The DC Madam

 

"I am not going back to prison.  I will commit suicide first."

If you lived in the Washington, DC area in the early 2000s, you're likely to remember Deborah Jeane Palfrey, affectionately dubbed the DC Madam by the local media. In 2008, she was found guilty of money laundering and racketeering after a four-year hands-on investigation into her escort agency, Pamela Martin and Associates (PM&A), whose clients included national politicians and local celebrities.

She was born in North Charleroi, Pennsylvania on March 18, 1956.  When she was a teenager, her family moved to Orlando, Florida, where she later attended Rollins College, earning her degree in criminal justice.  No, really.  After graduation, she moved to San Diego, taking a job as a paralegal.

It was through her clients in America's Finest City that Palfrey first became involved in the escort business.  She felt that she could run such a service much more efficiently than any of her legal clients had done, so she began recruiting her all-star team.  Her first arrest came in 1990, when she was charged with pimping, pandering, and extortion.  She fled to Montana but was brought back for trial and was ultimately convicted in 1992.  She would spend the next 18 months in prison. Following her release, Palfrey opened PM&A in Washington, DC.

Upon her conviction in 2008, Palfrey was informed that she could spend the next 55 years in prison.  Two weeks later, on May 1, she was found dead at her mother's mobile home in Tarpon Springs, Florida.  Fearing a return to prison, Palfrey had ultimately decided to take her own life.  Her body was found hanging in a tool shed behind her mother's home.  Following an autopsy, her death was ruled a suicide.

Deborah Jeane Palfrey was laid to rest in the family plot at Cycadia Cemetery in Tarpon Springs.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• A year after her death, Palfrey's lawyer Montgomery Blair Sibley, who was disbarred following the trial, released his tell-all book on the case.  You can pick up a copy of Why Just Her: The Judicial Lynching of the DC Madam, Deborah Jeane Palfrey, from Amazon.
  
  
• ABC News went through Palfrey's phone records, which contained the names of nearly 15,000 clients.  Ultimately, they decided not to release any of those names, stating that none of them were "sufficiently newsworthy."  Phew!
  
  
• In 2007, Senator David Vitter of Louisiana acknowledged that he had been one of Palfrey's clients.  With his depressed wife standing by his side, Vitter called a press conference, wherein he admitted "his failings," but ultimately refused to step down.  You can check it out on YouTube.
  
  
• Palfrey's younger sister, Roberta Lynn, will one day join her in this dual plot.
  
  
• Following her death, Palfrey's conviction was vacated by the court.

That Guy - Star Wars, Flash Gordon, Superman 4.......

 

"In a sense, my career's been downhill ever since.  Fans still come to greet me at the stage door with action figures of my character and embarrassing photographs for me to sign."

William Hootkins is not exactly a household name.  When I visited his grave in Dallas a few years back, I knew him as Porkins, one of the many rebel pilots who did not survive the original Star Wars. 

I was in the cemetery paying my respects to some more notable internments, when I saw his listing on Find a Grave, and thought, what the heck.  It turns out this guy has been in a ton of my favorite movies and I never made the connection.  But first, a little back story.

He was born in Dallas on July 5, 1948.  He attended private school, where he first became interested in acting.  Upon graduation, he enrolled in Princeton University, where he initially majored in astrophysics before transferring to oriental studies, all the while participating in the school's theatrical productions. Upon graduation, he followed his friend John Lithgow's advice and moved to England, where he studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. 

It was there in 1976 that he was cast as Porkins, a small role that would ultimately define his career.  He'd continue working in England for the next twenty years, appearing in some of the biggest films of the day.  In 1980, he appeared as Munson, lab assistant to the eccentric Dr. Hanz Zarkov in Dino De Laurentis's Flash Gordon.  The following year, he appeared as Major Eaton in Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark.  In 1987, he appeared in the critically panned Superman 4: The Quest for Peace, playing Harry Howler, an American arms tycoon.  Finally, in 1989, he played the corrupt Lieutenant Eckhardt in Tim Burton's Batman.

Hootkins in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Superman 4: The Quest for Peace, and Batman.

By 2005, Hootkins had relocated to California, where he was being treated for pancreatic cancer.  He ultimately died on October 23rd.  He was just 57 years old.

William Hootkins was laid to rest at Sparkman/Hillcrest Memorial Park in Dallas.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• As a teenager, Hootkins was in the same drama group as future box office star Tommy Lee Jones, whom he was felt was far more handsome than himself.  He once famously stated "I supported from then on."
  
