Monday, September 10, 2018

The Man Who Had Two Graves!

Anton Yelchin was only 27 years old when he died in a freak accident.  The Russian-born actor had already made a name for himself in Hollywood with a string of box office hits, including the role of Chekov in the more recent Star Trek films.  On June 19, 2016, Yelchin was impaled by his own Jeep Grand Cherokee after it rolled down a hill at his home in Los Angeles.  The county coroner's office ruled the death as "blunt traumatic asphyxia" with no signs of foul play.

Yelchin passed just one month before the release of Star Trek Beyond, which the producers posthumously dedicated to him, as well as to fellow Star Trek alum Leonard Nimoy, who passed prior to the film's completion.  Yelchin's co-stars from the film took to social media to mourn the actor's passing.

Yelchin was not married, so upon his passing, his parents tended to the funeral arrangements.  Of Jewish heritage, they chose Mt. Sinai Memorial Park in Los Angeles, the final resting place of such luminaries as Don Rickles, Norman Fell, and Judge Joseph Wapner.  Yelchin was laid to rest in a scenic garden, which fans were quick to flock to.


Rest in peace.....for now.



Normally, this would have been the end of the story.  But after he had been laid to rest, Yelchin's parents decided that they wanted to erect a statue in his memory.  Though his career in Hollywood had been brief, it had been grand, and they felt it was only appropriate.

Unfortunately for the Yelchins, Mt. Sinai does not allow above-ground markers, and there's not a single statue in the park.  Stymied by what they saw as bureaucratic red tape, they decided that another venue might be more appropriate, and they soon discovered Hollywood Forever, a cemetery known for its eternal tributes to Hollywood's elite, including Douglas Fairbanks, Rudolph Valentino and even mobster Bugsy Siegel.  Whereas Mt. Sinai is not always as welcoming to curious tourists, Hollywood Forever welcomes them with open arms, gladly selling maps to the stars graves for a mere $10.  Appreciating this more laid-back vibe, the Yelchins did what anyone would do in that situation - they dug up their son and drove him seven miles down the road.

In October 2017, Yelchin's second grave, featuring a life-sized statue, was unveiled in a star-studded ceremony, featuring his Star Trek co-stars Zoe Saldana and Simon Pegg. No details have been revealed however, as to where the after-party was held.






Live long and....oh never mind.

3 comments:

  1. A wonderful young man to have died so horridly. Never forgotten for the person he was not the movie star,

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  2. Not that un common to be done. Marriott was buried where my dad is and was dug up and buried somewhere else

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  3. Now trevor moore is buried near him. Can you get a picture of that when its installed? Oh and Andrew Koenig is buried there too I wonder if walter will be buried next to his son

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