﻿ Welcome to Hollywood Graveyard, where we set out to remember and celebrate the
lives of those who lived to entertain us, by visiting their final resting places. Today
we’re heading down to the city of Long Beach, to find such stars as Nate Dogg,
Ricky Harris, Luana Patten, Jenni Rivera, and many more. Join us, won’t you?
Welcome to Long Beach, a city in the southern end of LA county, known for its ports, beaches,
and the Queen Mary. Long Beach has also given the world some memorable entertainment,
and entertainers, who have chosen Long Beach cemeteries as their eternal home. And I hope
that all the people in their graves will agree that we’re well qualified to represent the
LBC, me, me and Giuseppe, we go run to the graveyard and dance to the rhythm,
it gets harder. Whoa, where did that come from? Channeling the spirit of
Sublime down here in Long Beach, I guess. We’ll be exploring two adjacent cemeteries today:
Forest Lawn Long Beach, and All Souls Cemetery. If you’ve seen our previous videos, you’ll recall our
many visits to Forest Lawn Glendale and Hollywood Hills. Forest Lawn Long Beach is the baby sister
of these big LA cemeteries. It actually began as Sunnyside Memorial Gardens in 1921,
but after falling into disrepair, was purchased by Forest Lawn in the 1970s. It’s distinct
for its Spanish Colonial architecture… echoes of Southern California’s past.
Let’s begin in the section just in from the entrance on the left, Benevolence section.
The cemetery was reeling from a recent series of severe rainstorms and flooding,
and was in the process of repairing some graves that had partially sunk due to the flooding,
so if you see something like this, that’s why. Here in Benevolence section, we find a child
star right out of the Twilight Zone, Terry Burnham. She began appearing in TV shows at
the tender age of 6, in shows like I Love Lucy and M Squad. Her best-known role from this era
was in a memorable episode of the Twilight Zone in 1960, playing the haunting young
Markie in the episode, Nightmare as a Child. “You got a nasty burn, right below the elbow.”
Terry would be touted as “TV’s Shirley Temple.” She’d go on to appear in shows like Wagon Train,
and Family Affair. She would gain national attention on film playing the daughter of Lana
Turner’s Character in Imitation of Life. But Terry retired from acting at 22, and disappeared from
the public eye for the remainder of her life. She died from cardiac arrest at the age of 64. Terry
had no next of kin, and so her cremated remains went unclaimed at the Los Angeles crematorium.
Cremated remains that are unclaimed after 5 years are buried in a common grave in Los Angeles.
Fans didn’t want Terry to end up in a common grave, so they took the initiative to claim
her ashes, raise funds for this grave and marker, and give her a proper burial here
next to her mother in 2018… five years after her death. Because of this I had the opportunity
to attend Terry’s interment ceremony and marker placement here in 2018 -- A loving
tribute from her adoring fans. Heading a little further northeast in this
same section we find the grave of funnyman Ricky Harris. He rose to prominence in the
90s doing Def Comedy Jam, and skits with Snoop Dog. He’d soon appear on television,
with recurring roles on shows like Moesha, and Everybody Hates Chris. And his films included
Heat, Poetic Justice, and Bones. Ricky was just 51 when he died after suffering a heart attack.
Let’s circle around now to the Gardens of the Sacrament section,
marked by the 32-foot high Paradise mosaic, a replica of Raphael’s Disputation of the Sacrament.
In the section just west of this mosaic we find Nate Dogg, real name Nathaniel Hale. He
was a rapper, known as the King of Hooks, so nicknamed for providing the hooks as
guest vocalist on a number of hits in the 90s and 2000s. Nate was part of the rap trio 213,
and debuted on Dr. Dre’s first solo album, as well as Snoop Dogg’s debut solo album. He’d continue
to collaborate with greats like 2Pac, Ludacris, Eminem, and Warren G. Nate Dogg released a number
of his own albums as well, including Music & Me which reached #3 on the Hip-Hop charts.
His epitaph here features lyrics from his song, “Music & Me.” Throughout his career Nate
Dogg would be nominated for four Grammy awards. Nate suffered a series of strokes in the 2000s,
and passed away in 2011 from complications of the strokes. He was just 41.
Let’s head around the corner to the mausoleum.