  
• When he was just 15 years old, Hootkins was interviewed by the FBI following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.  His teacher at the time, Ruth Paine, was a Russian national and friend to Oswald's wife Marina.  It was later discovered that unbeknownst to the family, Oswald had stored his rifle in Paine's garage, the same one he'd later use to kill the president.
  
  
• Other notable Sparkman internments include Mickey Mantle, Ross Perot, Tom Landry and Mary Kay Ash.
  
  
• When Lieutenant Eckhardt goes to kill Jack Napier at Axis Chemicals in the first few minutes of Batman, Hootkins appears with a scruffy beard.  Moments later, when Napier shoots him, he appears completely clean shaven.

Paul Walker - Too Fast, Too Furious

 

"Maybe this is just horrible bad, but I think I've had enough successes to where the journey is more important to me now.  There's no guarantee, no matter what.  We've got one run in life."

Paul William Walker IV was born in Glendale, California on September 12, 1973.  He was born to a family that had already seen its share of fame.  His father, Paul III, was an amateur boxer and two-time Golden Gloves champion while his mother Cheryl was a fashion model.  His paternal grandfather, Paul II, had also been a professional boxer, while his other grandfather was a racecar driver.

He began his acting career when he was just 13 years old, appearing in the long-forgotten horror comedy film Monster in the Closet.  Bigger roles would follow, including a short-term stint on the daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless.  It got him noticed in Hollywood, leading to roles on the big screen, including Varsity Blues and She's All That, both released in 1999.

In 2001, he was cast as Brian O'Connor in The Fast and the Furious, spawning a franchise that today includes 12 feature films and an animated series.  Really.  Walker would only appear in six and a half of these films however.

On November 30, 2013, Walker attended a fundraising event for his charity Reach Out Worldwide (see Trivia below).  He was joined by friend Roger Rodas, a fellow racing enthusiast and investment banker.  The two left the event in Rodas's 2005 Porsche Carrera GT, reaching speeds up to 93 MPH in a 45 MPH zone.  Rodas lost control of the car, which, after crashing into a concrete lamp post, burst into flames.

Both men died in the crash.  An autopsy would later determine that Rodas died on impact, while Walker would die in the fire.  Both of their bodies were burned beyond recognition.

Walker was cremated and his ashes were buried at famed Forest Lawn Cemetery in the Hollywood Hills.  Don't bother asking the front office for directions though, because they don't give them.

Court of Liberty Section
Gardens of Heritage

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Paul Walker, take a voyage to Amazon.  It's all in books.
  
  
• The crash occurred at 28385 Constellation Road in Valencia.  It is today a macabre tourist attraction, even receiving its own page on Roadside America.
  
  
• Walker died halfway during production of the seventh film in the series, aptly titled Furious 7.  His brothers were employed to help finish the project.  Producers also made use of CGI.
  
  
• Walker founded the non-profit organization Reach Out Worldwide following a devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti.  It is a collaboration between first responders, medical technicians, and construction experts who travel the globe in response to natural disasters.  For more information on how you can support this worthy organization, please visit roww.org. 
  
  
• Walker was raised in the Mormon faith, later becoming a devout Christian, graduating from Village Christian High School in 1991.  "I'm a Christian now," he later said.  "The people I don't understand are atheists.  I go surfing and snowboarding and I'm always around nature.  I look at everything and think, who couldn't believe there's a God?  Is this all a mistake?  It just blows me away."
  
  
• Rapper Wiz Khalifa wrote and produced the single See You Again for the Furious 7 soundtrack as a tribute to Walker.  You can check out the video on YouTube.
  
  
• Walker's life was chronicled in the 2018 documentary I am Paul Walker.  Check out the trailer on YouTube.

Peter, Paul, and Mary Travers

 

"People say to us 'oh we grew up on your music' and we often say, sotto voce, 'so did we.'"

Mary Allin Travers was born in Louisville, Kentucky on November 9, 1936.  Her parents were journalists who moved the family to New York City just two years later.

She grew up in Greenwich Village, where, as a teenager, she found herself drawn to the burgeoning folk music scene.  She attended the progressive Little Red School House, but dropped out in the 11th grade to join her first group, the Song Swappers.  She stayed with them for six years before catching the ear of Bob Dylan in 1961.

That year, he teamed Mary with fellow folk musicians Peter Yarrow and Paul Stookey.  Between 1961 and 2009, Peter, Paul, and Mary would release nearly 50 albums and 29 hit singles.  This blogger would discover them through their hit The River of Jordan, covered by Lorna Patterson in the 1980 cinematic masterpiece Airplane!.

In 2004, Mary was diagnosed with leukemia. She underwent a bone marrow transplant the following year, which led to a temporary remission, but she ultimately passed away on September 16, 2009.  She was just 72 years old.

