Hollywood Forever



The Hollywood Forever Cemetery, the beautiful celebrity-filled cemetery which is situated just steps from Paramount Studios is home to some of the finest stars to grace the big screen.  There are hundreds of famous and formerly folks buried in here, so check them out, the website offers an interactive map, conveniently divided into categories such as actors, musicians, etc., that details their locations.


Some notable people buried here are:

Johnny Ramone - The guitarist and co-founder of punk band The Ramones is honored with an 8-foot, bronze statue of him playing guitar but he isn't buried here — yet. His wife is holding onto his ashes and after she dies, the'll both be inurned in the statue. His bandmate Dee Dee Ramone (no relation; Ramone is a stage name) is buried not far away.

Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel - His life wasn't long (41 years) but it was action-packed. The bootlegger, hitman and mobster helped develop the Las Vegas strip before it all caught up with him. In 1947, he was shot through the window of his Beverly Hills home by an unknown killer.

Bob Guccione - Who knows what the Penthouse magazine founder is reading (or who he's ogling) in the afterlife.

Estelle Getty - Thank you for being a friend. The "Golden Girls" star was buried here in 2008 after dying at the golden age of 84.

Hattie McDaniel - When the African American actress, best known for playing Mammy in "Gone with the Wind," died in 1952, Roth refused to allow her to be buried at the cemetery, which remained segregated until 1959. In 1999, a cenotaph was dedicated to her just south of the lovely Sylvan Lake.

Jayne Mansfield - The busty actress and early Playboy Playmate (also mom to actress Mariska Hargitay) is actually buried in Pennsylvania but she has a monument here. She died tragically in 1967 at the age of 34 in a car crash.

Mel Blanc - Famous for voicing Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and countless other animated characters has this famous epitaph on his tombstone: "That's all folks."

Rudolph Valentino - The Italian-born actor was one of the early heartthrobs of silent films. When he died in 1926 at the age of 31, Valentino had so many fans his New York funeral mass caused a near riot. After, his body traveled by train to Los Angeles for a second funeral.

Tony Scott - The Top Gun director was laid to rest here in 2012, after he committed suicide by jumping from the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro.

Mr Blackwell - The creator of the "Ten Worst Dressed Women List", an annual awards presentation he unveiled in January of each year, and the annual Academy Awards fashion review.

Douglas Fairbanks, Sr and Jr. - Father and Son, Hollywood actors, Hollywood Royalty

Toto the dog -  "and Toto TOO"



The cemetery is also a social hub, hosting one of the city's most popular outdoor movie screening series Cinespia, where you can watch a movie while sitting on the grave of the stars.



Hollywood Forever was founded as Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery in 1899, when filmmaking wasn't yet an industry, it grew along with the movie business. In fact, the original owners — Isaac Lankershim and his son-in-law Isaac Van Nuys — sold swaths of their land to Paramount and RKO. No wonder so many studio heads are buried there. By the 1980s, it had fallen into disrepair, thanks to crooked owner Jules Roth, an oil swindler and convicted felon. The 1994 Northridge earthquake further damaged several crypts. When Roth died in 1998, it became apparent how many financial and physical problems the cemetery had.

In 1998, brothers Tyler and Brent Cassity bought the property. They poured millions into renovations, renamed it Hollywood Forever and began hosting events and tours. The renaissance kicked into high gear when outdoor movie nights debuted in 2002. It wasn't all roses. Brent, along with Cassity patriarch Doug and several partners in their company, were indicted for fraud in the pre-need funeral business.



I like to go and sit and hang out there during the day, while my friend likes to bring wine and drink with the stars of yesteryear.  Another friend of mine goes to every movie that plays there., while his friend loves to go there at night to walk around.  How great that a cemetery can bring so much joy to the living.

Hollywood Forever....we ❤️ you!!!
Hollywood Forever Hollywood Forever Reviewed by #IheartHollywood on December 02, 2017 Rating: 5

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