times)
* Theoretical physicist James "B.J." Bjorken, 90, who played a role in establishing the existence of subatomic particles known as quarks, died. During the 10 years he spent working at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, he made contributions to the designs of particle accelerators and the processes involved in heavy ion collisions. Bjorken published his memoir, "Why Do We Do Physics? Because Physics Is Fun!" in 2020. (Katrina Miller, The New York Times)
* Former Chicago police officer Jim Crowley, who suffered traumatic brain injuries at the age of 22 when a drunk driver hit his squad car, died at 59. Fellow officer William Morrison died in the 1987 crash. The driver of the other vehicle was convicted on reckless homicide charges and sentenced to three years in prison. After the crash, Crowley needed assistance with every part of his daily life, a fact that inspired his younger sister, Beth Carter, to become a nurse. (Mitch Dudek, Chicago Sun-Times, Apple News)
* James Darrel, a teen idol who rose to fame playing Jeffrey “Moondoggie” Matthews in the "Gidget" films of the 1950s and 1960s, died at 88. He later appeared in the television shows “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and "T.J. Hooker," and the Oscar-winning film "The Guns of Navarone." In the 1990s, Darrel became a successful TV director, working on the hit series “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “Melrose Place” and “Walker, Texas Ranger.” (Nardine Saad, Los Angeles Times)
* TV writer/producer Eric Gilliland, 62, who wrote for numerous sitcoms including "Roseanne," "The Wonder Years" and "That '70s Show," died. He also served as a consulting producer on "The Conners," a spin-off of "Roseanne," in 2019. Gilliland received a Daytime Emmy nomination that same year for his writing on the Netflix sketch comedy series "The Who Was? Show." (Tatiana Tenreyro, The Hollywood Reporter)
* Michel Guérard, a French chef known for his diet-friendly dishes, died. He was 91. In the 1970s, Guérard and his wife Christine, helped to transform the resort Les Prés d’Eugénie into a world-renowned destination that earned three stars from the Michelin Guide. Guérard promoted his food in the bestselling cookbook "La Grande Cuisine Minceur." (Harrison Smith, The Washington Post)
* Hvaldimir, a beluga whale who was suspected of being trained as a Russian spy, died. His age was unknown. The whale became a global celebrity in 2019 when it approached Norwegian fishermen while wearing a harness that read "Equipment St. Petersburg." A group of animal activists were in the process of trying to have him relocated for his safety -- and to connect with other belugas -- when he died. (Jonathan Edwards, The Washington Post)
* Award-winning lyricist Will Jennings died at 80. Jennings wrote numerous hit songs, including pop classics like Whitney Houston’s “Didn’t We Almost Have It All,” Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love” and Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven.” He won two Academy Awards, one for "Up Where We Belong,” written with Jack Nitzsche and Buffy Sainte-Marie and performed by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes for the movie “An Officer and a Gentleman,” and “My Heart Will Go On,” written with James Horner and performed by Celine Dion for the film “Titanic.” Jennings also won three Grammy Awards during his career and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. (Ashley Lee, Los Angeles Times)
* Jazz critic, editor and historian Dan Morgenstern, who won eight Grammy Awards and penned two books, died at 94. In the 1960s, Morgenstern edited the influential jazz magazines, Metronome and Downbeat. He then spent more than three decades as director of the Rutgers Institute of Jazz Studies, one of the largest jazz archives in the world. (Tom Vitale, NPR)
* Makeup artist Frank Griffin, who collaborated on 20 movies with actor/comedian Steve Martin, died. He was 95. Although he started in Hollywood as an actor and studio laborer, Griffin switched to the makeup department in the 1960s. From 1989 until 2005, he served as Martin’s makeup artist on nearly two dozen pictures, including "Roxanne," "Father of the Bride," "A Simple Twist of Fate" and "Shopgirl." (Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter)
* J. Richard Munro, 93, who began working in the circulation department at Time Inc. and climbed the ranks to become its chairman and CEO, died. Munro also oversaw the 1989 merger of Time Inc. and Warner Communications Inc. The move, which aimed to make both companies less vulnerable to takeover bids, formed Time Warner, the largest media and entertainment company in the world. (Emily Langer, The Washington Post)
* Virginia Ogilvy, the Countess of Airlie, who served Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II for nearly 50 years as her only American-born lady-in-waiting, died. She was 91. Ogilvy’s husband David, the Earl of Airlie, served as the Lord Chamberlain of the Household, overseeing the queen’s domestic affairs. As a personal attendant, Ogilvy was always on hand to tend to the queen's needs, both at home and abroad. (Clay Risen, The New York Times)
* Dr. Mark Price, 52, head physician for the New England Patriots and a war hero, died. Price was awarded a Bronze Star for risking his life to treat a seriously injured man while under fire in Afghanistan. Back in the states, Price stood on the sidelines, ever ready to run on the field and help any football player who needed immediate medical treatment. (Bryan Marquard, Boston Globe)
* Michel Siffre, 85, a French researcher who expanded the field of chronobiology, died. Over five decades, Siffre explored the physical and mental changes that humans undergo when normal time clues are unavailable. This work involved spending long periods in pitch-black caves and studying others doing the same. Such efforts helped NASA and the French Defense Ministry understand what spending an extended time in space or underwater would do to humans. (Brian Murphy, The Washington Post)
FAMOUS DEATHS IN HISTORY
On September 9, French painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (36), Canadian-American studio executive Jack L. Warner (86) and Medal of Honor recipient Einar H. Ingman Jr. (85)
On September 10, the first emperor of China Qin Shi Huang (49), English author/feminist Mary Wollstonecraft (38) and writer/film director Dalton Trumbo (70)
On September 11, Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev (77), English-American actress Jessica Tandy (85) and football quarterback Johnny Unitas (69)
On September 12, Nobel Prize-winning agronomist Norman Borlaug (95), skateboarder/snowboarder Tom Sims (61) and LGBT rights activist/IBM technology manager Edith Windsor (88)
On September 13, Hungarian-American film producer Joe Pasternak (73), rapper/actor Tupac Shakur (25) and rock singer/songwriter Eddie Money (70)
On September 14, President William McKinley (58), actress and Princess of Monaco Grace Kelly (52) and actor/dancer Patrick Swayze (57)
On September 15, author Thomas Wolfe (37), actor Harry Dean Stanton (91) and singer Ric Ocasek (The Cars) (75)
On September 16, opera singer Maria Callas (53), fantasy novelist Robert Jordan (58) and playwright Edward Albee (88)
FAMOUS LAST WORDS
"I'll show you that it won't shoot." --Johnny Ace, 25, killed while playing Russian roulette
MOMENT OF GRATITUDE
Thanks to Alizadastudios, Hollywood Forever & Hollywood Funeral Home, the National Park Service, American Ghost Walks, Hollywood Graveyard, YouTube, Cinespia, KCRW, Harrell Brothers In Arms, People Magazine, Good Morning America, The New York Times, Chicago Sun-Times, Apple News, Los Angeles Times, The Hollywood Reporter, The Washington Post, Reuters, NPR, Movieclips, Boston Globe, Haley Owens, Unsplash, On This Day, Playback.FM, Britannica: This Day in History, Time and Date, Wikipedia, "Death and the Rhythm-and-Bluesman: The Life and Recordings of Johnny Ace" by James M. Salem and "Last Words of Notable People: Final Words of More Than 3,500 Noteworthy People Throughout History" by William B. Brahm and Deposit Photos for art and story suggestions.
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