Mary Travers was laid to rest at Umpawaug Cemetery in Redding, Connecticut.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• The inscription on Mary's headstone reads "Voice of a generation that echoes through the ages."  
  
  
• At the height of their fame, the trio appeared as mystery guests on the popular game show What's My Line, brought to you by Kellogg's.  You can watch the 1963 episode in its entirety (complete with commercials) on YouTube.
  
  
• Mary was co-founder of the Newport Folk Festival, an annual event still conducted each year in Rhode Island.
  
  
• Mary was a frequent performer on the annual Jerry Lewis Labor Day MDA Telethon.  Here she is in 1975 being introduced by the host himself and performing The Song is Love.
  
  
• The day after her death, Brian Williams filed this retrospective report for MSNBC.  Shockingly, he didn't claim to have known her or to taught her how to sing.
  
  
• Can't make it to Connecticut yourself?  Vlogger Fascinating Graveyard posted this video of the grave.

The Roots Graveyard?

 

In January 1977, approximately 140 million Americans tuned in to the eight-part television mini-series Roots, based on author Alex Haley's book of the same name.  Spanning more than 100 years, it tells the story of Haley's ancestors, abducted from Africa and sold into slavery in Colonial America.

The main protagonist, Kunta Kinte (played by Levar Burton), was a fictional character based on one of Haley's Gambian ancestors.  Upon arriving in America, he was sold into slavery, eventually working on a plantation in Spotsylvania County, Virginia.

Today, that land has been reclaimed and turned into Loriella Park, which features hiking trails, a swimming pool, a frisbee golf course and more.  One area that remains undisturbed is the former slave graveyard.  While the headstones are no more, many historians and Roots aficionados believe that Haley's ancestor, who died around 1822, is among those buried in this sacred plot.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• Roots: The Saga of an American Family, was one of 1976's top-selling books.  It spent 46 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller List.  You can pick up a copy on Amazon.
  
  
• Haley eventually passed away in 1992 at the age of 70.  He was buried on the grounds of his childhood home in Henning, Tennessee, which today serves as the Alex Haley Museum and Interpretive Center.
  
  
• The series had hundreds of well-known actors and others who were just starting out.  Many of them have since passed away, and some of those graves have been profiled by this blog.  You can re-visit Robert Reed, Vic Morrow, Carolyn Jones and Roxie Roker.
  
  
• Can't make it to Virginia to see for yourself?  Vlogger VA Travels posted an eight-minute walking and drone tour of the park and the burial grounds.  Check it out on YouTube.

Arnold Horshack!

 

Ronald Gabriel Paolillo was born in New Haven, Connecticut on April 2, 1949. He was the son of Gabriel and Carmel, the former of whom died of lung cancer when Ronald was just ten years old.  He graduated from high school in 1967 and attended the University of Connecticut at Storrs.  Intent on becoming an actor, he made his way to Hollywood, where he changed his name to Ron Palillo.

In 1975, he was cast in his signature role, that of Arnold Horshack on the sit-com Welcome, Back Kotter.  It was his first television role.  The series ran for four seasons totaling 94 episodes.  The final episode was a back-door pilot that would serve as a starring vehicle for Paolillo, but the new series was never produced.

In the 1980s, he made guest appearances on many popular shows of the day, including The Love Boat, Chips, and of course, Murder, She Wrote.  He also appeared in a number of feature films, including Friday the 13th, Part 6: Jason Lives (1986) and the charmingly titled Snake Eater (1989), an action vehicle for Lorenzo Lamas.  Apparently the movie was a success, because later the same year, he reprised his role in its sequel, Snake Eater 2: The Drug Buster.

In 1991, he returned to the New York stage, where he played Mozart in Amadeus and Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, among many other roles.  He was also a talented stage director, releasing his first full-length play, The Lost Boy, in 2006.  It told the story of Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie.

In 2012, Paolillo was living in Palm Beach, Florida with his partner of 41 years, Joseph Gramm.  It was there that he suffered a heart attack on August 14th.  Although he was rushed to a nearby hospital, he was pronounced dead on arrival.  He was just 63 years old.  A memorial tribute, hosted by Cagney and Lacey star Tyne Daly, was held in New York City later that year.

Ron Paolillo was laid to rest in Saint Larence Cemetery in West Haven, Connecticut.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• Paolillo was the second Sweathog to pass away in 2012, the first being Robert Hegyes, who also died of a heart attack.
  
  
• In the early 1980s, Paolillo became a voice actor for several Saturday morning cartoons, including Laverne and Shirley in the Army.  He provided the voice of Sargeant Squealy, a talking pig.  Think I'm making this up?  You can watch an episode in its entirety on YouTube.
  