The only stars we found here in the mausoleum were on the ceiling, but this mausoleum is a star unto
itself… another one of those hidden gems in the LA area that you must see in person. It
was built by Cecil Bryan, the same man who built the magnificent Mountain View mausoleum… and you
can see the similarities. This mausoleum is just stunning in its artistic detail and splendor.
And it’s the only mausoleum I’ve seen with a Foucault pendulum,
other than the Pantheon in Paris.
We could spend an entire day in these sublime halls, but let’s head back out to the cemetery
grounds and find some more stars. Just south of the main entrance is Jonquil
section. Next to the road we find Rickie Sorensen. He was a child actor, remembered for voicing a
number of memorable Disney characters, including Arthur in Sword and the Stone, and Spotty in
One Hundred and One Dalmatians. In front of the camera, Rickie can be seen in movies like Airport
77, and Man of a Thousand Faces, and in television shows like Father of the Bride, as Tommy.
Rickie was diagnosed with cancer in 1990, passing away in 1994 at just 47. He was reportedly laid to
rest here with his brother Lonnie, alongside his parents, though there is no marker for him.
Not far south in this same section, and close to the road, is the grave of Vern Stephens.
He was a professional baseball player in the 40s and 50s, playing shortstop.
He played much of his career for the St. Louis Browns, and Boston Red Sox.
Vern was an 8-time All-Star, American League home run leader, and would be inducted into the
Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame. Vern was just 48 when he died after suffering a heart attack.
Let’s continue near the southern end of this lawn, in Gardenia section.
Heading in quite a ways we stop at an unmarked grave, belonging to Frank Sully.
He was a prolific actor, with over 300 credits to his name. Frank occasionally appeared as foil in
The Three Stooges shorts, and is also remembered for his recurring character as the bumbling Sgt.
Matthews in the Boston Blackie series of films in the 40s. Other notable films include The Grapes
of Wrath, and recurring television roles in shows like The Virginian, as Danny the Bartender. Frank
died in 1975 at age 67. He’s laid to rest here alongside his wife, their grave still unmarked.
Continuing south we reach the southernmost section of the cemetery, Hibiscus.
Nearly all the way to the wall we find the grave of Luana Patten. Along with Bobby Driscoll,
Luana was one of Disney’s first contract players for their foray into live action films in the 40s.
The first of these was Song of the South in 1946, followed by Fun and Fancy Free in 1947.
“Can I try?” “Certainly.”
“Yes, I think I can see it Mr. Bergen. It’s beautiful.”
She would team up again with Bobby Driscoll in So Dear to My Heart (alluded to here on her marker)
and she had leading roles in other Disney films like Johnny Tremaine. Outside of
Disney she starred in films like Joe Dakota and Rock, Pretty Baby, and would appear in TV shows
like The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, and Dragnet 67. She retired from acting in 1970,
coming out of retirement briefly for a cameo in 1988’s Grotesque.
Luana died from respiratory failure at age 57.
Heading east to the roundabout, we reach Erica section.
Meet Vera Steadman. She was a noted comedienne
of the silent era, remembered as one of Mack Sennett’s famous Bathing Beauties.
She also regularly played leading lady to Bobby Vernon in Al Christie films of the 1920s.
She continued to work into the talkies, but mainly in minor roles, in films like A Star
is Born. Vera passed away at the age of 66. The next section east is Bouvardia. Here’s
one for you hockey fans, Art Chapman. He was a Canadian born professional hockey player in the
20s to the 40s, playing for the Boston Bruins, and New York Americans. He would play for the
NHL All-Star team in 1937. After retiring from playing in the early 40s, Art would coach for
a number of organizations. Art Chapman was just 56 when he died from undisclosed causes.
That wraps up our time here at Forest Lawn -- let’s cross the street east to our next cemetery.
All Souls is a Catholic cemetery,
and the next-door neighbor of Forest Lawn here in Long Beach.
Let’s begin in the northern end of the cemetery, section G. Here lies Frank Coghlan,
sometimes known as Junior Coghlan. He was an actor, whose career began as a child in
the 1920s. The freckle-faced Coghlan would become one of the era’s most popular child
actors. During this time he’d appear in Our Gang comedies, and films by Cecil B. DeMille.