  
• Paolillo was also an illustrator who worked on the children's book The Red Wings of Christmas with fellow former child star Wesley Eure.  You can pick up a copy on Amazon.  He illustrated a second children's book with author Michael Mele entitled A Gift for the Contessa, which is also available on Amazon.
  
  
• In 1983, Paolillo cut a public service announcement for The Alcoholism Center in Chicago.  Check it out on YouTube.
  
  
• In the 1990s, Paolillo returned to the University at Connecticut, this time as a professor.
  
  
• Remember Celebrity Boxing?  It was a guilty pleasure back in 2002.  During the second season, Paolillo fought a fellow TV nerd about three decades younger, Saved by the Bell's Dustin Diamond.  You can watch the fight in its painful entirety on YouTube.

Pearl S. Buck

 

"The secret of joy is contained in one word - excellence.  To know how to do something well is to enjoy it."

Pearl S. Buck is not exactly a household name.  Chances are however, that at some point in your life, you were reading the dust jacket on a book and saw that it was recipient of the Pearl S. Buck Award. This prestigious honor is given to female American authors whose work reflects the same principles for whom the award is named.  But who exactly was she?

She was born Pearl Comfort Sydenstriker in Hillsboro, West Virginia on June 26, 1892.  She was the daughter of American missionaries, who took her to China when she was just four months old. She'd spend her formative years abroad, even learning to speak Chinese before English.  Then in 1911, she returned to the States and settled in Lynchburg, Virginia, where she enrolled in Randolph-Macon Woman's College.  She graduated Phi Beta Kappa just three years later.

Upon graduation, she returned to China where she married fellow missionary John Lossing Buck.  They'd settle in the Suzhou, Anhui Province, which would serve as the inspiration for her most famous work, The Good Earth, first published in 1931.  This influential novel won Buck the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1932, and later, the Nobel Prize for Literature.  It is today considered an American literary classic.

Buck died of lung cancer on March 6, 1973.  She was 80 years old.  She was interred on the grounds of Pearl S. Buck International, a non-profit organization founded in 1964 in Perkasie, Pennsylvania. It's mission is to "bridge cultures and change lives through humanitarian aid and intercultural education."

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about Pearl S. Buck, take a voyage to Amazon.  It's all in books.
  
  
• Winners of the Pearl S. Buck Award receive a medallion and a $25,000 prize.
  
  
• Randolph-Macon Woman's College is today known simply as Randolph College.
  
  
• In 1973, the National Women's Hall of Fame opened in Seneca Falls, New York.  Buck was the first inductee.

The MGM Lion

 

Since 1917, MGM movies have begun with a lion's roar, provided by a studio mascot named Leo.  Over the years, a series of lions have all portrayed Leo, including an Irish cat named Slats, who is today buried on a simple farm in New Jersey.

Slats was born at the Dublin Zoo in Ireland, on March 20, 1919.  Shortly thereafter, he was bought by famed New Jersey animal trainer Volney Phifer, who provided a variety of animals for the Broadway stage.  He took the cat to Hollywood, where in 1924, Slats became the official face of MGM, first appearing in that years' feature He Who Gets Slapped.  Slats would continue in the role, appearing in all MGM features through 1928.

In 1934, Phifer bought a farm in Gillette, New Jersey.  Slats would pass just two years later and Phifer buried him on the property.  For years, a simple granite marker adorned the grave, which has today been replaced by a tribute to Slats.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• Slats is buried on private property.  If you go, please be respectful.
  
  
• Unlike those lions who would follow, Slats did not roar, rather, he simply looked back and forth.  This is perhaps due to the fact that films would not include sound until 1927.
  
  
• Since 2021, Leo has appeared via computer animation in all MGM films.  Although this new version is based on a Leo, it is not clear as to which cat is represented.
  
  
• On an unknown date in the mid-1990s, WABC-TV in New York did a story on Leo's grave and Phifer's connection to New Jersey.  Check out the grainy video on YouTube.
  
  
• Phifer died in December 1974 at the age of 76.  This blogger has been unable to locate his final resting place, if there is one.

Stephanie Zimbalist

 

"I have a personal connection with my Savior...I feel very beholden to Him...I feel He's there for me in my darkest moments."

No, you didn't miss a headline.  Stephanie Zimbalist is still very much alive, but why should that stop her from having a grave, or for this blog to cover it?

She was born Loranda Stephanie Zimbalist in New York City on October 8, 1956.  She is the daughter of actor Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., star of the 1960's television series 77 Sunset Strip, and the granddaughter of Efrem Sr., a renowned concert violinist and symphony conductor.  By age 11, she was already following in her father's footsteps, appearing in a 1969 stage production of Gypsy.

After graduating from an all-girls prep school in Virginia, she enrolled in the renowned Juilliard School in New York City.  While still studying drama, she began her acting career on the small screen, with roles in a variety of made-for-TV movies, including The Gathering (1978) with Ed Asner and The Awakening (1980) with Charlton Heston. One of her first guest roles on a television series was a two-part episode of The Love Boat in 1978. 

In 1982, she was cast in the role for which she is most famously known, that of Detective Laura Holt on the NBC series Remington Steele.  The show ran for five seasons and made household names of her and future James Bond star, Pierce Brosnan.  When the series ended, she continued acting, racking up several film and stage credits.  Her most recent role was in the 2023 black comedy Lucky Louie.

In 2014, Efrem Jr. passed away.  He was buried at Town Hill Cemetery in New Hartford, Connecticut.  It is home to the Zimbalist Family plot, where several generations, including Efrem Sr., have all been laid to rest.  Although she is still very much alive, Stephanie's grave is prepared for inevitable arrival.

Here's to many more years. Stephanie.

Trivia

• This blog post will inevitably be updated, but hopefully not for many years to come.
  
  
• If you want to learn more about Stephanie, visit her website, at www.stephaniezimbalist.net.
  
  
• A woman of faith, Stephanie's headstone bears the Bible verse Ephesians 4:6, which says "One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."  She also discussed her faith with the YouTube series Credo in Hollywood.
  
  
• Stephanie was originally cast to play Officer Anne Lewis in one of this blogger's favorite movies, RoboCop, but was unable to appear due to her filming commitment to Remington Steele.  The part ultimately went to actress Nancy Allen.
  
  
• Stephanie's co-star Pierce Brosnan later famously took on the role of James Bond, making him the second 007 she would appear with on television, the first one being Timothy Dalton in the 1978 mini-series Centennial.
  
  
• In recent years, Stephanie has narrated a number of audiobooks, including A Knight in Shining Armor by Jude Deveraux.  For a complete listing of her work, please visit audible.com.

The Human Frisbee

 

Ed Headrick is not a household name.  Odds are, you've never heard of him.  But his contributions to the world of recreational sports cannot be overlooked, nor can his seemingly unusual and some would say bizarre, final request. 

Steady Ed, as he was known, was born on June 28, 1924.  As a member of the greatest generation, he enlisted in the army and served his country during World War 2.  After he was discharged, he returned to his native California, hoping to begin a career at Wham-O.  Although the toy manufacturer was not currently hiring, Ed was not to be deterred, and he offered to work for free in order to prove his worth.  Amazingly, Wham-O agreed to the offer.

His first assignment was to find a new use for the company's excess supply of Hula Hoops, as the craze had run its course in American pop culture.  It would become a theme throughout his career, as he was constantly improving older toys that were no longer marketable.

One such product was Wham-O's flying saucer, first invented by Walter Frederick Morrison in 1948.  Ed turned it into the modern-day Frisbee and began a marketing campaign like no other.  To him it was now more than just a mere toy, but rather its own recreational sport.

To that end, Ed left Wham-O in 1975, intent on furthering this idea.  The following year, he co-founded the Disc Golf Association with his son Ken and introduced a new sport, Frisbee Golf, to the world. The two would design and patent a series of courses and related equipment for their new sport.  

In 2002, Ed was competing in the Professional Disc Gold Association's 2002 Amateur World Championships in Miami when he suffered a series of strokes.  Although he was able to return to his home near Santa Cruz, California, he would pass away just a few days later on August 12th.  He was 78 years old.

Now here's where it gets crazy.  Before his death, Ed told his family that he wished to be memorialized with the product that he had made his life's work.  He was cremated, and his ashes were incorporated into a limited number of Frisbees.  One such Frisbee found its way to the Ripley's Believe it or Not! Odditorium in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• Ed's final transformation was documented by the Ripley's Believe it or Not! TV series as hosted by Dean Cain.  You can watch the fascinating segment in its entirety on YouTube.
  
  
• Ten years after his passing, Ed was featured in the flying disc documentary The Human String.  Check out the trailer on IMDb.
  
  
• The proceeds from those discs that were sold were used to establish the Steady Ed Memorial Disc Golf Museum in Columbia County, Georgia.
  
  
• The Ripley's display case description misspells Ed's last name as "Hendricks."

Robin Leach

 

"Champagne wishes and caviar dreams."

Robin Douglas Leach was born in London, England on August 29, 1941.  As a young man, he attended the Harrow County School for Boys, where he first became interested in journalism, serving as editor of the school newspaper.  By the time he was 15, he was already a news reporter for the local paper.