Come the talkies Frank would star in films like Merrily Yours alongside Shirley Temple,
and is perhaps best known in this era for his role as Billy Batson in The Adventures
of Captain Marvel in 1941, considered the very first comic book superhero movie. Coghlan went
on to be a real-life superhero, as an aviator and officer in the US Navy during WWII and beyond. He
would return to the screen occasionally in smaller roles in the 60s and 70s,
and in 1992 released an autobiography titled “They Still Call Me Junior.” He lived to be 93.
Circling around to the south, we reach section D on the right.
This is the grave of professional football player, Jack Snow. He played wide receiver at Notre Dame,
and went on to play professionally for the Los Angeles Rams between 1965 and 1975. Jack would
dabble in acting as well, appearing in films like Heaven Can Wait, and as himself in an episode of
Bewitched. He would then become a sportscaster for the Rams on radio and television. He broadcast his
final game in 2005, shortly before passing away from a staph infection at age 62.
Across the street southeast is section A. Yet another one for you hockey fans, who surely
recognize the name Zamboni. Frank Zamboni was an inventor and engineer who developed the modern ice
resurfacer that bears his surname: the Zamboni. In 1940 he opened an ice rink here in Los Angeles,
which became popular because Frank had devised a way to eliminate rippling on the ice. Then in 1949
he invented a machine that could resurface the ice with less man power and in a fraction of the time,
and in 1953 started his own company to manufacture and sell the machines. The
Zamboni is now a staple at ice rinks around the globe, and Frank himself has been inducted into a
number of Halls of Fame for his contribution. He died from cardiac arrest at age 87.
Back across the street southwest we reach a series of garden crypts.
Heading into the Corridor of the Sacred Heart, we find the crypt of Michael Keep. As an actor he’s
best-known for his work in Westerns, specifically in Native American roles. Notable among these are
as Cochise in 1967’s 40 Guns to Apache Pass. He would also play Cochise in The High Chaparral,
and made numerous appearances on shows like Death Valley Days and Gunsmoke.
He retired from performing in 1990, and lived to be 84.
Let’s hop back in the car and head southeast. This is Guardian Angel section E.
Near the middle of this lawn we find the grave of Norm Larker. He was a professional baseball
player, playing first base and outfield. His career in the major leagues lasted from 1958
until 1963, during which time he played for a number of teams, most notably, the LA Dodgers.
With the Dodgers he was part of the World Series winning team in 1959. Norm would
also be named a 2-time All-Star. He lived to be 76, passing away from cancer in 2007.
We arrive now in the southern end of the cemetery. In this
garden area we find the final resting place of Jenni Rivera. She was a singer, considered one
of the most important and best-selling female figures in Regional Mexican music. Known as “La
Diva de la Banda,” and “La Gran Senora,” Jenni began recording and performing in the 90s, and
with the release of her 2008 studio album, titled Jenni, she reached number 1 on the Billboard Latin
charts. She received numerous honors throughout her career, including 22 Billboard Latin Music
Awards, and 4 Latin Grammy nominations. And it wasn’t long before Jenni took her talents
to the screen, acting in movies like Filly Brown, and creating her own reality TV shows. On top of
all this she was a successful businesswoman and philanthropist. But Jenni’s life and career were
cut tragically short in 2012. While performing in Mexico, she boarded a flight on December 9th.
The plane crashed south of Monterrey shortly after takeoff. Investigators
were never able to determine the specific cause of the crash. Jenni Rivera was 43.
A monument to Jenni has been erected at the crash site, and here in Long Beach,
Jenni Rivera Memorial Park was named in her honor, just a few miles south of here.
And finally, we continue to the eastern wall of the cemetery, to the columbarium,
where we find the niche of Rick Rosas. He was a bass player, remembered for his long
collaboration with Neil Young, playing on 9 albums with Young between 1988 and 2009. Rick
would play bass with other greats, like Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Rivers,
and was an in-demand studio session musician around LA. Rick died after suffering cardiac
arrest at age 65. The film Ricki and the Flash, in which he appeared, is dedicated to his memory.
And that concludes our tour. What are some of your favorite memories of the stars we visited today?
Share them in the comments below, and be sure to like,
share, and subscribe for more famous grave tours.
Thanks for watching, we’ll see you on the next one.
After a nice day of gravehunting, a toast to our dearly departed.