When he was 18, Leach went to work for the Daily Mail, the same British tabloid that shows up on your Facebook page every day.  He was the youngest "Page One" reporter on staff, a record he still holds to this day.  Four years later, he emigrated to the United States (legally), where he went to work for such publications as the New York Daily News, the Ladies Home Journal and People.  He later became Show Business Editor for that classic American tabloid The Star.  

In the 1970s, he began appearing on television, as a regular contributor on AM Los Angeles, hosted by Regis Philbin and Sarah Purcell.  From there, he went national, reporting for both CNN and Entertainment Tonight. 

In 1984, he began hosting the show for which he is most famously associated, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.  It ran in syndication for the next twelve years, making Leach a household name.  When the show was canceled in 1995, he'd stay in the public spotlight, appearing as himself on such programs as Boy Meets World, The Surreal Life, and Celebrity Wife Swap, wherein his wife Judith went to live with Eric Roberts, whose wife Eliza visited Leach at his home in Las Vegas.

In 2017, Leach suffered a stroke while on vacation in Cabo San Lucas.  He'd never fully recover, eventually ending up in hospice care, where he suffered a second stroke in 2018.  By now the clock was ticking, and he ultimately passed on August 24th.  He was just 76 years old.

Robin Leach was laid to rest at Palm Memorial Park in Las Vegas.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• In 1994, Leach co-authored a celebrity cookbook with the ridiculous title The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous Cookbook: Recipes and Entertaining Secrets From the Most Extraordinary People in the World.  Pick up a copy from Amazon.
  
  
• In 1988, the producers of the ABC sit-com Sledge Hammer! asked Leach to introduce their first season finale, where he bluntly told the audience it was a ratings grab, which ultimately worked.  Check it out on YouTube.
  
  
• In 1993, Leach hosted an unauthorized documentary of the material girl herself entitled Madonna Exposed.  Before the program aired, he gave Madonna a cell phone number, inviting her to call in at any point to refute the show's claims, which she did not.  You can watch the film in its entirety on YouTube.
  
  
• Palm Memorial Park is also the final resting place of comedian Redd Foxx, previously profiled by this blog.

George Steinbrenner - The Boss

 

"Winning is the most important thing in my life, after breathing.  Breathing first, winning next."

George Michael Steinbrenner III was born in Rocky River, Ohio on July 4, 1930.  He was the oldest of three children to Irish immigrant parents and was of the first generation to be born in America.

After graduating from military school in 1948, Steinbrenner went on Williams College in Massachusetts, where, like his father before him, he was an accomplished track and field star who later joined the football team.  He was also gifted academically, playing the piano and serving as sports editor of the college newspaper.  After earning his bachelor's degree, he enlisted in the United States Air Force and was commissioned a second lieutenant, stationed in Columbus, Ohio.  Upon his discharge in 1954, he earned his master's degree in physical education.

His education behind him, Steinbrenner took over his family's shipping business in 1957, eventually becoming Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.  By the time he stepped down in 1972, the company was pulling in $100 million in annual sales.

With a renewed interest in sports, Steinbrenner and a group of fellow investors bought the New York Yankees in 1973 from former owner CBS.  He was known for his hands-on ownership style, which earned him the nickname "The Boss."  During his tenure, turnover was high as he was often replacing his management team.  Behind his back, he was also known as "Manager George," a derisive nickname given to him by former manager Dallas Green. 

By 2007, Steinbrenner had relocated to Florida as his health was in decline.  He officially retired that year, handing control of the team over to his sons Hal and Hank.  Steinbrenner eventually died of a heart attack on July 13, 2010, the morning of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.  He was 80 years old. 

George Steinbrenner was entombed in a palatial family mausoleum at Trinity Memorial Gardens in Trinity, Florida.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• If you want to learn more about George Steinbrenner, take a voyage to Amazon.  It's all in books.
  
  
• From 1973 to his death in 2010, Steinbrenner was the longest-serving owner in club history.  Under his ownership, the Yankees won seven World Series and eleven American League pennants.
  
  
• Steinbrenner was the second in a Yankee death trifecta that week.  He was preceded in death by longtime P.A. announcer Bob Sheppard and was followed by former manager Ralph Houk.
  
  
• Steinbrenner became something of a pop culture icon, even hosting a 1990 episode of Saturday Night Live.  Really.  He later became a running joke on the hit sit-com Seinfeld, as portrayed by series creator Larry David.

Cokie Roberts

 

Mary Martha Corinne Morrison Claiborne Boggs, aka Cokie Roberts, was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on December 27, 1943.  As you might have guessed from the name, she was born to a Catholic family.  Her parents were career politicians, Lindy and Hale Boggs, both of whom represented Louisiana in the U.S. House of Representatives (see Trivia below).

Cokie began her high school education at the Academy of the Sacred Heart, an all-girls Roman Catholic school in New Orleans.  She'd follow her family to Washinton, DC, where she'd eventually complete her diploma.  She then attended Wellesley College in Massachusetts, where she earned a bachelor's degree in political science in 1964.

After graduation, Cokie went to work at WRC-TV in Washington, DC, where she hosted a weekly public affairs program called Meeting of the Minds.  The gig was short lived however, as she'd spend the next few years following her husband Steve, a fellow journalist, from place to place.  His career took them to New York, Los Angeles, and Athens, Greece.  It was there that Cokie first went to work as a stringer for CBS News.

In 1978, Cokie joined National Public Radio.  She'd spent the next ten years as a Congressional Correspondent, making frequent appearances on PBS's MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour.  Then in 1988, she joined ABC as a Political Correspondent for ABC's World News Tonight with Peter Jennings.  She would make frequent appearances on the network's Sunday morning public affairs program This Week with David Brinkley.  Upon Brinkley's retirement in 1997, she became a permanent co-host of the program, which was redubbed This Week with Sam Donaldson and Cokie Roberts.  They were both replaced in 2002 however, when the show was given to Clinton ally George Stephanopoulos.

In 2002, Cokie was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer.  Although she was successfully treated for it at the time, it would eventually take her life on September 17, 2019.  She was 75 years old.

Cokie Roberts was laid to rest in Washington, DC's Congressional Cemetery, next to both of her parents.  A memorial bench honoring both Roberts and her mother was placed nearby.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• Cokie authored enough books to start her own library.  After her passing, husband Steve wrote the definitive biography, Cokie: A Live Well Lived.  Check out the selection at Amazon.
  
  
• The nickname "Cokie" was first started by her younger brother, Tommy, who, as a child, could not pronounce Corinne.  The nickname stuck, and she eventually adopted it as her professional moniker.
  
  
• The phrase that emblazes Cokie's headstone, "put on the jewels and take up the tools," comes from a commencement speech she delivered to the graduates of Wellesley College, her alma mater, in 1994.
  
  
• Cokie won a several awards throughout her career, including the Edward R. Murrow Award, the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism, and an Emmy Award for the documentary Who is Ross Perot.
  
  
• As mentioned above, Hale Boggs represented Louisiana in the U.S. House of Representatives.  He served for more than thirty years, eventually becoming House Majority Leader during the Nixon Administration.  In October 1972, Boggs and his team were flying from Anchorage to Juneau when their plane disappeared.  Today, more than fifty years later, no trace of the plane has ever been found.  The story of their disappearance has been chronicled in a number of documentaries, including the History Channel's Missing in Alaska: Vanished in a Vortex.

Otto Warmbier

 

"I beg of you and the North Korean government of the DPRK for your forgiveness.  Please, I've made the worst mistake of my life!"

Otto Frederick Warmbier was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on December 12, 1994.  He was the oldest of three children to Cynthia and Fred Warmbier, the latter of whom worked as a metal finisher in Cincinnati.

Otto was a popular student at Wyoming High School, where he graduated as salutatorian in 2013.  He enrolled at the University of Virginia where he pursued a double major in commerce and economics. 

In late 2015, Warmbier enrolled in a study abroad program, intent on spending a year in Hong Kong.  Before heading to Asia's World City, however, he decided to visit North Korea.  He contacted Young Pioneer Tours, a Chinese-based travel firm with the slogan "destinations your mother would rather you stayed away from."  It would prove to be prophetic.

On December 29, Warmbier's tour group arrived in Beijing.  They would celebrate New Year's Eve in Kim II Sung Square before returning to their hotel, where Warmbier noticed a propaganda poster on display.  It read "let's arm ourselves strongly with Kim Jong II's patriotism."  Having had a few drinks, Warmbier attempted to take the poster, but he was ultimately unsuccessful.  He was arrested the following day at the airport, moments before flying home.

Warmbier was detained for six weeks, before giving a prepared statement that many felt was coerced.  He took responsibility for attempting to steal the poster, claiming he had done so at the behest of his Ohio church and the University of Virginia, claims that Time Magazine would brand as "fanciful and implausible."  For his actions, Warmbier was sentenced to fifteen years of hard labor.

Back in America, Warmbier's parents were not only being stonewalled by the North Korean government, but by their own as well.  According to Fred, the two were repeatedly asked by members of the Obama Administration, including then-Secretary of State John Kerry, to "maintain a low profile" on their son's situation.  The Warmbiers would not comply.  In fact, years later, the two would become actively involved in Republican presidential campaigns.

In June 2017, more than a year after his imprisonment, North Korea announced that it was releasing Warmbier, albeit in a vegetative state.  He was flown to Cincinnati, where he ultimately died on June 19th.  He was 22 years old.  A postmortem examination suggested his death was the result of a blood clot, pneumonia, sepsis, or kidney failure.

More than 2,500 people attended Warmbier's funeral, including Ohio Senator Rob Portman.  It was conducted at his alma mater, Wyoming High School.  He was then laid to rest in Oak Hill Cemetery in Glendale, Ohio, just outside of Cincinnati.  Though hard to read in this photo, the inscription reads "Son - Brother - Friend."

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• A number of books on the case have been published since Warmbier's death, in varying degrees of taste.  Check out the selection at Amazon.
  
  
• As a college student of the Jewish faith, Warmbier was a member of Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life.
  
  
• After Warmbier's death, North Korean officials continued to claim that they had treated him humanely, adding that their country was the biggest victim in the case.  A spokesman for the Korean Central News Agency told ABC News "although we had no reason at all to show mercy to such a criminal of the enemy state, we provided him with medical treatments and care with all sincerity on humanitarian basis until his return to the U.S., considering that his health got worse."
  
  
• In 2018, Warmbier's parents successfully sued the North Korean government, which was ordered to pay the family $501 million in damages.  However, there is no mechanism in place to enforce the ruling.  
  
  
• After his death, Warmbier's parents established a college scholarship in his name.  In 2022, they awarded it Seohyun Lee, a North Korean defector.
  

Sharon Tate

 

"My whole life has been decided by fate.  I've never planned anything that's happened to me."

Sharon Marie Tate was born in Dallas, Texas on January 24, 1943.  Her father was an army intelligence officer, and as such, the family was often moving from one city to another.  By the time she was 16, she had lived in six cities and had few friends.

Seeking to change that, she began entering beauty pageants when she was 16.  In 1959, she won the title of Miss Richland in Washington State.  A swimsuit photo from the pageant was published in Stars and Stripes, turning Tate into a local celebrity overnight.  While she planned to compete for the title of Miss Washington, her family relocated to Italy before the pageant.

While in Verona, Tate and her friends were cast as extras in the 1962 film Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man.  During production, she met actor Richard Beymer, who encouraged her to come to Hollywood and be a star.  She did just that, winning small roles in such popular TV shows as Mister Ed and The Beverly Hillbillies.  

In 1967, Tate was in London starring in a film that would eventually be released as The Fearless Vampire Killers.  During production, she fell in love with the director, Roman Polanski, and the two were subsequently married on January 20, 1968. 

By 1969, the two had settled into married life.  On August 8, while Polanski was out of town, a very pregnant Sharon Tate entertained a group of friends, including celebrity hairstylist Jay Sebring, Wojciech Fryowski and Abigail Folger.  Shortly after midnight, members of the Manson Family cult broke into the home.  What happened next has become the stuff of Hollywood legend.

According to cult member Susan Atkins, the family wanted "to do a crime that would shock the world, that the world would have to stand up and take notice."  One can't deny that they did just that.

Tate and her friends were repeatedly stabbed by the group, with Fryowski and Folger succumbing to their wounds.  Still alive, Tate and Sebring were hanged on a support beam in the living room.  The coroner would later cite a massive hemorrhage as her cause of death.  Her unborn baby died in utero.  Before leaving the scene, cult members wrote the word "pig" on the front door, using Tate's own blood.

Sharon Tate and her baby were laid to rest at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City.  Her mother Doris passed away in 1992 and was subsequently buried with them, marking three generations within the same plot.

Rest in peace.

Trivia

• Several books have been written on Sharon's life and of the crime itself, including one co-written by Polanski and Tate's sister Debra.  Check out these selections on Amazon.
  
  
• Tate was offered the role of Billie Jo Bradley on the sitcom Petticoat Junction, but she ultimately turned it down.
  
  
• Mattel's "Malibu Barbie" was based on Tate's character in the 1967 film Don't Make Waves.
  
  
• Tate became close friends with actress Victoria Vetri during production of the 1968 film Rosemary's Baby.  Vetri was to have been a guest of Tate's on the night of the murders, but she canceled at the last minute due to poor health.
  
  
• Musician Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails recorded his 1994 album "The Downward Spiral" in the murder house, which was subsequently demolished in 1994.  Reznor purportedly took the "pig" door with him, which is now a part of his Louisiana studio.
  
  
• Tate was a distant cousin of brothers Dennis and Randy Quaid.